The Senate is Here and Working for the American People
‘…while the Democratic House of Representatives may be absent — with no plans to return for weeks and weeks — the United States Senate is here and working for the American people.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the week’s business:
“Our nation is caught within a number of grave problems at the same time.
“This week, in cities across America, the pain of racial injustice has been compounded by violent riots that have drowned out peaceful protests and hurt innocent people.
“Millions of working families continue to face the historic economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, including unemployment levels not seen in many decades.
“And lest we forget, the actual pandemic itself is still with us.
“The virus continues to claim hundreds of American lives every day, challenge healthcare professionals, and paralyze schools, universities, and employers that are eager to reopen.
“Of course, there’s also all of the important business we would have needed to address even before the pandemic.
“So for all these reasons and more, while the Democratic House of Representatives may be absent — with no plans to return for weeks and weeks — the United States Senate is here and working for the American people.
“This week we are filling more critical vacancies throughout our government. Yesterday, we confirmed the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Response. This is a brand-new position, born of immediate necessity and goals shared by members of both parties.
“And yet, though our Democratic colleagues said for weeks that CARES Act oversight was a top priority, our colleagues chose to delay this nomination as long as possible. When the rubber met the road, yet again, picking small fights with President Trump took precedence over urgent work for the common good.
“At the same time, we also hear from the very same Democratic colleagues that they wish the Senate spent less floor time on nominations.
“Well, the good news is that Senate Democrats can change that whenever they want. But as long as they continue to visit delays and obstruction on even these lower-level executive branch appointments, just for the sake of irritating the White House, the Senate will continue to do our job the hard way.
“Of course, in the weeks ahead, we’ll also tackle significant legislation for our country.
“We will turn to legislation to strengthen the implementation of the Paycheck Protection Program for the workers and small businesses that are struggling to weather this storm.
“We’ll consider a bipartisan bill from Senators Daines and Gardner to safeguard America’s abundant public lands.
“And for the 60th consecutive year, we’ll take up the National Defense Authorization Act, to help guide the strategic and operational priorities of our nation’s armed forces in the face of evolving threats.”
Related Issues: Health Care, Back to Work, Small Business, COVID-19, NDAA, Nominations
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