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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding Burma:

“Several weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting with Shwe Mann, Speaker of the Burmese Parliament, on his visit to Washington. It was the third time we’d met.

“We had a cordial but frank discussion about the challenges and opportunities facing his country in 2015. There are obviously many issues that fall into both categories.

“When it comes to challenges:

“There’s the need for the government to do all it can to protect and assume responsibility for members of a long-suffering religious minority group, the Rohingya, thousands of whom have been forced to take to the high seas on dangerous makeshift vessels to escape persecution.

“There’s the longstanding need for the government to continue its work with other ethnic minorities toward a permanent peace agreement that calls for political settlements, in order to end a conflict as old as the modern Burmese state itself.

“And then there’s the need for constitutional reform to enhance civilian control of the military, along with more progress on efforts to protect liberties like freedom of the press, freedom of expression, freedom of conscience and freedom of assembly.

“These are just a few of the challenges facing Burma in 2015.

“But it’s also true that Burma has come a long way from where it was just a few years ago.

“Reform has been offered. Change has occurred.

“And considering the conditions within Burma when reform began, this is no small achievement.

“That’s why there are opportunities as well. The parliamentary election that will be held later this year represents a clear opportunity to demonstrate how far Burma has progressed.

“There are some encouraging signs that the election will be more credible, more inclusive, and more transparent than what we’ve seen in the past in Burma.

“Unlike recent Burmese elections, international election monitors have been permitted to observe.

“By and large, the work of the Union Election Commission has been encouraging thus far, especially as it relates to serious efforts to modernize the voter rolls and to make it easier to run for office.

“And our embassy, under the able leadership of Ambassador Derek Mitchell, has been engaged in the process too.

“So these are all positive signs. But it’s going to take a sustained commitment by President Thein Sein’s government to ensure as free and fair an election as possible takes place this fall.

“Because, for all the positive change we’ve seen in recent years, it’s obvious that Burma still has much further to go. And there are signs that its political reform effort has begun to falter, which is worrying for all of us who care about the Burmese people.

“It doesn’t mean Burmese officials can’t turn things around. I believe they can, which is what I indicated to the Speaker when I met with him.

“I believe there’s still time before the next critical test of Burma’s slow democratic development this autumn.

“There may still be time to amend the Constitution, for instance, to ensure that it promotes — rather than inhibits — Burma’s democratic development. It’s hard to claim democratic legitimacy with a constitution that unreasonably limits who can run for president, or that effectively locks in a parliamentary veto for the military.

“At the very least, the ‘six-party’ talks we’ve seen between President Thein Sein, Shwe Mann, opposition leader Daw Aung Sang Suu Kyi, the military, ethnic groups, and others represents progress; it should continue in a sustained fashion. I also hope to see further progress on the draft national ceasefire reached between the Burmese government and representatives from 16 ethnic groups in March.

“Those of us who follow Burma want the country to succeed in carrying out a transparent, inclusive, and credible election on a broad scale. We know that this standard goes far beyond simply holding an election without mass casualties or violence.

“It means the lead-up to the election must be transparent, inclusive, and credible too.

“It means there should not be political favoritism shown by the state or its media organs.

“It means freedoms of expression, of the press, and of peaceful assembly must be ensured.

“It means citizens must be allowed to register and to vote without harassment.

“And it means they must be granted equal opportunities to organize, to campaign, and to participate fully in the electoral process, without fear and violence.

“These basic standards of fairness are minimum goals that Burmese officials must strive towards.

“If the Burmese government gets this right — if it ensures a transparent, inclusive, and credible election, with results accepted by the competing parties — that would go a long way toward reassuring Burma’s friends around the globe that it remains committed to political reform.

“But if we end up with an election not accepted by the Burmese people as reflecting their will, it will make further normalization of relations — at least as it concerns the legislative branch of our government — much more difficult.

“For example, such an outcome would likely hinder further enhancement of U.S. Burma economic ties and military-to-military relations. Further, an erosion of congressional confidence in Burma’s reform efforts would also make it more difficult for the executive branch to include Burma in the Generalized System of Preferences program, or to enhance political-military relations.

“So these are some of the most pressing challenges and opportunities awaiting Burma in 2015. I noted many of them in my discussion with Burma’s parliamentary speaker.

“I would close by making it clear that we in the United States will be watching intently to see what happens in Burma in the coming months, and that we’re prepared to continue doing what we can to encourage more positive change in that country.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding the burdensome costs of Obamacare:

“We’ve heard a lot about the Supreme Court’s imminent decision on Obamacare’s latest problems. No one can say for sure how the court will rule, but one thing we do know is this: Obamacare is a mess. It’s a law filled with broken promises, one that’s been plagued by failure, and one that’s caused costs to skyrocket for millions — after the supporters of this law promised costs would fall.

