Press Releases
McConnell Applauds SCOTUS Halt of President Obama’s Anti-Coal Regs
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the following statement today on the U.S. Supreme Court order regarding President Obama's so-called "Clean" Power Plan: "Last year I called on governors to hold off submitting plans mandated under the President's regressive federal energy regulations until courts could determine whether the regulations were even legal. Today's Supreme Court order to halt those regulations-regulations that attack the middle class and won't even … Continue Reading
02.05.16
Senator McConnell Recognized as a Teach for America Congressional Champion
WASHINGTON, D.C. - This week, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will be recognized as a Teach For America Congressional Champion for his continued efforts to expand educational opportunities for students in Kentucky and across the nation. McConnell is one of 12 bipartisan members of Congress to be honored in this way by CEO Elisa Villanueva Beard. "Our Congressional champions have played an instrumental role in growing Teach For America's impact in our first 25 years. Their s… Continue Reading
02.05.16
U.S. Senate Honors Marlow Cook
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution yesterday honoring former United States Senator for the Commonwealth of Kentucky Marlow Cook. The resolution was sponsored by Senators McConnell and Rand Paul. The text of S.Res.364 from the Congressional Record follows: SENATE RESOLUTION 364 Relative to the death of Marlow Cook, former United States Senator for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Whereas Marlow Cook was born… Continue Reading
02.04.16
McConnell Urges FDA Nominee to Address Prescription Opioid Epidemic
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell met today with Dr. Robert Califf, the nominee for Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to discuss the agency's proposal to address the prescription opioid epidemic in Kentucky and our nation. The FDA plays a leading role in addressing the prescription opioid epidemic through their drug approval process, where they are required by federal law to ensure that drugs are safe and effective. However, FDA has been criti… Continue Reading
01.21.16
Senator McConnell Applauds Governor Bevin’s Decision to Seek Extension on EPA Regulation
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell commented today regarding Governor Matt Bevin's request for a 2-year extension to the Environmental Protection Agency's regulation that requires states to dramatically restructure their electricity systems based on how the agency thinks electricity should be produced and used in each state. "I applaud Governor Bevin for filing an extension and refusing to submit a plan until the legal challenges are addressed," Senator McConnell sai… Continue Reading
01.21.16
March For Life
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the following comment regarding the March for Life, which will be held on Friday, January 22, 2016, in our Nation's Capital: "Tens of thousands of Americans will gather in Washington to give voice to the voiceless by rallying for the rights of the unborn. Participants in the March for Life remind us that a compassionate nation is one that fights to defend the most innocent. Like them, I believe that the lives of the unborn are … Continue Reading
01.21.16
McConnell, Paul, Lee, & Booker Sponsor Bill to Bring Accountability to Federal Prisons
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senators Rand Paul (R-KY), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Cory Booker (D-NJ), announced today the introduction of the bipartisan Federal Prisons Accountability Act of 2016. Currently, the Director of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has significant budget authority over taxpayer dollars without their appointment having been subject to confirmation by the United States Senate. Unlike most Department of Justice (DOJ) administrators and directors… Continue Reading
01.20.16
McConnell Comments on President’s VETO of Bipartisan Measure to Overturn WOTUS Rule
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the following comments regarding the President's veto of the bipartisan measure to overturn the "Waters of the United States" rule by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): "WOTUS isn't really a clean-water measure, it's an unprecedented federal power grab clumsily masquerading as one. In passing a bipartisan measure to overturn it, Congress stood up for the Middle Class and said that America's clean-water rules should be… Continue Reading
01.15.16
McConnell Statement on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
LOUISVILLE, KY - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell issued the following statement honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Senator McConnell, while serving as a Congressional intern, witnessed Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington, D.C., in 1963. "Today we honor one of our nation's heroes, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who dreamt of an America that fulfills the principles of her founding with opportunity for all regardless of race. More than 50 years after his most famous speech… Continue Reading
01.15.16
McConnell Statement on President Obama's Latest Attack on Coal
LOUISVILLE, KY - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell issued the following statement today regarding the Department of the Interior's (DOI) announcement on federal coal leasing: "At a time when Americans are calling on the Obama Administration to protect our nation and strengthen the Middle Class, the Administration is again making clear that its priorities are elsewhere. Today's announcement to halt federal coal leasing represents just the latest front in an ideological War on Coal … Continue Reading
01.12.16
McConnell Comments on President’s Final State of The Union Address
