News

‘Our veterans deserve better. We shouldn’t penalize them for the mismanagement and overspending of this Congress’

Washington, D.C. – Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday regarding the need to send a Veterans Appropriations bill to the President to sign by Veterans Day:

“We are now in the sixth week of the 2008 fiscal year and the majority still hasn’t sent a single funding bill to the President for the 2007 fiscal year. It has been 20 years since Congress has waited this late in the year to send even one appropriations bill to the President.

“The Veterans Appropriations Bill, for example, passed the Senate two months ago but is still sitting here in Congress.

“So why do our friends on the other side of the aisle continue to drag their feet on this important bill?

“We know everyone agrees the bill is important, and needed.

“We know our veterans have sacrificed for our country and it’s our duty to provide for them.

“We know the bill holds wide, bipartisan support —and the Military Construction part of the bill is important for providing housing, readiness and improved quality of life for our troops.

“We know the President will sign it into law when he gets it.

“So why hasn’t this bill been brought to the floor for a vote?

“Shouldn’t we put aside the gamesmanship and send this bill to the President so it can be signed before November 11th – Veterans Day?

“But the majority has decided that it wants to tie the Veterans bill – which will be signed into law – to the Labor bill which is approximately $9 billion over the President’s request – which will be vetoed.

“Now, some have said this $9 billion is not much of a difference. But to put it into context, $9 billion is more than the individual budgets of 33 states.

“It is more than the entire yearly budget for the FBI.

“It is more than the budget of the United States Coast Guard.

“More than that, this figure will serve as a starting point for next year’s budget; and that will serve as the starting point for the year after that. In short, this increase will compound into $120 billion in more Washington spending over the next 10 years.

“To put this in context for American taxpayers, for this same amount of money we could have instead made permanent the marriage penalty relief and permanent the expensing for small business, and have increased taxpayers’ standard deduction.

“Or, we could have provided a two-year Alternative Minimum Tax patch.

“So why attach a bill that overspends so dramatically that it won’t be signed into law, and further postpone funding for our veterans?

“Our veterans deserve better. We shouldn’t penalize them for the mismanagement and overspending of this Congress.

“We have a responsibility to send the Veterans bill to the President at the earliest possible time. Providing funding to our veterans by Veterans Day – November 11th -- is still a realistic and attainable goal.

“Mr. President, the election was a year ago, it’s time to get serious about funding our Veterans. We must remember that our current force is composed entirely of volunteers, and they have earned our support. And if our colleagues are serious, they’ll bring the Veterans bill to the floor. No gimmicks. No games.”

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Closing the farm bill to an open amendment process ‘is another unfortunate example of mismanagement by the Democrat Congress’

Washington, D.C. – Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell delivered the following remarks [as prepared] on the Senate floor Tuesday regarding the Majority’s decision to block an open amendment process for the Farm Bill:

“I am disappointed with the Majority’s decision today to fill the amendment tree and not allow an open amendments process to help perfect the pending farm bill.

“My colleagues on the other side of the aisle have had all year to complete a farm bill prior to the September 30th expiration date, yet we’ve waited until now, two months after the law’s expiration, to bring it to the floor. Now, we are told by the Majority that there is just too much to do in this final two weeks for us to have an open and fair debate on the farm bill. It is another unfortunate example of mismanagement by the Democrat Congress.

“Furthermore, Mr. President, filling the tree and shutting out amendments is not consistent with previous statements by the Majority. For example, just yesterday, Chairman Harkin reported the farm bill debate would be ‘wide open, as is usual in the Senate’ and the Majority Leader’s spokesman expected an open debate when he said, ‘The farm bill is the last truly amendable vehicle moving through the Senate this calendar year.’ But, today’s words and actions seem to be exactly contradictory to this promised ‘wide open’ process.

“Mr. President, unfortunately, we’ve been down this road before. Almost at the inception of the last farm bill debate, then-Majority Leader Daschle filed cloture in an attempt to similarly limit amendments. After only two days of debate and only six amendments, a cloture vote occurred on December 13, 2001; not surprisingly the cloture motion failed 53-45.

“Like a bird continuing to slam into a pane glass window, we had a second cloture vote on December 18, 2001 with a similar 54-43 vote, and again another on December 19, 2001. Not surprisingly, this contentious debate took up most of December.

“However, after the Majority finally agreed to an open amendments process, the farm bill returned to the floor on February 6, 2002, no further cloture votes were necessary, and final passage occurred fairly quickly, about a week later.

“Let’s not beat our head against a wall again this time. Our nation’s farmers are too important to wait until February.

“Finally, Mr. President, look at the farm bill sitting on the desk in front of me. Reported by the Committee less than two weeks ago, it totals almost 1,600 pages. Is the other side of the aisle suggesting that this behemoth of a bill could not be improved by an open amendments process? I am surprised and disappointed by the assertion. The United States Senate does not work this way; legislation is not just rubber-stamped by fiat.

“So, I am dismayed by the attempt by the Majority to ramrod this bill through. Especially since the ink on the 1,600 pages is barely dry and the Administration claims it contains $37 billion of budget gimmicks and new taxes. Let’s have an open, fair debate that will yield an effective farm bill for our nation; our farmers and rural communities deserve no less.”

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50 Consecutive Months of Job Growth; Longest Ever

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following statement Friday following a record-setting 50 months of consecutive job growth:

“The American people have done it again. The American economy is roaring along, creating new job growth for 50 consecutive months, the longest growth streak on record. Smart economic policies led principally by a lowered tax burden created the economic environment necessary for sustained growth, and the American workforce took it from there.

“While some in Washington want to impede this record growth by raising taxes, I couldn’t disagree more.”

Background

This is the first time the milestone of 50 consecutive months of job growth has ever been reached since the government began keeping records in 1939.

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Recent Press Releases

A Veterans Bill By Veterans Day

November 6, 2007

McConnell: ‘Let’s Have a Fair and Open Debate’

November 6, 2007

American People Set Another Economic Record

November 2, 2007