Kevin McCarthy: I Want to Hear Obama's ISIS Strategy in State of the Union

There is a lot of talk about what President Barack Obama will say in his final State of the Union Address, but House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Tuesday what he wants to hear most is the president's plans for a strategy to defeat the Islamic State.

"He says it's non-traditional; he says it will be more of a campaign speech," the California Republican told CNN's "New Day" program. "Where are we about security in this nation? It isn't something we should wait to the next president. We need to have a plan to solve this today."

Obama has said it is Congress' responsibility to declare war, but McCarthy said Tuesday that Obama has the authority to "do what needs to be done," and if he needs more, "he'll find open arms inside of Congress to help him with that."

On Tuesday, the House will be voting on a bipartisan issue for new sanctions against Iran because of its missile testing, said McCarthy, and meanwhile, "the world is becoming less and less safe."

Obama's speech is also expected to focus on the economy, and McCarthy said he doesn't think "there's much to trumpet" as "there's 94 million Americans that are out of the work force."

McCarthy also addressed the GOP presidential race and the controversy over Sen. Ted Cruz' citizenship eligibility to be president, saying simply that the Texan's mother is an American, so "that answers the question."

Meanwhile, he said he has not yet endorsed any candidates for the GOP presidential nomination, as it's still too early, but he does think the Democratic campaign between Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders "is closer than people are giving it attention."

He does, though, think Ohio Gov. John Kasich deserves a second look, even though his poll numbers still remain low.

"He balanced the budget when he was in Congress, he transformed Ohio," said McCarthy of the governor's record.

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