The Leader Board
The Great American Outdoors Act: An Historic, Bipartisan Boost To Our Public Lands
This Strong Bipartisan Legislation Authored By Sens. Cory Gardner And Steve Daines 'Will Secure The Future Of Our Nation's Natural Treasures' And 'Invest In The Repair And Restoration Of Deteriorating Infrastructure' SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): "Today, we'll take our first vote to advance the Great American Outdoors Act, a generational bill from Senator Daines and Senator Gardner that will secure the future of our nation's natural treasures…. Our colleagues' legisla… Continue Reading
06.05.20
The Senate’s Busy First Week Of June
This Week, The Senate Passed A Bill Updating The PPP Program, Confirmed The Inspector General For Pandemic Recovery, And Held Seven Hearings On COVID-19 And CARES Oversight, In Sharp Contrast With The House, Which, As Sen. Schumer Says, 'Is Not In Session Now' SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): "[T]here is plenty of work before the Senate. And unlike the Democratic House of Representatives, which I understand may next appear here in Washington in about a month, the Senate is pres… Continue Reading
06.04.20
On The Tiananmen Anniversary, The Senate Is Pushing Back On China’s Provocations
31 Years After The Chinese Communist Party Killed Pro-Democracy Protesters In Tiananmen Square, The Senate Is Leading The Way Confronting Beijing's Challenges To The Global Order SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): "Today marks the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing. Because of China's censorship and disinformation, we still do not know how many brave Chinese people were killed by their own government on June 4th, 1989…. Never since have Chinese pe… Continue Reading
06.04.20
PPP Loans Are Keeping Small Businesses Alive And Workers Employed
SEN. COLLINS: 'The Paycheck Protection Program Is The Single Most Critical Stimulus Program Protecting Main Street America' SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): "[B]ack in March, as the coronavirus pandemic began to grip our country, the Senate's historic CARES Act set up the Paycheck Protection Program to help protect American workers from layoffs during the crisis. Thanks especially to its chief architects, Senator Rubio and Senator Collins, the PPP has literally saved tens of mi… Continue Reading
05.22.20
A Month Of Important Senate Accomplishments
Unlike The House, 'All Month, The Senate Has Been On The Job, Attending To The Needs Of Our Nation. We Have Legislated. We've Confirmed Nominees. We've Held Major Hearings And Conducted Oversight On The Historic Response To COVID-19.' SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): "All month, the Senate has been on the job, attending to the needs of our nation. We have legislated. We've confirmed nominees. We've held major hearings and conducted oversight on the historic response to COVID-19… Continue Reading
05.20.20
PPP: A Lifeline To Workers Nationwide
The Paycheck Protection Program Has Helped The Iconic Louisville Slugger Factory, A Health Clinic For Low-Income Patients In Georgia, A Massachusetts Boys And Girls Club, A Key Community Foundation In North Carolina, A New York Florist, A Manufacturer In Michigan, Local Newspapers In Arkansas, And Small Businesses All Over The Country SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): "Every single day, the historic CARES Act that we wrote and passed to fight this pandemic continues to come onli… Continue Reading
05.19.20
‘An Unserious Product’: Speaker Pelosi’s Partisan Messaging Bill Will Not Become Law
'It Is Partisan; It Is Unaffordable; It Is Unrealistic'; 'Unlike The First Four Coronavirus Bills, Which Were Passed With Overwhelming Bipartisan Support, This 1,815-Page Package Was Drafted By Democrats Alone And Earned A Veto Threat' SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): "In the two months that House Democrats spent away from their duty stations, they seemingly gave themselves just one assignment: Draft an enormous political messaging bill and brand it as 'coronavirus relief.' But… Continue Reading
05.15.20
Two Productive Weeks In The Senate
While 'House Democrats Are Missing In Action,' The Senate Has Been Carefully At Work, Holding Hearings On The Pandemic, Passing Critical National Security Legislation, And Confirming Important Nominations SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): "The Senate is back in session because we have important work to do for the nation. Critical posts throughout the federal government -- from public health to national security and beyond -- remain vacant. Qualified nominees who have been held u… Continue Reading
05.14.20
House Democrats’ Expensive, Unserious Wish List
House Democrats Unveiled A $3 Trillion Spending Spree Stuffed With A 'Wish List Filled Up With All The Party's Favored Policies,' 'Not Something Designed To Deal With Reality' SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): "[W]hat you've seen in the House … is not something designed to deal with reality, but designed to deal with aspirations. This is not a time for aspirational legislation, this is a time for practical response to the coronavirus pandemic. And so, we're going to insis… Continue Reading
05.13.20
It’s Time To Reauthorize FISA
Threats To The United States And Our Interests From Terrorism And Foreign Espionage Have Not Taken A Break During The Pandemic, And The Senate Should Pass The Compromise FISA Extension Negotiated By The Attorney General And House Republicans SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): "[A]mid the pandemic, we cannot lose sight of the other threats we still face as well. The challenges that we faced before COVID-19 began to spread from Wuhan, China are still with us today, alongside this … Continue Reading
05.12.20
Hospitals And Small Businesses Call For Pandemic Liability Protections
