Op-Eds
OP-ED: How the Senate's bold action to combat the coronavirus will help Kentuckians
by Sen. Mitch McConnell
Every Kentuckian is feeling the effects of the coronavirus. It's a national health and economic emergency that demands action. The Republican-led Senate answered with the biggest rescue package in history, and Kentucky will see at least $1.25 billion in relief. We've already received $39 million to address urgent housing and economic development priorities, and more funding will soon be on the way. Since the beginning of this crisis, we've been coordinating with President Trump and Vice Preside… Continue Reading
11.14.19
OP-ED: Democrats Shirking Duty to Fund National Defense
by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
At the end of October, President Trump announced U.S. special operations forces eliminated Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the world's most wanted terrorist and the vile leader of ISIS. Whatever your politics, every American should express sincere gratitude to the intelligence professionals and servicemembers who carried out this brave defense of the American way of life. Kentuckians should be especially proud that one of our very own, Cadiz-native Lieutenant General Scott Howell, leads the forces who ex… Continue Reading
10.18.19
OP-ED: Withdrawing from Syria is a Grave Mistake
by Sen. Mitch McConnell
Withdrawing U.S. forces from Syria is a grave strategic mistake. It will leave the American people and homeland less safe, embolden our enemies, and weaken important alliances. Sadly, the recently announced pullout risks repeating the Obama administration's reckless withdrawal from Iraq, which facilitated the rise of the Islamic State in the first place. Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, I have worked with three presidential administrations to fight radical Islamist terrorism. I have distilled … Continue Reading
01.17.19
OP-ED: Behold the Democrat Politician Protection Act
by Sen. Mitch McConnell
For the past two years, our united Republican government drained money and power from Washington and returned it to states, communities and families. From middle-class tax cuts to regulatory reform, we took this approach and watched the nation thrive more as a result. Democrats have a different philosophy. After November's elections, everyone knew Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the new House would send the Senate far-left proposals to retighten Washington's grip on the country. And right on cue, even… Continue Reading
10.17.18
OP-ED: I’m proud of our vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh
by Sen. Mitch McConnell
Oct. 6, 2018, was a proud day for the U.S. Senate. We fulfilled one of our most critical constitutional duties and confirmed Brett M. Kavanaugh, a stunning legal mind and an exemplary federal judge, as the newest associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. The stakes are always high when the Senate considers a Supreme Court nomination. But the shameful spectacle that unfolded in recent weeks raised the stakes higher still. By the end, senators were not merely deciding whether to confirm an imp… Continue Reading
01.30.18
OP-ED: After Historic Year Under President Trump and Republican Congress, the State of our Union is Strong
by Sen. Mitch McConnell
When President Trump delivers his State of the Union address, he will have outstanding news to share. After a decade of sluggish growth and stagnant paychecks, our country is back on the right track. Optimism is sweeping across the country, and the economy is finally gaining momentum. The Trump administration has worked with the Republican Congress to improve the lives of the American people. While liberal Washington Democrats have obstructed the president's agenda at every turn to satisfy the… Continue Reading
04.08.17
OP-ED: Democrats reap what they have sown
by Sen. Mitch McConnell
The day after Neil Gorsuch's nomination to the Supreme Court was announced, I wrote about his sterling credentials, record of independence and long history of bipartisan support - and predicted they would matter little to hard-left special interests that invariably oppose the Supreme Court nominees of any Republican president. I asked Democrats to ignore those extreme voices and their attacks and join us instead in giving Gorsuch fair consideration and an up-or-down vote, as we did for the first… Continue Reading
04.07.17
OP-ED: Gorsuch’s confirmation worth the fight
by Sen. Mitch McConnell
After the tragic passing of Justice Antonin Scalia last year, I promised that the Supreme Court vacancy would not be filled in the middle of a hotly contested presidential election. The American people needed to have a voice in the consideration of Justice Scalia's successor. On Friday, we saw the long-awaited results of that commitment. Kentuckians spoke when they helped elect President Trump, and the U.S. Senate listened when it confirmed Judge Neil Gorsuch. Even when many thought that Hilla… Continue Reading
02.06.17
OP-ED: Give Neil Gorsuch an Up-Or-Down Vote
by Sen. Mitch McConnell
Judge Neil Gorsuch is an exceptional nominee for the Supreme Court. He's recognized by people on both sides of the aisle as an accomplished, principled and fair jurist. When he was nominated to his current seat on the Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in 2006, no one cast a single negative vote against his nomination: not then-Senators Obama, or Clinton, or Biden, or Kennedy - and not the current Democratic leader of the Senate, Sen. Chuck Schumer, either. Back then, Senator Schumer found G… Continue Reading
02.01.17
OP-ED: Democrats, ditch the apocalyptic rhetoric on Judge Gorsuch
by Sen. Mitch McConnell
The president made an outstanding choice with his nomination Tuesday of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. Justice Antonin Scalia's passing was a significant loss for the court and for our country. Gorsuch's impressive background and long record of service, however, give me confidence he will carry forward Scalia's legacy of faithfully applying the law and the Constitution. Like Scalia, Gorsuch understands the constitutional limits on his authority, and he knows that the duty of a judge i… Continue Reading
