Click on the image below to view a special Christmas greeting from Senator McConnell:
Click on the image above to view the video
Senator McConnell: We Stand With the People of Newtown
Senator McConnell made the following statement on the Senate floor regarding the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut that occurred on Friday, December 14.
He said: “I want to start by extending my deepest sympathies to the families of the victims of Friday’s massacre, and to the whole community, and to thank the first responders and all those who are helping in the aftermath of this darkest of tragedies.
“Three days after the horrors of Newtown, we’re all still reeling from what happened. Any time there’s a shooting like this we’re crushed with sorrow, but there’s no escaping the fact that the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary stands out for its awfulness. The murder of so many little children and the adults who tried to save them doesn’t just break our hearts, it shatters them.”
Click the image above to view Senator McConnell's speech
He continued: “We stand with the people of Newtown today and in the days ahead. We can do nothing to lessen their anguish, but we can let them know that we mourn with them, that we share a tiny part of their burden in our own hearts. And that we lift the victims and their families and the entire community in prayer.
“Scripture says that while ‘Now we only know in part, in the life to come we shall know, even as we are known.’ Scripture also says that in that day, ‘every tear will be wiped away, because there will be no more death, or sorrow, or crying, or pain, for the former things will have passed away.’
“May the people of Newtown and all Americans be consoled by this certain hope. May their burdens be lightened by the loving care of their neighbors and friends and even strangers in the days and weeks ahead. And may this terrible tragedy prompt all of us to cherish the lives we’ve been given, our family members and friends, and all who surround us in our daily tasks.
“This is no lasting city, we know. May we pass through it with a little more gratitude, and with a firmer determination to live the kind of lives we’ve been called to live.”
Fiscal Cliff Update
This week, Senator McConnell continued to press Senate Democrats to finally take action to prevent a massive tax hike this month that will affect millions of American families.
Senator McConnell said, “With ten days to go until the nation goes over the fiscal cliff, we have an obligation to act on something that can pass the House and the Senate. If the President won’t propose it, and if Democrats won’t propose it, I will.
“Earlier this year, the House passed a bill that extends current tax rates on everybody for one year, with instructions for expedited comprehensive tax reform by next year. We can bring this House-passed bill up.
“If Senate Democrats have a plan that can get 60 votes and build bipartisan support, offer that as an amendment, and then let’s vote. Let’s vote on amendments from all sides.
“And then let’s go to conference with the House of Representatives. They’ve already passed a bill, one that I support, to prevent a tax hike on all Americans and reform the tax code. Let’s take it up here and get this done.
“It’s called legislating. It’s what Congress used to do.
“Unfortunately, too many Democrats in Washington are celebrating the inability of House Republicans to pass their bill yesterday. But realize this: Democrats in the House vowed they wouldn’t vote for that bill, the Senate Majority Leader vowed it would be dead on arrival in the Senate, and the President vowed he’d veto it.
“So Washington Democrats are celebrating the defeat a bill that would have made current tax rates permanent for more than 99 percent of Americans—and they won’t offer an alternative.
“This isn’t funny. People’s livelihoods are at stake here. The U.S. economy is at stake here. Millions upon millions of families are counting on us to do something.
“It’s the President’s job to find a solution that can pass Congress. He’s the only one who can do it. I stand ready to work with him and the Democrats who control the Senate to get something done, before it is too late.”
McConnell Discusses Crushable Pain Pill Abuse with Top HHS Official
Senator McConnell met with Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Acting General Counsel Bill Schultz on Wednesday to emphasize the seriousness of the prescription drug crisis in Kentucky. During the meeting, Senator McConnell told the HHS top lawyer that “prescription drug abuse is a significant problem in Kentucky that will be made worse by the imminent availability of these crushable pain pills, and I encourage the Administration to take action immediately to avert the looming threat to Kentucky from these frequently abused crushable pain pills.”
Senator McConnell meets with HHS Acting General Counsel Bill Schultz
Early next year, generic versions of the two most commonly abused painkillers -- Opana and OxyContin -- will flood the markets. Senator McConnell’s office has heard concerns from law enforcement, hospitals and health clinics in Kentucky that these generic crushable drugs lack the tamper-resistant gel coating of the brand-name drugs. Without this technology, addicts crush the pills in order to achieve an immediate heroin-like high from sniffing or injecting the painkillers. If these generics come to market without the tamper-resistant coating, much of the work that law enforcement and health care providers have done to stem the tide of pain pill abuse in Kentucky will be lost.
To watch a news segment about the issue that aired on WAVE-3 in Louisville, click the image below:
Click the image above to view the news segment
Welcome to Washington
This week in his Washington, D.C. office, Senator McConnell met with the Reverend Walter Cosby, who is the deacon at First Gethsemane Baptist Church in West Louisville.
Senator McConnell and the Rev. Walter Cosby
Keeping Up With Senator McConnell
Keep up with the latest news and alerts from our nation's capital as well as updates on things happening back home in Kentucky by becoming a fan of Senator McConnell's Facebook page, and get the latest news from Senator McConnell's press office on Twitter at @McConnellPress.