“I speak to you now in the wake of a bombshell revelation from the Administration: that many insurers are now requesting to raise premiums by double-digits across the country.

“Numbers for Kentucky, for instance, just came out yesterday. Most of the insurers on the commonwealth’s Obamacare exchange are looking to raise premiums. Some of the proposed increases are as high as 25%, and some Kentuckians may now face double-digit premium increases for the second — or even third — year in a row.

“This is more bad Obamacare news for the people I represent. And in some states the proposed increases are even more alarming, if you can believe it.

“Kentuckians can look next door for proof of that, where some Hoosiers could be hit with a 46% jump in their premiums. Or, if they look south to Tennessee, they’ll see that premium hikes of 36% have been proposed.

“These are huge numbers. They affect real people.

“We’ve seen the truth of that statement in the stories we hear from our constituents about how Obamacare’s massive cost burdens affect them.

“Take the Kentucky small business owner who wrote to say that his plan is now being cancelled thanks to Obamacare.

“‘My monthly premium will increase from $610 to approx[imately] $1200,’ he said, ‘and this is with high deductibles.’

“Or take the constituent of mine from Floyd County who recently wrote to say that she can no longer afford her Silver Obamacare plan after the monthly premium spiked by more than 75 percent. ‘I was forced to take the Bronze Plan,’ she said, which ‘isn't worth the paper or ink to print it on.’

“These are the kinds of stories that have become all too familiar in the age of Obamacare.

“They’re compounded by a continual drip-drip of bad news about this law.

“Like the recent report that showed how Obamacare’s multi-billion dollar attack on hospitals in Kentucky is expected to result in a net loss of $1 billion over the next few years.

“This is after Obamacare already compelled taxpayers to shell out billions for websites that never worked, along with some pretty sad and desperate — but expensive — taxpayer-financed marketing campaigns that often just directed users to some technological nightmare, not affordable health care.

“Take Oregon, for instance. Taxpayers spent over $300 million on that state’s exchange, only to have it taken over by the federal government — and then, along with the Obamacare exchange in Massachusetts, placed under federal criminal investigation.

“Or look at Hawaii, which received more than $205 million to establish its exchange. We learned just last month that the Hawaii exchange is planning to shut down operations by September 30 since lawmakers couldn’t decide on a path forward to pay for it.

“And then there’s Vermont. The New York Times this morning reported on the spectacular crash of Vermont’s even-more ambitious version of Obamacare. Many on the Left thought Vermont’s experiment would light the way forward on health care; in the event, it turned out to be a remarkable failure and, as one Vermonter put it, ‘an unending money pit.’ The state’s top health official now says that Obamacare’s exchanges ‘just [weren’t] set up for success.’

“Obamacare is hitting small and mid-sized businesses too. These are the engines of job growth in our economy, but too many of them are now facing premium hikes of nearly 20 percent because of Obamacare. One 54-person company in Connecticut is facing up to $100,000 in new costs. Its owner says that Obamacare ‘punish[es] companies for hiring new, younger workers’ and, indeed, the uncertainty is causing her company to hire temporary works rather than create permanent jobs.

“So while it’s possible that Obamacare will survive its latest crisis, that’s not going to change the grim reality of this law.

“It won’t change the broken promises.

“It won’t change the repeated failures.

“And it won’t change the fact that Obamacare has led to skyrocketing costs for taxpayers, for the small businesses who drive the American Dream, and — most importantly — for Middle-Class Americans who work hard every day and play by the rules.

“It’s about time the President and his party worked constructively with us to start over on real health reform that can lower costs and increase choice, instead of hurting the Middle Class the way Obamacare does.

“That’s what the American people deserve.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor urging cooperation on the defense bill:

“Today, the Senate turns to consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2016.

“This legislation, which authorizes funds and sets out policy for our military annually, is always important. But it’s especially important now, given the multitude of threats that challenge us as a nation: for instance, the aggressive rise of ISIL, Iran’s ambitions for regional hegemony and its accompanying quest for nuclear weapons, and both Chinese and Russian efforts to erode American influence and assert dominance over their neighbors.

“It's also important given the need to start thinking about preparing our armed services for the many global threats the next President will confront the day he or she takes office.

“The reality is, we’ve left behind the era when America could withdraw from conflict overseas and escape to the comfort and security provided by vast oceans and isolation. We’ve lost the luxury of building our forces years after a war has begun. And most important, the simple trade off of guns versus butter, drawing down our conventional forces—hollowing them out—and standing behind our nuclear arsenal—does not suit the strategic challenges we face. We can no longer ignore ungoverned spaces. We have left the Cold War long behind. Trade-offs have become more difficult to accomplish, and they require greater strategic thought than the President has provided. And we have seen the resilience of the terrorist threat.