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell commented following President Obama's State of the Union Address and spoke to the importance of hosting a Kentucky coal miner as his guest tonight: SOTU RESPONSE: "Well he did the best job he could to try to convince Americans that somehow things are getting better in the United States and around the world. With regard to his foreign policy, Jimmy Carter summed it up pretty well earlier this summer when he said that he couldn't th… Continue Reading
01.11.16
Former Kentucky Coal Miner to Attend State of the Union as Guest of Senator McConnell
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced today that a 4th-generation coal miner, Howard Abshire of Pike County, Kentucky, will be his guest at the President's State of the Union address on Tuesday. Mr. Abshire, who lost his job at Fortress Resources, McCoy Elkhorn Division, after the mine shut down, is temporarily employed in eastern Kentucky working to remove mining equipment from closed mines. "I am honored that Howard accepted my invitation to attend the Presi… Continue Reading
01.05.16
McConnell Statement on President Obama’s Political Gun Control Announcement
Fort Knox, Ky. - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the following statement on President Obama's gun control remarks and his recent call to 'politicize' the issue: "In the wake of the President's vow to 'politicize' shootings, it's hard to see today's announcement as being about more than politics. The President has overseen a dramatic drop in prosecutions related to the enforcement of gun laws already on the books, and his party recently voted once again to defeat a Senate measur… Continue Reading
12.14.15
McConnell Statement on the U.N. Climate Proposal
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the following statement regarding the President's support for the United Nations climate proposal: "The climate proposal announced today represents nothing more than a long-term planning document. The President is making promises he can't keep, writing checks he can't cash, and stepping over the middle class to take credit for an 'agreement' that is subject to being shredded in 13 months. His commitments to help leaders abroad … Continue Reading
12.06.15
McConnell Previews President’s Speech
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the following statement in advance of the President's speech to the nation: "As we approach the last year of President Obama's term, Americans understand that the terrorist threat has evolved but not vanished-and it has certainly not been 'contained.' Whether ISIL terrorists are training in camps in Syria or using online magazines to instruct and inspire lone wolves, they represent a serious threat to this country and now is th… Continue Reading
12.03.15
Senator McConnell Helps Deliver Long-Term Highway Bill to Benefit Kentucky
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell praised Senate passage today of a five-year transportation bill, the longest-term transportation bill to pass Congress in almost two decades. The Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act provides 5 years of fully paid for transportation funding and long-term certainty in a fiscally responsible way. "While Kentucky has a strong network of interstates, highways and parkways, it's obvious to anyone who has driven in the Commo… Continue Reading
12.02.15
In the First Week as Senate Majority Leader, McConnell Works to Pass Legislation that Benefits Kentucky
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell helped secure passage of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Authorization Act (TRIA), which includes a number of provisions important to Kentucky. The bill, which now goes to the President for his signature, is the first piece of legislation approved in the 114th Congress by the United States Senate, now led by Senator McConnell. The passage of TRIA will extend the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, which provides a federal reinsurance backsto… Continue Reading
12.01.15
McConnell Bill Addressing Prenatal Addiction and Infant Opioid Withdrawal Signed Into Law
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell applauded the President for signing into law legislation he introduced that will help address the rise of prenatal opioid abuse and the epidemic of infants who suffer from opioid withdrawal. The Protecting Our Infants Act, cosponsored by Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct a departmental review to identify gaps in research and detect any duplication, overlap, or gaps in preve… Continue Reading
11.24.15
‘A Quintessentially American Celebration’
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell today released a video message wishing all Americans a happy Thanksgiving holiday. Click on the image below to view his comments: The following is a transcript of the Majority Leader's message: "Thanksgiving is a quintessentially American celebration rooted in our nation's earliest foundations. It represents a shared experience of adversity, perseverance and friendship that has made our country what it is today. "It was George Washington who procl… Continue Reading
11.20.15
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell & Senator John McCain Introduce Resolution Commending Elections In Burma & Urging Prompt & Orderly Transition Of Power
Washington, D.C. - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senator John McCain (R-AZ) today introduced a Senate Resolution congratulating the people of Burma on successfully completing free and democratic elections after nearly 50 years of military rule. The resolution also recognizes Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi who led the National League for Democracy to winning sizable majorities in both chambers of Burma's Union Parliament, the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw. In addition, the r… Continue Reading
