News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell commented regarding the announcement on Army reductions and the impact on Kentucky military installations:

“Servicemembers and Army civilians at Fort Campbell and Fort Knox are critical to the security of our country. While Kentucky’s Army installations will not face the substantial reductions announced today impacting facilities in several other states, I remain deeply concerned that the Obama administration’s far-reaching cuts to our armed forces are dangerous to our country’s national security, particularly in light of significant conflict across the globe.”

Background:

Senators McConnell and Rand Paul submitted the attached letters relaying his deep concerns with the proposed Army cuts (May 2015 and August 2014)
Senator McConnell delivered video messages to the Army played at community listening sessions held at both installations (January 2015: Ft. Knox – Ft. Campbell); and hosted a face-to-face meeting with Secretary Carter (May 2015).

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate Floor regarding the bipartisan Every Child Achieves Act:

“No Child Left Behind laid the groundwork for important reforms to our education system. But with its authorization expiring in 2007, and with the previous Senate majority failing to replace it with a serious proposal, many of the original requirements stayed in place anyway and gradually became unworkable.

“This resulted in a lot of states getting tangled up in endless bureaucracy, reducing their ability to focus on boosting student achievement and school performance.

“That was certainly true in the commonwealth I represent.

“Kentucky was actually the first state to petition for some freedom from the law’s requirements. And with that additional flexibility came better results.

“Kentucky improved its graduation rate, climbing into the top 10 among all states.

“Kentucky increased the number of students who met statewide standards.

“And Kentucky raised the percentage of students entering post-secondary education programs, increasing that number from about half to more than 68 percent in just a few years' time.

“So this additional flexibility has been good for Kentucky — but only to a point. Because the White House began to tack on more and more requirements as a condition of continued relief from the original law’s mandates, leaving many states in an untenable situation. This is how the White House was able to impose Common Core in many places that didn’t necessarily want it.

“In a sense, the flexibility one hand gave, the other has been continually taking away.

“It’s clear that temporary relief strapped with other federal mandates is not a workable choice for states. This is why we need congressional action to replace the broken husks that remain of No Child Left Behind with reforms that build on good ideas in the original law while doing away with bad ones.

“That’s what the bipartisan Every Child Achieves Act before us would achieve.

“It would grow the kind of flexibility we’ve seen work so well in states like Kentucky, and it would stop federal bureaucrats from imposing the kind of top-down, one-size-fits-all requirements that we all know threaten that progress.

“Kentucky has already seen success with the limited and conditional flexibility granted to it so far, so just imagine what states like Kentucky could achieve when fully empowered to do what's right for their students.

“Here’s how Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday put it in a letter he sent me in support of this bill.

“‘I can attest based on our experience that the waiver process is onerous and allows too many opportunities for federal intrusion into state responsibility for education. The long-term health of public education in the United States requires reauthorization and an end to the use of the waiver as a patch on an otherwise impractical system of requirements.’

“He’s right. And we’ve never been closer to achieving the kind of outcome our kids deserve.

“Many thought Washington could never solve this issue. But the bill before us was supported unanimously by Republicans and Democrats in committee.

“Members of both parties are having the chance now to offer and vote on amendments to the bill too. We had several amendment votes yesterday. I expect more today. And if colleagues from either side of the aisle have more ideas to offer, I ask them to work with the bill managers to get them moving.

“This is what a Senate that’s back to work looks like. And with continued bipartisan cooperation, this is a Senate that can prove the pundits wrong again by passing another important measure to help our country — and our kids.

“Remember: The House of Representatives already passed its own No Child Left Behind replacement last night, just as it has done repeatedly in years past. Now is time for the Senate to finally get its act together after seven years of missed deadlines on this issue. A new Senate majority believes that the time for action and bipartisan reform should be now — and with continued cooperation from our friends across the aisle, it will be.”

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

“A few weeks ago, I came to the floor to discuss the importance of Burma’s election this fall. I noted that its conduct would tell us a lot about the Burmese government’s commitment to the path of political reform. I said that demonstrating that commitment would be critical to reassuring Burma’s friends abroad, and that it could even have consequences for further normalization of relations with the U.S. — at least as it concerns the legislative branch. “So I urged Burmese officials to take every step to ensure an election that would be as free and fair as possible. And yet, on June 25, the Burmese government took a step backward from the path to more representative government. “Allow me to explain. “There’s little doubt that Burma’s Constitution contains numerous flaws that need to be revised if the government is to be truly representative.

“First, it unreasonably restricts who can be a candidate for president — a not-so-subtle attempt to bar the country’s most popular opposition figure from even standing for office. But then it goes even further, ensuring an effective military veto over constitutional change — for instance, amendments about who can run for the presidency — by requiring more than three-fourths parliamentary support in a legislature where the constitution also reserves one-fourth of seats for the military. “It’s obvious to see why things should change if Burma is to pursue a path to a more representative government.

“Allowing appropriate constitutional fixes to pass through parliament would have said some pretty positive things about the Burmese government’s commitment to political reform. But when the measures were put to a vote on June 25, the government’s allies exercised the very undemocratic power the constitution grants them to stymie the effort. “This stands in stark contrast to the support for reform among elected Burmese lawmakers, which was likely higher than 80 percent. “And so, even if the actual conduct of the election proves to be free and fair, it risks being something other than the will of the people.

“When the most popular figure in the country is precluded from being a candidate for the highest office in the land and when approximately 80 percent of the people’s chosen representatives are stymied by lawmakers who are not democratically elected, it raises fundamental questions about the balloting this fall and about the Burmese government’s commitment to democracy. In fact, at this point it is unclear if the opposition NLD party will even participate in this fall’s election.

“We knew that legal, economic, political, and constitutional development and reform would evolve through fits and starts. This is only realistic given that baseline form which Burma was starting when Congress agreed to lift some sanctions. “Those of us who’ve followed Burma also know that, given its history, the military fears change, ethnic unrest, and the uncertainty that more democratic government might bring. That’s well-acknowledged. But improving relations with the United States meant both sides would have to take some risks. This was a moment for the military to take another important step on its end, and this was a missed opportunity. “In light of the recent defeat of constitutional reform, I believe that steps, such as including Burma in the Generalized System of Preferences program, should be put on hold until after this fall’s election. Only after the ballots have been cast and counted in Burma can an appropriate evaluation be made about the pace of reform in the country and whether additional normalization of relations is warranted.”

Recent Press Releases

Senator McConnell Comments on Ft. Knox and Ft. Campbell

July 9, 2015

Senate Working Towards Passage of Every Child Achieves Act

July 9, 2015

Outcome of Fall Elections Will Signal State of Political Reform in Burma

July 9, 2015