Upcoming Vote on Defense Funding Will Show Whether Impeachment is Crowding Out Critical Priorities
Imagine the embarrassment if Senate Democrats filibuster funding for our men and women in uniform just days after this past weekend’s heroics…just days after the whole country was reminded that our brave servicemembers risk everything every day, and their missions do not wait for Washington politics. Imagine the supreme irony if the same Democrats who want to impeach the president for supposedly delaying military assistance for Ukraine literally themselves delay military assistance for Ukraine b
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) issued the following statement today regarding the need to fund our armed forces and his Senate Resolution urging the House to respect due process in impeachment inquiry proceedings:
“On Thursday, the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and I introduced a resolution which quickly gained dozens of Republican co-sponsors. Our resolution states two things which are very obvious.
“Number one: Any process as serious as an impeachment inquiry, which seeks to cancel out the American people’s vote in a presidential election, must adhere to the highest standards of fairness and due process.
“And number two: What we’ve seen on display from House Democrats has been anything but that.
“Here’s the way House Democrats have conducted their inquiry so far…Committees at the center of the ‘inquiry’ have denied President Trump important rights and protections that President Nixon and President Clinton enjoyed. They’ve impeded his right to have counsel attend hearings and depositions, call and cross-examine witnesses, and even access the evidence they’re producing.
“Democrats are also flouting past practices that gave minority parties basic procedural rights during past impeachments. House Republicans have not been granted subpoena power and their participation in closed-door proceedings has been severely limited.
“It’s no secret that Washington Democrats have been looking for a way to remove President Trump since Inauguration Day. But that does not remove the basic requirements of fairness and due process.
“That’s what our resolution makes clear. I am proud to sponsor it with Chairman Graham.
“Washington Democrats have been insisting their three-year-old impeachment journey will not keep them from attending to the people’s business.
“Well, we may just find out later this week, when the Senate votes on advancing funding for our armed forces.
“Recall that last month, our Democratic colleagues made the stunning decision to filibuster legislation to fund our national defense. They blocked resources for our men and women in uniform. They blocked the funding our commanders need to keep us safe in this dangerous time. They blocked a pay raise for men and women in uniform.
“Democrats filibustered all this for the sake of picking a fight with the White House.
“Think about that. Can our colleagues be so ruled by partisan politics that they’d rather leave the United States military in limbo than get along with President Trump for two minutes?
“Obviously, this cannot continue. Our commanders need funding. Our men and women in military need support. Congress needs to do its job. So later this week, the Senate is going to vote again to advance defense funding.
“We will complete the domestic appropriations we are currently considering, including votes on several amendments, and then we will turn back to defense.
“This will present a crystal-clear test: Do our Democratic colleagues mean it when they say they want to legislate? Or is their impeachment obsession crowding out critical priorities?
“Imagine the spectacle, if the same Senate Democrats who give lengthy speeches criticizing the administration’s actions in Syria and the Middle East literally block the funding that our commanders need to keep up those missions.
“Imagine the embarrassment if Senate Democrats filibuster funding for our men and women in uniform just days after this past weekend’s heroics…just days after the whole country was reminded that our brave servicemembers risk everything every day, and their missions do not wait for Washington politics.
“Imagine the supreme irony if the same Democrats who want to impeach the president for supposedly delaying military assistance for Ukraine literally themselves delay military assistance for Ukraine by blocking this funding legislation.
“So I urge my friends across the aisle to do the right thing.
“The whole country knows that Washington Democrats are not charter members of President Trump’s fan club. We get it. But there is no reason why money to fight ISIS…money to pay and supply our servicemembers...and, yes, money for military assistance for Ukraine ought to be used as Democrats’ political pawns.
“Enough is enough. Let’s move forward defense funding this week.”
Related Issues: Senate Democrats, America's Military, Appropriations, Syria
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