McConnell on ‘The Story with Martha MacCallum’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) joined ‘The Story with Martha MacCallum’ yesterday to discuss ongoing COVID-19 relief proposals and reopening the economy. See below for highlights or click here to watch the full interview.
On the Senate Work Period:
“Well, the House has been here two days in the last three months. We've been here throughout the month of May, three straight weeks with hearings on the COVID-19 crisis. Confirmations that are important, people to the Administration related to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The Senate has been up and working. The real contrast is with the House. Two days they've been in session in the last three months.”
On What Comes Next:
“I think there’s a high likelihood we will do another rescue package but we need to be able to measure the impact of what we've already done, what we did right and what we did wrong. And we are not quite ready to intelligently lay down the next step but it's not too far off. Let me tell you what it won't be: it won't be a $3 trillion left-wing wish list that passed the House that couldn’t get all the Democrats to vote for that Senator Schumer is in favor of, that is not going to pass the Senate, not going to become law.
“We need to work smart here. Help the people who are desperately in need, try to save as many jobs as possible, and begin to open up the states – which are decisions by the governors going on all over America now-- and get this economy growing again.”
On State and Local Funding:
“We've already sent $150 billion down to states already. They have a wide latitude to use those funds that we sent them in the CARES package in any way that they think is appropriate, related to the COVID-19 crisis. It's not like we haven't done anything for state and local governments. We may later do more but we have sent them, as I said, $150 billion just a month or six weeks ago, and much, Martha, of the money we have already allocated has not gone out yet.
“So, we need to let that fully kick in. Look at the impact of the states beginning to open up, then we can make an intelligent decision about the size and the appropriate package to put together for the next rescue package.”
On House Democrats’ Fixation with Impeachment:
“I’d say to the Speaker after the impeachment, you are not in a position to be lecturing us about what the appropriate use of Senate time is. The House of Representatives is arguing before the Supreme Court that they are still looking at yet another impeachment. They are arguing that before the Supreme Court this week.”
“Look, this is a legitimate oversight responsibility of the Senate. It was a lot of apparent misbehavior going on in the opening of those investigations, into General Flynn and others.
“Lindsey Graham, the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, has laid out a series of hearings and people that he wants to call to come and testify. If the House can spend time on a baseless impeachment effort then we should at least have oversight over what happened to initiate this whole process a couple of years ago.”
Related Issues: Economy, Health Care, COVID-19
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