Recent Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced today that he has named Phil Maxson to serve as his Legislative Director in his personal office. Phil, a Lexington, Kentucky native, will replace Jennifer Kuskowski who will be taking a new position as Senior Policy Advisor on the majority staff of the Senate Finance Committee.

Phil previously served as Policy Advisor and oversaw the appropriations portfolio for the office as the Director of Projects. Phil also handled the defense and military legislative affairs for the office, including the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Fort Campbell, Fort Knox and the Blue Grass Army Depot. As Legislative Director, Phil will oversee all legislative matters for Senator McConnell’s Kentucky office and will help manage the policy staff. He will continue to communicate daily with Kentuckians and meet with them while in the Commonwealth and the Nation’s Capital.

"Phil has done a fantastic job over the past several years making sure Kentucky's priorities are known to all the key staff on Capitol Hill. He's earned my trust, and I’m confident that his diligence, good nature, and smarts will continue to serve my constituents well in this important new role,” Senator McConnell said.

The change will officially take place on Monday, April 4, 2016.

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The Attacks in Brussels

‘Our nation stands in solidarity with the people of Belgium and we will renew our determination to prevent more senseless violence against the innocent.’

March 22, 2016

LOUISVILLE, KY –– U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the following statement Tuesday regarding the terrorist attacks in Brussels:

“Americans are saddened and horrified by the attacks in Brussels. We send our collective condolences to the victims and their families and we are thinking of the Belgian people in this dark hour.

“Defeating ISIL, al Qaeda and its affiliates will require concerted action by the military, our intelligence community, and our international partners. Our nation stands in solidarity with the people of Belgium and we will renew our determination to prevent more senseless violence against the innocent.”

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wrote to the nation’s governors today regarding the Supreme Court’s recent nationwide stay of the Obama Administration’s so-called “Clean Power Plan” (CPP) – a massive regulatory plan that will not have a meaningful impact on global emissions but will punish states’ most vulnerable citizens and ship middle-class jobs overseas.

The letter follows one he sent governors in March 2015, urging them to carefully review the consequences of this deeply-misguided plan and to reject submitting a state implementation plan to the Obama Administration until the courts rule on its legality.

In today’s letter, Senator McConnell wrote, “The court’s action in State of West Virginia et.al. v. EPA et.al. will likely extend well beyond this administration, providing a welcome reprieve to states while simultaneously underlining the serious legal and policy concerns I wrote you about last year. In that letter I advised you to carefully consider the significant economic and legal ramifications at stake before signing your states up to a plan that may well fall in court, given that it was unclear — in my view, unlikely — such a plan could survive legal scrutiny… This is precisely why I suggested a ‘wait-and-see’ approach with respect to the CPP last year… even if the CPP is ultimately upheld, the clock would start over and your states would have ample time to formulate and submit a plan; but if the court overturns the CPP as I predict, your citizens would not be left with unnecessary economic harm. Nor would your states be left with responsibility for billions in unnecessary investment obligations.”

Senator McConnell added, “Moving forward, I hope that each of you will consider taking advantage of the relief granted by the Supreme Court and keep in mind that many of us in Congress stand ready to help you as you fight for the best interests of your states.”

The full text of Senate Majority Leader McConnell’s letter is HERE.