WASHINGTON — Alabama Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-AL1) has jumped on the Trump Train with both feet, saying the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s America-first economic plan will lift workers out of poverty.
“I believe Donald Trump is the candidate willing to address the problems of today,” said Byrne. “He has the assertiveness and determination to tackle poverty head on by encouraging work, helping connect Americans with the educational experience they need, and growing the economy right here at home. If we make this election about solutions, I have great confidence we will be victorious in November.”
Byrne’s comments came shortly after House GOP leadership rolled out the anti-poverty plank of Speaker Paul Ryan’s “A Better Way Agenda.”
Ryan and Trump have had a somewhat shaky relationship in recent months, leading to doubts that their policy agendas can co-exist as Trump seeks to remold the Republican Party in his image.
They disagree on a number of fundamental economic issues, ranging from free trade to immigration. Ryan has been a key supporter of the multi-national trade deals that Trump has derided non-stop since he announced his presidential run. Additionally, Ryan is a supporter of so called comprehensive immigration reform, which Trump and his allies — including Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) — have called amnesty.
Byrne, however, believes the two Republican leaders can find common ground.
“Just today, I stood with other House leaders as we outlined a plan to help lift Americans out of poverty,” he said, adding that Trump is the kind of leader who can rally people behind it. “This is a bold agenda that requires a leader who is willing to take on big problems. Hillary Clinton has shown time-and-time again that she is a candidate stuck in the past, and ideas of the past have clearly failed our nation’s poor. We cannot afford eight more years of a lagging economy and more distance between Americans and their American dream.”
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.