Remarks
Congress Should Fix the President’s Broken Defense Budget Request
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding government funding: "When the Biden Administration put out their budget proposal, Republicans knew it was wrong for the country. "The Administration wanted to cut funding for our Armed Forces after inflation while massively increasing spending on non-defense. "Republicans have taken the President's bizarre position and flipped it on its head. "The bipart… Continue Reading
12.19.22
McConnell Honors Retiring Senator Richard Shelby
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL): "I've saved my tribute for the most senior retiring Republican member for late in the year. "But even with mere days remaining until the end of his term, our colleague's calendar has been packed - not with fancy farewell parties, but with a final chapter of high-stakes negotiations and tireless legislative work on behalf of h… Continue Reading
12.15.22
McConnell Honors Retiring Senator Pat Toomey
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA): "The Senate is often labeled the world's greatest deliberative body. A place where generations of titanic statesmen have asked the deep questions about America. "Questions like: How do we balance individual liberty with the common good? What role should we play on the world stage? And: How should tax depreciation affect a small r… Continue Reading
12.15.22
Defense Legislation is Crucial First Step Toward American Global Strength
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding national defense: "All year, Senate Republicans have urged Democrats to prioritize two basic governing duties. Two tasks that are essential to keeping America safe, keeping us on track to remain the world's superpower, and doing right by our men and women in uniform. "Number one is the annual defense bill, where we authorize the investments, tools, and tra… Continue Reading
12.14.22
Democrats’ Attack on Charter Schools is an Attack on Parents’ Rights
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding school choice: "Against the backdrop of punishing 13.8% cumulative inflation since January 2021, an open borders crisis, spiking deaths from drug overdoses, and surging violent crime from coast to coast, President Biden has decided his A-1 priority needs to be… cracking down on charter schools. "And harming the educational opportunities available to… Continue Reading
12.14.22
McConnell on Framework for Full-Year Funding: “The Hard Work Can Finally Start”
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding government funding: "Today is December the 14th. Senate Republicans have spent months - literally months - begging our Democratic colleagues to stop fiddling with partisan nonsense and focus on two core things: The NDAA and government funding. "I have been talking about the need for a strong National Defense Authorization Act all year long. I'm glad we are… Continue Reading
12.13.22
Ukraine Support Is One Example of American Leadership Paying Dividends
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding Ukraine and national defense: "Senate Republicans have spent months focused on the need for a strong, bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act and robust funding for our Armed Forces. "Defending our homeland, deterring future threats, and supporting our allies and partners should not be last-minute low priorities. "They're fundamental duties if we wa… Continue Reading
12.12.22
Sanders Resolution on Yemen Would Strengthen Iran, Russia, and China
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the American global leadership: "Events from Europe to Asia to the Middle East continue to demonstrate on a daily basis why American global strength and leadership are essential for protecting our homeland, our core interests, and our allies and partners. "But unfortunately, Senator Sanders of Vermont has drafted a resolution that would pull America back f… Continue Reading
12.12.22
McConnell Outlines Commonsense Principles for Government Funding
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding national defense: "The Senate gavels in today with our annual defense bill still unpassed; with less than one week remaining of government funding; and less than two weeks left until our hard stop for the holidays on Friday the 23rd. "That's the bad news. But the good news is that both sides have a clear understanding of what it will take to finish our wor… Continue Reading
12.08.22
Senator McConnell Marks One Year Since Devastating Tornado Outbreak in Kentucky
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the one-year anniversary of the Kentucky tornadoes: "Kentucky is approaching the one-year anniversary of one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in the Commonwealth's history. "One year since 80 lives were lost and a deep scar was cut through western Kentucky. We still remember the lost and pray for their loved ones. "A few days after the storm, I visited … Continue Reading
12.08.22
McConnell Honors Retiring Senator Rob Portman
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding Senator Rob Portman (R-OH): "Fewer than 40 miles from Ohio's border with Kentucky, about halfway between Cincinnati and Dayton, there's a suburb called Lebanon. "The corner of Main Street and Broadway looks much like it did almost a century ago in 1926. That's when a young couple, Robert and Virginia Jones, bought and renovated an unassuming brick building… Continue Reading
12.08.22
Democrats Do Not Get Concessions in Exchange for Protecting America
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding national defense: "Yesterday, I explained a simple and obvious reality that will determine whether the NDAA and government funding legislation succeed or fail. "Here's the simple fact: Protecting America and supporting our troops is not some partisan Republican priority that we will cajole and reward Democrats into accepting. "Providing for the common de… Continue Reading
12.07.22
McConnell Honors Retiring Senator Jim Inhofe
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK): "The annual defense bill that I just discussed will carry the name of one of our most senior and distinguished colleagues this year - the outstanding Armed Services Committee Ranking Member to whose career it will provide the perfect capstone. "Behind Senator Jim Inhofe's often soft-spoken manner and unfailing humility are a pair… Continue Reading
12.07.22
“Strong, Bipartisan NDAA” a Crucial Step for Defending America
"Yesterday evening, the Senate and House Armed Services Committees released a strong, bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act. "As Republicans have said for months and I repeated yesterday, our servicemembers, commanders, and civilian leaders should not have had to wait until mid-December to gain certainty for a fiscal year that's already more than two months over. We have got to take our national defense, military modernization, and defense-industrial base as seriously as our rivals take… Continue Reading
12.06.22
McConnell Honors Retiring Senator Roy Blunt
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO): "My friend and our distinguished colleague Roy Blunt is one of us whose political careers began at the most local level. As a 20-some-year-old county clerk, Roy's career in government required real, hands-on public service from the very beginning. "Fortunately, hard work and rolled-up sleeves weren't foreign concepts for Roy. Afte… Continue Reading
12.06.22
McConnell to Democrats: Stop Delaying NDAA Over “Miscellaneous Pet Priorities”
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding national defense: "Here we are again, Mr. President - into the month of December with crucial business unfinished. "Republicans spent months urging the Democratic majority not to neglect this year's National Defense Authorization Act; not to leave our Armed Forces to the last minute. Five months ago, I called on our colleagues to process the defense bill a… Continue Reading
12.05.22
Senate Unanimously Passes Congressman Barr’s CAROL Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the CAROL Act: "Two years ago, Kentucky mourned the sudden, tragic loss of our friend Carol Leavell Barr. "At only 39 years old, Carol suffered a fatal heart attack, likely caused by an illness known as valvular heart disease. She left behind two young daughters and our cherished colleague Congressman Andy Barr. Carol Barr led an extraordinary life, devote… Continue Reading
12.05.22
President Biden’s Border Policies: “A Choice Between Disaster and Catastrophe”
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding border security: "Two years into the Biden Administration, the Democrats' approach to illegal immigration and our nation's borders has failed the American people. "Last week, one news organization reported that daily crossings along our southern border 'have remained near record highs.' Last fiscal year alone, more than 2.76 million illegal immigrants came… Continue Reading
12.01.22
McConnell Honors Retiring Senator Pat Leahy
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT): "We've again reached the period, every two years, when the Senate begins our process of honoring and bidding farewell to our distinguished colleagues who are soon leaving our ranks. "Seeing friends off is hardly a task to look forward to, but it's made more tolerable when I get to boast about and embarrass our talented colleag… Continue Reading
12.01.22
“Un-American” Attacks on Free Speech and the Rule of Law
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding free speech and the rule of law: "It has been one of the big, unfortunate ironies of the past several years: Many of the same individuals and institutions on the political left who spent the years 2017 through 2020 yelling about the importance of norms and institutions have themselves not hesitated to undermine our institutions when they're unhappy with a g… Continue Reading
