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Recent Press Releases

McConnell Statement on the Economic Rescue Plan

September 30, 2008



‘So we will get the job done. We will get it done this week. And I think hopefully that will reassure the American people that Congress can rise to the occasion, act like grown-ups, if you will, and get the job done for all of our people.’



WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday regarding the need for quick, bipartisan action on the economic rescue plan:



“I too want to reassure the American people that we intend to pass this legislation this week. We will pass it on a broad bipartisan basis, both sides cooperating to prevent this financial crisis from persisting.



“I think the message from the markets yesterday was clear. The time for finger pointing indeed has come to an end.



“As the Senior Senator from Tennessee likes to remind us, this is not the time to fix the blame. This is the time to fix the problem.



“Those are also the words of Senator McCain, with whom I spoke yesterday, who is in exactly the same place as all of us are – on a bipartisan basis.



“So we will get the job done. We will get it done this week. And I think, hopefully, that will reassure the American people that Congress can rise to the occasion, act like grown-ups, if you will, and get the job done for all of our people.”



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McConnell Secures Additional Funding for Blue Grass Army Depot

September 27, 2008





Washington, D.C. -- Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell announced Saturday that the Senate approved the FY 2009 Continuing Resolution (CR), which contains his requests for $30 million in additional funding for the Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD) in Richmond, Kentucky. The legislation is now on its way to the President for his signature.



Senator McConnell, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, secured $30 million in additional funds for the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (ACWA) program at BGAD in Richmond, Ky. This brings the total funding level this year to approximately $430 million, representing the highest level of funding ever for ACWA.



Over the past 20 years, Senator McConnell has fought to secure funds for the safe elimination of the chemical weapons located at the facility and this additional funding will enable the ACWA program to move more quickly toward disposal. Because of the hundreds of millions of extra dollars Senator McConnell has secured for disposal efforts at BGAD and the 2017 deadline he legislated, there have been impressive strides made at BGAD since ground was broken at the construction site on October 28, 2006.



“This funding will help ensure that the Department of Defense complies with the 2017 deadline for the safe disposal of the chemical weapon stockpile at the Blue Grass Army Depot,” McConnell said. “The elimination of these dangerous weapons is a top priority for me, and the people living near the facility can rest assured that I will fight until these heinous weapons have been eliminated.”



The Continuing Resolution now goes to the President for consideration.



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McConnell Secures Funding for Kentucky Defense Facilities in Appropriations Bill

September 27, 2008

McConnell also included a provision to help Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant



Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell obtained funding for several Kentucky defense-related projects in the FY 2009 Continuing Resolution, which passed the Senate on Saturday. The legislation is now on its way to the President for his signature.



“This funding is vital to the men and women of our military, their families and the Kentucky workers who support them,” McConnell said. “Kentuckians are helping to strengthen our national security by the work they are doing at our military installations, defense facilities and universities.”



Senator McConnell, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, fought to secure funding or language for the following projects:



$10 million for the construction of a School Age Services Center at Fort Campbell. These funds will accelerate the construction of a center that will provide before and after school care to over 200 children at Ft. Campbell. This facility will help our military families, some of which have parents deployed.

$630,000 for the construction of an Installation Chapel Center at Fort Campbell. These funds will go toward the construction of a new chapel center, which will nearly double the square footage of religious facilities on the base. Senator McConnell helped secure $450,000 in FY 2008 for this project.

$6 million to continue the development of technology defense systems at Western Kentucky University. This funding supports the development of a dynamic test bed to investigate and analyze emerging software technologies that can be used to secure defense information infrastructure. This development is a new approach toward the design and implementation of large-scale data networks. Senator McConnell previously obtained $2.9 million for the security test bed at WKU.

$1.4 million for Weapons Shot Counter development in Crestview Hills, Ky. This funding will be used to complete the development of the Weapons Shot Counter for military and Special Operations Forces. These units make weapons maintenance more efficient – avoiding many small arms system failures in combat and saving taxpayer dollars by preventing unnecessary repairs.

$3.6 million for the Kentucky National Guard marijuana eradication efforts in the Daniel Boone National Forest and eastern Kentucky. The funding for this program is necessary to help the Kentucky National Guard continue its efforts to rid the Daniel Boone National Forest of this illegal crop. To date, Senator McConnell has delivered $30.7 million for this project.

$3.2 million for Rapid Wall Breaching Kit development in Graham, Ky. This funding will be used to develop soldier-portable wall breaching kits capable of penetrating thick walls for urban terrain missions. It creates a man-size hole safely and quickly, for increased mobility – assisting our troops in the field.

Senator McConnell also included a provision in the CR to help the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. McConnell helped craft the measure which would place responsible limits on Russian uranium imports. Senator McConnell, Senator Bunning, and Congressman Whitfield first introduced legislation addressing this issue last December.

The FY 2009 Continuing Resolution now goes to the President for his signature.



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