阿肯色州州长萨拉·哈克比·桑德斯将代表共和党对乔·拜登总统的观点做出回应国情咨文下周二，2月7日，众议院议长凯文·麦卡锡宣布的周四通过推特。
40岁的桑德斯在11月成为阿肯色州第一位当选州长的女性，也是目前该国最年轻的州长。她也是继她的父亲迈克·哈克比(Mike Huckabee)从1996年至2007年担任州长后，第一个成为州长的女儿。
桑德斯在与共和党国会领导人的一份新闻稿中说:“我很高兴有机会向全国发表讲话，并将共和党对未来的乐观愿景与拜登总统和民主党人的失败进行对比。”“我们已经准备好开始美国历史的新篇章——由新一代领导人撰写，他们准备好捍卫我们的自由，反对激进左翼，并扩大优质教育、就业和所有人的机会。”
预计桑德斯将在小石城做出回应，而麦卡锡将首次坐在总统身后。
麦卡锡在新闻稿中说:“她为不断变化的未来带来了新的想法，同时也运用了过去的智慧，包括来自她父亲迈克的领导。”“她是一个真正有决心和信念的仆人——领导者。我很高兴莎拉将在周二分享她非凡的故事和对更美好美国的大胆愿景。包括拜登总统在内的所有人都应该认真倾听。”
在她上任的第一周，桑德斯签署了行政命令，禁止在学校批评种族理论，禁止在政府文件中使用“拉丁人”一词。
共和党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔(Mitch McConnell)附和道:“尽管拜登总统不断重复旧错误，让美国人失望，但新一代共和党州长正在为家庭而战，推进新的解决方案，并取得胜利。”。“萨拉·哈克比·桑德斯州长是美国最年轻的州长，也是受欢迎的、常识性的保守原则的有力倡导者，这些原则将使我们的国家回到更好的道路上。”
从2017年到2019年，桑德斯是前总统唐纳德·特朗普任期最长的白宫新闻秘书，自离开政府以来，他一直是特朗普的忠实者。有传言称，特朗普可能会盯上桑德斯作为副总统人选，尽管她说她打算担任阿肯色州州长八年。
桑德斯在白宫的任期内与媒体的关系充满敌意，因为她经常散布虚假信息为特朗普政府辩护。根据穆勒的报告，她向穆勒特别顾问调查中的联邦调查人员承认，她作为新闻秘书向公众发表了虚假声明，称这是“口误”。
当80岁的拜登下周进入众议院向国会联席会议发表讲话时，这将是他自共和党控制众议院以来的第一次。
麦卡锡周四在每周新闻发布会上表示，他很高兴桑德斯做出回应，以及亚利桑那州共和党众议员胡安·西斯科马尼(Juan Ciscomani)用西班牙语代表共和党做出回应。
他称西斯科马尼的故事“也是一个真实的美国故事。”
Sarah Huckabee Sanders to deliver GOP's State of the Union response
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will deliver the Republican response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address next Tuesday, Feb. 7, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced on Thursday via Twitter.
Sanders, 40, became the first woman elected to serve as Arkansas' governor in November and is currently the youngest governor in the country. She is also the first daughter to become a state's governor after her father, Mike Huckabee, held the same position from 1996 to 2007.
"I am grateful for this opportunity to address the nation and contrast the GOP's optimistic vision for the future against the failures of President Biden and the Democrats," Sanders said in a release with Republican congressional leaders. "We are ready to begin a new chapter in the story of America – to be written by a new generation of leaders ready to defend our freedom against the radical left and expand access to quality education, jobs, and opportunity for all."
Sanders is expected to deliver the response from Little Rock, while McCarthy will sit behind the president for the first time.
"She is bringing new ideas for a changing future, while also applying the wisdom of the past, including from the leadership of her father, Mike," McCarthy said in the release. "She is a servant-leader of true determination and conviction. I'm thrilled Sarah will share her extraordinary story and bold vision for a better America on Tuesday. Everyone, including President Biden, should listen carefully."
In her first week of office, Sanders signed executive orders banning critical race theory in schools and the term "Latinx" in government documents.
"While President Biden keeps repeating old mistakes and failing Americans, a rising generation of Republican Governors are fighting for families, advancing new solutions, and winning," echoed Republican Leader Mitch McConnell. "Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the youngest Governor in the nation and a powerful advocate for the popular, commonsense conservative principles that will put our country back on a better course."
Sanders was former President Donald Trump's longest-serving White House press secretary from 2017 to 2019 and has remained a Trump loyalist since leaving his administration. It's rumored Trump could be eyeing Sanders for a vice presidential pick, though she's said she intends to serve as governor of Arkansas for eight years.
Sanders tenure in the White House saw a combative relationship with the press as she frequently spread disinformation to defend the Trump administration. She admitted to federal investigators in the Mueller special counsel investigation that she had made false statements to the public as press secretary, calling it a "'slip of the tongue,'" according to the Mueller report.
When Biden, 80, enters the House next week to address the joint session of Congress, it will be his first time since Republicans took control of the chamber.
McCarthy said Thursday to open his weekly press conference that he was "excited" to have Sanders deliver the response, as well as freshman Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., to deliver the response for the GOP in Spanish.
He called Ciscomani's story, "just a real, true American story, as well."
