03.08.21

McConnell Statement on Sen. Roy Blunt’s Announced Retirement

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) issued the following statement regarding this morning’s announcement from Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO):

“Senator Blunt’s announced retirement will be a loss for the Republican conference and the entire Senate. In just 10 years in this body, he’s quickly become a true leader, a policy heavyweight, and a driving force behind both key conservative victories and essential bipartisan work. It says a great deal about who Roy is that he simultaneously served our Republican side so effectively in senior party leadership while also running the crucial Rules Committee.

“Of course, Senator Blunt’s distinguished service didn’t start in the Senate. After Missourians made him their first Republican Secretary of State in half a century, they hired him for seven impressive and impactful terms in the House. His colleagues made him Chief Deputy Whip after just two years and asked him to take over as Majority Whip two terms later. 

“Sen. Blunt’s mastery of healthcare issues has paid especially big dividends to the American people. Throughout this pandemic no individual Senator has done more to drive testing efforts or advance the historic and successful sprint to vaccines. He’s long been a champion of everything from patient choice and affordability to mental health to the scientific research that moves us forward. His legacy on these fronts will be impossible to overstate. 

“Sen. Blunt has tackled so much important work for Missouri and our country and has been an enormous asset to all his colleagues. I’m very sorry he’ll be stepping away but am glad the country has two more years to keep benefitting from his talent.”