McConnell on the Guy Benson Show
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) joined Guy Benson today to discuss the upcoming Senate schedule and ongoing COVID-19 relief proposals. See below for highlights or click here to listen to the full interview.
On Reconvening the Senate May 4th:
“We're going to return a week from today. We'll modify routines in ways that are smart and safe, but will honor our constitutional duty to the American people and conduct critical business in person here in Washington. If doctors and nurses and healthcare workers and truck drivers and grocery store workers and many other brave Americans are showing up for work and doing their duty to try to keep the economy open and people protected, the least we can do is come back to work. And we're going to do that starting next week.
“We'll follow the advice we're given about working together safely, and there's no reason why we can't do that. And the next time we pass one of these relief bills -- and we probably will - it will be more directly involved with everybody back here able to discuss things more easily than remotely. And as I indicated, and as you underscored, liability protection for those who have been brave enough to see it through this is the one thing that will be a part of any new bill.”
On Ensuring Potential Assistance Remains Focused on COVID-19 Relief:
“I was pointing out that [state governments] have their own fiscal problems that predate the coronavirus, and I was not interested in borrowing money from future generations to fix age-old problems that states have that they created themselves wholly unrelated to this. There probably will be another state and local funding bill, but we need to make sure that we achieve something that will go beyond simply sending out money.”
On Legal Protections for Health Care Workers:
“Here's something I just announced today that's going to be my redline for the next negotiation. We have brave healthcare workers battling this virus, entrepreneurs who will reopen their economy, all of whom deserve, in my view, strong protections from the opportunistic lawsuits that are being planned all over America, all over America.
“The lawyers - trial lawyers are sharpening their pencils to come after healthcare providers and businesses, arguing that somehow the decision they made with regard to reopening adversely affected the health of someone else.
“So before we start sending additional money down to states and localities, I want to make sure that we protect the people we've already sent assistance to, who are going to be set up for an avalanche of lawsuits if we don't act. So that is an example of a way that we can bring about a reform that is important to protect those that we've been providing assistance to.”
Related Issues: Economy, COVID-19
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