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McConnell Comments on Severe Storm and Flooding in Louisville, Kentucky

August 4, 2009



WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell made the following remarks Tuesday on the Senate floor regarding the severe storm and flooding in Louisville, Kentucky:



“Mr. President, I wanted to make some observation about a severe storm that hit my hometown today. It dumped six inches of rain in 75 minutes in Louisville causing major flooding and trapping people in their cars and neighborhoods.

“The Louisville Police and Fire & Rescue have been working nonstop since early this morning to assist those in need and I want to commend them for their courageous and outstanding work that they have been performing throughout the day.

“Not surprisingly, I have heard from a number of my constituents, and I appreciate very much their calls to keep me informed on the latest developments. I will continue to monitor the situation back home and in the meantime, my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in Louisville today.”

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A Pattern of Misreading the Economy

August 3, 2009

‘Americans are telling us that health care is too important to base our decisions on this issue solely on the estimates that we’re getting from the same people who brought us the stimulus and Cash for Clunkers’

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor Monday regarding the importance of getting it right on health care reform:

“Over the past two months, I’ve come to the floor time and again to talk about one of the most important issues we face as a nation: and that’s the need for common-sense health care reforms which address the serious problems that all Americans see in the system as it is. I’ve done this in the context of a larger debate about a proposed reform that, in my view, could actually make our current problems worse. And I’ve had solid support for that view from a number of well-respected sources.

“First and foremost is the independent Congressional Budget Office, which has refuted several estimates by the administration about the effect its health care proposals would have on the economy in general and health care costs in particular.

“The Director of the CBO has said the Democrat proposals we’ve seen would not reverse the upward trend of health care costs and would significantly increase the government’s share of those costs. The CBO says these proposals would add hundreds of billions of dollars to the national debt. It says that one section of one of the proposals would cause 10 million people to lose their current health plans. And it says a so-called Independent Medicare Advisory Council designed to cut costs probably wouldn’t.

“These findings have helped clarify the debate over health care — and they’ve also added to a growing perception that, though the administration is trying very hard, economic estimates aren’t the administration’s strong suit.

“First there was the stimulus. In trying to account for rising unemployment after a stimulus bill that was meant to arrest it, the administration said it misread the economy. It also said the stimulus would ‘create or save’ between three and four million jobs, though now it says it can’t measure how many jobs are created or saved. Meanwhile, we’ve lost two million of them since the stimulus was passed.

“Last week we saw the administration’s tendency to miss the mark on economic estimates again with the so-called Cash for Clunkers program.

“We were told this program would last for several months. As it turned out, it ran out of money in a week, prompting the House to rush a $2 billion dollar extension before anybody even had time to figure out what happened with the first billion.

“There’s a pattern here, a pattern that amounts to an argument — and a very strong argument at that: when the administration comes bearing estimates, it’s not a bad idea to look for a second opinion. All the more so if they say they’re in a hurry.

“Americans are telling us that health care is too important to rush. They’re saying it’s too important to base our decisions on this issue solely on the estimates that we’re getting from the same people who brought us the stimulus and Cash for Clunkers.

“The American people want to know what they’re getting into when it comes to changing health care in this country. And while I have no doubt the administration is trying, Americans need some assurance that the estimates they’re getting are accurate. And if recent experience is any guide, they have reason to be as skeptical as the car dealer who said this to a reporter last week: ‘If they can't administer a program like this, I'd be a little concerned about my health insurance.’”

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McConnell Secures Funding for Several Kentucky Universities

July 30, 2009

*Bill also contains his request of funding for local transportation projects*

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell announced Thursday that he secured nearly $24 million in funding in two bills containing critical support for several Kentucky projects, including $17 million for Kentucky universities. The measures were approved by a key Senate committee today and now go to the Senate floor for consideration.

“Kentucky’s universities are leading the way in research for cures, expanding opportunities for students and building facilities to help rural communities deal with health issues,” McConnell said. “I am proud to secure these funds which will aid in moving these health and educational initiatives forward.”

McConnell secured $15 million for the following projects in the FY 2010 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill:

$5.3 million for the University of Kentucky

• $2 million for the UK “Heart Health” Community Health Management Program, and to expand UK's Centers for Rural Health at Hazard, Morehead, Madisonville, and Murray.

• $2 million for the UK Biomedical Informatics Core Project to develop a data warehouse critical to expanding research, and helping community hospitals throughout the state.

• $1.3 million for UK to expand the College of Nursing facility, allowing UK to better respond to the nursing shortage by increasing the undergraduate nursing program with renovated facilities.



$5.3 million for the University of Louisville

• $2.5 million for UofL to purchase medical equipment for the In-Vivo Molecular Imaging Project. This will enable researchers to gather information non-invasively in humans, which will help solve biological and medical problems and improve our knowledge of diseases.

• $1 million to assist the UofL Center for Liver Cancer in developing a liver cancer research center, investigating new surgical approaches, drug therapies and diagnostic and prevention strategies for liver cancer.

• $1 million for the UofL Cardiovascular and Regenerative Medicine Project to purchase equipment that will help researchers conduct cutting-edge, first-in-human research studies in the use of cell-based therapies for heart disease.

• $800,000 for the UofL Improving Nursing Care Program to train and educate nursing faculty, students and registered nurses to better understand and use clinical informatics and to incorporate electronic health records in the delivery of care.

$2.4 million for Northern Kentucky University

• To purchase technology and equipment to enhance the College of Informatics. NKU is continuing its important work preparing students for in-demand information-technology related careers.

$2 million for Western Kentucky University

• To complete the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment for the Ogden College of Science and Engineering Facility. This amount will complete the three year project and will give students at WKU the tools necessary to compete in high-demand science and engineering industries.

In the FY 2010 Transportation Appropriations bill, Senator McConnell secured $8.925 million for the following Kentucky infrastructure projects:

• $3 million for the Hopkinsville-Christian County Industrial Mega Site

This will provide economic development funds to enhance the site with a natural gas line to attract industry and jobs. The money is needed for improvements at the 2,100 acre Hopkinsville-Christian County Industrial Mega Site, which is expected to help attract future manufacturing plants and industry.

• $1.6 million for the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky

The Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK) will use this funding to replace their oldest buses with new, energy efficient transit buses to ensure that TANK can continue to provide reliable service to the community.

• $1.5 million for the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport

The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport seeks funds to rehabilitate apron areas around Concourse B, including surface patching and concrete replacement. According to local officials, these improvements will help the airport better serve air travelers in and out of northern Kentucky.

• $750,000 for the Louisville International Airport

The Louisville International Airport seeks funds to construct a necessary taxiway in order to accommodate larger Group VI aircraft. According to local officials, by expanding the airport taxiway, the airport will be able to accommodate current growth and take advantage of any new opportunities that will retain and attract aviation-related companies and jobs to the Louisville community.

• $1.075 million for Western Kentucky University

Western Kentucky University seeks funds to replace outdated shuttle buses with new, fuel efficient buses and vehicles to support the expansion of existing routes throughout campus and the Bowling Green community.

• $1 million for the University of Kentucky

Kentucky, and the rest of the nation, seeks cost-effective, sustainable solutions to a variety of transportation problems. The UK will use these funds to support the Academy for Community Transportation Innovation, which will educate new transportation planners and engineers in ways to achieve safe, environmentally sound and sustainable transportation projects.

“It’s critically important that we continue to upgrade Kentucky’s infrastructure,” McConnell said. “By improving our transit system, we will not only help Kentuckians, but will also assist economic development across the Commonwealth.”

The Transportation and the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bills now go to the full Senate for consideration.

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