Tax Reform, Funding the Government, Moving Ahead on Nominations
‘The House has introduced a short-term funding bill that we expect to pass before Friday night’s deadline, so that a final agreement can be drafted and shared with members for their review prior to its consideration next week.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding tax reform, the president’s nominees and the government funding bill:
“Yesterday the administration introduced a plan to serve as the guideline for modernizing and simplifying America’s tax code. This process is long overdue, and it’s a priority that’s shared by the Republican House, Senate, and the administration.
“By bringing down tax rates for individuals, we can help ease the burden on Middle Class families. And by lowering taxes for American businesses — both small and large — we can foster job creation here at home while making our country more competitive in an increasingly competitive international economy.
“I commend the president and his team for taking this critical first step. I look forward to working with the administration and our House colleagues to finally overhaul our tax system.
“Now on another matter, despite much unnecessary obstruction, the Senate has continued to move forward with the confirmation process for administration nominees. Just this week, we’ve confirmed two more impressive individuals, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and today we’ll have the opportunity to confirm a third.
“That nominee, Alexander Acosta, understands the difficult task ahead of him as the next Secretary of the Department of Labor. Fortunately, he has an impressive background that will serve him well as he takes on tough issues. It explains why Acosta has earned high acclaim from numerous pro-jobs groups — like the National Association of Manufacturers, which called him ‘an exceptional choice to lead the Department,’ and the Chamber of Commerce, which noted his ‘extraordinary history of government service and refined skills.’
“He’s also earned support from across the political spectrum — including from people like Lafe Solomon, a National Labor Relations Board Acting General Counsel in the Obama Administration, who said Acosta is ‘very open-minded and fair’ and ‘deserves to be [S]ecretary of [L]abor.’ And we’ve heard from unions who’ve backed him too. In their words, Acosta is ‘an advocate for the middle class,’ a nominee with ‘strong credentials and an impeccable reputation,’ and someone they can work with ‘to protect and make better the lives of working men and women across America.’
“Acosta’s leadership at the Labor Department will serve as a much needed change from what we saw under the Obama Administration — when, too often, onerous regulations that stifled instead of encouraged growth were prioritized, which came at a disadvantage to the very workers the previous administration claimed to be helping. Of course, much work remains when it comes to providing relief to middle class workers, but today’s vote to confirm Acosta represents another positive step in that direction.
“Now on one final issue. As we all know, talks on government funding legislation have continued throughout the week on a bipartisan, bicameral basis. The House has introduced a short-term funding bill that we expect to pass before Friday night’s deadline, so that a final agreement can be drafted and shared with members for their review prior to its consideration next week.
“This extension will also protect thousands of retired coal miners and their families from losing the health care benefits I’ve fought for throughout this entire process, as I continue to lead the fight to secure them on a permanent basis.”
Related Issues: Taxes, Tax Reform, Nominations, Coal
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