“Senator McCain, the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, is a man with the depth of experience to understand the need to modernize, refit and prepare our military for the threats and operations in the coming years. And thankfully for the Senate, he’s also a man with the vision to craft a bill that could put us on a path to address those challenges — legislation that could help equip the next President with adequate capabilities to address threats from adversaries like Russia, China, ISIL, and Al Qaeda, not to mention the unforeseen challenges that inevitably arise.

“That’s just the course this defense authorization bill proposes to put us on.

“And I’d like to commend Senator McCain not just for crafting this bill, but for working closely with members of both parties to steer it through committee with overwhelming bipartisan support.

“This legislation proposes to do a lot of things, but fundamentally it’s premised on a common-sense idea: that we should cut waste and redirect that authorized funding to where it’s actually needed — like meeting the needs of the men and women who put everything on the line to keep us safe.

“In a time when missions are in imbalance with resources for a military that’s already had to endure too many cuts in recent years, it just makes sense to do things like:

“Take on a growing bureaucracy at the Pentagon to make it more efficient and effective.

“Work toward reforming the way our military purchases weapons and equipment.

“And improve and modernize the military retirement system in order to secure greater value and choice for service members.

“Overall this bill authorizes about $10 billion in savings for actual military needs.

“These authorities will allow for improvements in the training and capability of our forces, and they’ll help us develop new technologies to maintain superiority on the battlefield.

“Our constituents stand to benefit from many of the provisions in this bill too.

“For instance, Kentuckians will be glad to know that this legislation would authorize a new special forces facility at Fort Campbell. They’ll also be glad to hear it will authorize construction projects and an important new medical clinic at Fort Knox — an initiative I’ve championed for years.

“It’s no wonder then that so many Democrats joined with Republicans to support this bill on the floor of the House of Representatives, and why they joined Republicans in the Armed Services Committee to pass this bill on an overwhelming bipartisan basis too -- which of course is the tradition both of that committee, and of the Senate as a whole.

“Now we need to keep that momentum going.

“Because this defense policy bill cannot fall hostage to partisan politics; too much is at stake.

“We just heard more partisan saber-rattling from the White House yesterday, which is now threatening to block a pay increase for our troops unless Congress first agrees to spend billions more plumping up bloated bureaucracies like the IRS.

“That’s despite the fact that the funding level in this bill is exactly the same as what President Obama requested in his budget: $612 billion.

“The Minority Leader appeared to go even further, essentially saying that voting to support the men and women who protect us is now just ‘a waste of time’ — because, we're led to assume, his party isn't getting its way on other partisan demands unrelated to this bill.

“Look: We understand that some of our Democrat friends might be so determined to increase spending for Washington's bureaucracies that, to achieve it, they'd even risk support for our men and women in uniform in the face of so many global threats. I certainly don’t love every aspect of the Budget Control Act, especially the effects we've seen on the defense side in hindering our ability to modernize the force and meet the demands of current operations.

“But to deny brave service members the benefits they’ve earned putting everything on the line for each one of us, for these partisan reasons — it would be profoundly unfair to our troops.

“Blocking this bill is not in our national interest.

“So let’s skip the partisan games and start working toward common-sense reforms, as this bill proposes.

“Let’s work together to pass the best defense authorization bill possible.

“I urge members of both parties who want to offer amendments to go ahead and do so, and then to work with the bill managers to get them moving.

“We have that opportunity this year because we returned to regular order and because we’re considering the NDAA at the appropriate time in the session--rather than at the very last minute, with little time for thoughtful consideration or amendments, as had become the unfortunate norm in recent years.

“This positive turn is another credit to Senator McCain’s leadership.

“Of course, no defense authorization bill will ever be perfect. But this is legislation that reflects a good faith effort to authorize programs in the political reality we live in. It’s bipartisan reform legislation that proposes to root out waste, improve our military capabilities, support the brave Americans who protect us, and make preparations for the challenges — both foreseeable and unforeseeable — in the years ahead.”

Recent Press Releases

McConnell Outlines Challenges, Opportunities Facing Burma in 2015

‘If the Burmese government gets this right — if it ensures a transparent, inclusive, and credible election, with results accepted by the competing parties — that would go a long way toward reassuring Burma’s friends around the globe that it remains committed to political reform.’

June 4, 2015

Obamacare: Skyrocketing Costs, Broken Promises, Repeated Failures

'And it won’t change the fact that Obamacare has led to skyrocketing costs for taxpayers, for the small businesses who drive the American Dream, and — most importantly — for Middle-Class Americans who work hard every day and play by the rules.’

June 4, 2015

McConnell Urges Senate Democrats Not to Play Partisan Politics with Defense Bill

June 3, 2015