Senate to Consider Energy Security and Water Infrastructure Funding Bill Today
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor in support of the Energy and Water Appropriations bill:
“Ask most Americans to name two of the most basic duties of a Senator, and you’re likely to hear some combination of the following.
“Protect the country: that means working with us to pass the National Defense Authorization Act.
“Fund the government: that means working with us to pass the 12 appropriations bills that fund it.
“But some of our Democratic colleagues don’t seem all that interested in these things. It’s not just their words that tell the story, it’s their actions too.
“The Democratic Leader has used the phrase ‘waste of time’ to refer to the bill that protects our country.
“Passing that bill usually inspires bipartisan cooperation, but this year it required overcoming senseless resistance from the other side before we finally witnessed that cooperation yesterday with the bill’s passage.
“Democratic Senators have used the phrases ‘kind of a waste of time’ and ‘a huge waste of time’ to refer to the bills that fund our government.
“Passing those bills used to be routine, and the new majority has worked hard to ensure it does again after six years of inaction. That’s why we passed a budget. That’s why we passed the 12 appropriations bills through committee in a bipartisan way. But now Democrats have decided, as part of some arbitrary political strategy, to indiscriminately filibuster every last funding bill.
“Democrats may no longer be interested in passing these bipartisan bills, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t interested in taking credit for the same legislation they’re blocking.
“Take the bill that funds veterans.
“Democrats voted with us to support it in committee, then they issued press releases bragging about its contents, then they filibustered it.
“Take the bill that funds defense.
“Democrats voted with us to support it in committee, then they issued press releases bragging about its contents, then they filibustered it — repeatedly.
“Today, we’ll consider the bill that funds America’s energy security and its water infrastructure.
“Democrats voted with us to support this bill in committee too — in fact over 70% of them did so.
“Democrats issued press releases with nice things to say about this bill’s contents too — one lauded the bill for funding ‘important energy efficiency advances in our military and for low-income families,’ and another reminded us that the bill provides ‘robust funding’ for ‘vital programs that deserve to be funded.’
“Today, we’ll see if Democrats are seriously prepared to filibuster this bill too.
“This bill would strengthen our national security.
“This bill would enhance our energy security.
“This bill would root out waste with smart targeted reductions, so we can put that money to better use funding more important infrastructure projects, more innovative energy research, and more critical safety improvements for our dams and waterways.
“This bill is also critically important to our home states.
“Kentuckians would benefit from initiatives to protect the Ohio River shoreline, from cleanup work in Paducah, and from construction of the Olmstead Lock and Dam and other vital inland waterway projects.
“This is a good bill that deserves our support on the merits.
“It’s good for our constituents. It’s good for our country.
“That should be reason enough to support a funding bill.
“I would also remind my Democratic colleagues that 70% of Democrats in committee did support it.”
Related Issues: Infrastructure, Senate Democrats, Appropriations, Veterans
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