As America Works To Safely Reopen, Hospitals, Small Employers, And Business Associations Join Senate Republicans' Push For Liability Protections Against Frivolous Lawsuits "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on Tuesday that he and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) are working on legislation to expand liability protections for businesses as they begin to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic…. McConnell has called expanded liability protections the 'red line' for Republicans o… Continue Reading
05.07.20
Liability Protections Are Essential To Reopening The American Economy
Senate Republicans Are Insisting On Liability Protections For Health Providers And Small Businesses As They Face 'A Wave Of Litigation' Over Coronavirus Infections That Could Result In A 'Jackpot For Liability Lawyers' SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): "I think I can safely say, for our team here, the Republican Senate majority, if there's any red line, it's on litigation. The litigation epidemic has already begun…. And so we are working on a narrowly crafted liability pr… Continue Reading
05.06.20
Praise Pours In For Judge Justin Walker’s ‘Generational Legal Mind’ And ‘Commitment To The Rule Of Law’
Those Who Have Worked With Judge Justin Walker Declare He 'Has The Integrity, Intelligence, Temperament, Courage, Experience, And Dedication To The Legal Profession To Serve With Distinction On The United States Court Of Appeals For The District Of Columbia Circuit' SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): "Since Judge Walker was tapped to serve the people of Kentucky on the federal district bench, he's wasted no time in expanding his strong reputation for intellectual brilliance, lega… Continue Reading
05.05.20
Judge Justin Walker: ‘Well Qualified’
American Bar Association Gives Judge Walker A Rating Of 'Well Qualified' For An Appointment To The United States Court Of Appeals For The District Of Columbia Circuit AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION on Judge Justin Walker: "The American Bar Association's Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary has completed its evaluation of the professional qualifications of Judge Justin Walker … As you know the Standing Committee confines its evaluations to the qualities of integrity, professional compe… Continue Reading
05.05.20
Judge Justin Walker’s ‘Qualifications Cannot Reasonably Be Questioned’
Kentuckians In The Legal Profession Who Know Judge Justin Walker Extol His 'Impeccable Credentials,' And Laud Him As 'A Person Of Integrity Who Cares About The Rule Of Law And Is Committed To Doing Equal Justice For Every Individual Under The Law' KENTUCKY'S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION: "We are writing to enthusiastically support our fellow Kentuckian, Judge Justin Walker, on his nomination to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. We applaud President… Continue Reading
05.04.20
‘A Huge Relief’: PPP Funds Continue Helping Main Street Small Businesses
Local Businesses Are Getting A Lifeline And Employees Are Keeping Their Jobs Thanks To Popular Loans From The Paycheck Protection Program "The Trump administration announced Sunday that 2.2 million small business loans worth $175 billion have been made in the second round of the Paycheck Protection Program. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Small Business Administration Administrator Jovita Carranza said in a joint statement that the average size of a loan made under the second iteration of… Continue Reading
04.23.20
Democrats Delayed, Small Businesses Suffered
Democrats Stalled For 'Leverage' That Never Materialized, And In The Interim People Lost Livelihoods And Jobs SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): "It became clear 12 days ago that the small business program was out of money already. The demand was enormous. Senate Republicans and the administration felt that we ought to immediately plus that up. That was not acceptable to the Democrats." (Sen. McConnell, Press Conference, 4/21/2020) LEADER McCONNELL: "It's unfortunate that it took… Continue Reading
04.16.20
Democrats’ PPP Obstruction Will Now Cost People Their Paychecks
With the Paycheck Protection Program Officially Out Of Funding, Pelosi And Schumer's Shameful Actions Will Now Directly Harm Hardworking Americans SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): "One week ago, on this floor, I warned that the Paycheck Protection Program was running out of money and tried to a pass clean funding bill. Senate Democrats blocked it. Here's where we are, a week later, with absolutely no progress. This morning, the program ran out of money and shut down, just as I war… Continue Reading
04.14.20
As Democrats Delay, Money To Assist Small Businesses Will Run Out By The End Of The Week
With Small Businesses Struggling To Survive, Democrats Continue To Block Extra Funding For 'A Bipartisan Program' That Will Help Those Businesses And Their Workers STEVEN MNUCHIN, Secretary of the Treasury: "As the president said, we've gone back to Congress and asked them for more money … [T]he president's view, and the vice president's and my view, is this was a bipartisan program. This SBA program, it wasn't a Republican program, it wasn't a Democrat program, it was a bipartisan prog… Continue Reading
04.10.20
PPP Is Already Saving Small Business Jobs, But Democrats Object To Extending That Lifeline
As Millions Are Laid Off, Speaker Pelosi Sees 'No Data' As To Why The Payroll Protection Program Immediately Needs $250 Billion More For Small Businesses, Despite Widespread Interest And Reports From Across The Country Of Businesses And Paychecks Already Being Saved SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): "Senate Democrats just blocked urgent money for a popular, bipartisan job-saving program which they themselves literally coauthored with us two weeks ago. I complimented both sides and … Continue Reading