01.09.17
OP-ED: ObamaCare failed Americans. Now it's time for relief
by Sen. Mitch McConnell
By nearly any measure, ObamaCare has failed: It didn't lower costs, it didn't increase choice, middle-class families continue to lose health plans they were promised they could keep, and Americans continue to call for ObamaCare's repeal. They spoke loudly again this November, and about 8 out of 10 favor changing ObamaCare significantly or replacing it altogether. We in Congress hear you, and we have already begun to act. The Senate is currently working to pass the legislative tools to bring r… Continue Reading
10.28.16
OP-ED: Face it, Obamacare has failed
by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Rising health care costs have become the hallmark of a partisan Obamacare law that was sold with promises to lower them. The Obama White House just announced that health care premiums will rise again this year for millions of Americans by an almost unbelievable 25% under Obamacare. And that's just a national average. Many Pennsylvanians face hikes in their health premiums as high as 55%; Oklahomans up to 69%, and Arizonans as much as 116%. Behind these numbers are the stories of families and in… Continue Reading
09.23.16
OP-ED: Time to Act on Bill That Provides Critical Funding
by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Next week the Senate will vote on legislation - the so-called continuing resolution or CR - that will address Zika, veterans programs, severe flooding, the heroin and prescription opioid crisis, and fund the operations of the government through December. After many weeks of bipartisan negotiations, there is some understandable confusion over just what is and is not in that bill. I'm happy to clear it up. First, this is what's known as a "clean" CR. It's a clean bill because of what it doesn't … Continue Reading
07.14.16
OP-ED: Addressing a National Epidemic
by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
My office receives a great deal of correspondence each day, from letters of support for a piece of legislation to personal anecdotes urging congressional action. One letter my office received was a personal story from a Kentucky mother who lives in Florence. "I am writing to you," she said, "on behalf of my son and so many others that have lost or [are] on the verge of losing a loved one due to heroin use. My son is still with me. I want to save his life…" A few years ago, her son left … Continue Reading
05.27.16
OP-ED: Back To Work For The American People
by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
When the American people elected a new Republican majority in 2014, they called for the Senate to get back to work. From day one, that's what this majority has set out to accomplish - and we've gotten a lot done as a result. Consider what we were able to achieve for the American people last year alone. Enacting permanent tax relief for families and small businesses. Bringing an end to a job-killing energy embargo from the 1970s. Rebuilding our nation's crumbling infrastructure with the most si… Continue Reading
04.21.16
OP-ED: Senate approves aviation bill to make flying safer, more passenger friendly
by Mitch McConnell
Many Americans are rightly concerned about airport security after the tragic terrorist attacks at an airport in Brussels, Belgium that killed dozens of innocent civilians, including a young woman from Kentucky and her husband, and wounded more than 200 others. The Kentuckians I meet want to know what their government is doing to improve safety and security - including at airports - in light of horrific attacks like these. The safety of every American who flies is a top priority for the new Repu… Continue Reading
03.23.16
OP-ED: 5 Broken Promises Americans Are Remembering On ObamaCare’s 6th Anniversary
by Mitch McConnell
Exactly six years ago, Obamacare was signed into law after being forced through Congress over the objections of the American people. Many warned that this partisan law's promises couldn't be kept, that health costs and taxes - rather than jobs - would go up, and that its implementation would be a predictable mess. These are reasons why every Republican voted against the partisan law. I wish these predictions hadn't been correct, but the fact that they are reminds us why we need to build a bridg… Continue Reading
03.16.16
OP-ED: Let the people have a voice
by Mitch McConnell
The next Supreme Court justice could fundamentally alter the direction of the court and our country for a generation, and the American people deserve a voice in such a momentous decision. This fair and reasonable approach is what Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and I announced weeks ago and reiterated personally to the president. Our determination to allow the American people to have a voice has always been about a principle, not a person. It's called the "Biden Rule." As Vic… Continue Reading
03.10.16
OP-ED: Senate Passes Bill to Address Nation’s Prescription Opioid and Heroin Crisis
by Mitch McConnell
Across Kentucky, people are now routinely dying from the abuse of prescription pain pills and heroin. More than 1,000 Kentuckians die every year from drug overdose, according to the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy. That's more than are lost to fatal car crashes. This problem rips families apart and ravages our communities-and the rate of drug abuse is growing. That's why, as Senate majority leader, I made passing the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) - introduced by Sen. Ro… Continue Reading
02.18.16
OP-ED: Democrats shouldn’t rob voters of chance to replace Scalia
by Sens. Mitch McConnell and Chuck Grassley
Appointed by President Ronald Reagan and unanimously confirmed by the Senate in 1986, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was a towering figure whose sharp wit and formidable intellect were rivaled only by a decades-long fidelity to our founding document and an enduring commitment to the rule of law. His death stands as a tragic loss for our country. Finding the right person to take the seat he occupied will clearly be a monumental task. It may be a consequential challenge, but we think it's o… Continue Reading
