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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) today introduced S.1852, the Economic Freedom Zones Act of 2013. This bill provides for the establishment of free market enterprise zones in order to help facilitate the creation of new jobs, entrepreneurial opportunities, enhance and renew educational opportunities and increase community involvement in bankrupt or economically distressed areas. These zones will apply to any zip code with unemployment greater than one and a half times the national average. This bill will dramatically reduce taxes and red tape so that families and businesses can grow and thrive.

“In order to change our course, we must reverse the trend toward more Big Government by ending the corporate welfare and crony capitalism that limits choice and stifles competition. We must encourage policies that will lift up the individual, allow for the creation of new jobs, improve the school system and get these communities back to work. The answer to poverty and unemployment is not another government bailout; it is simply leaving more money in the hands of those who earned it. The Economic Freedom Zones Act of 2013 will do just that,” Sen. Paul said.

“I am proud to co-sponsor Senator Paul’s bill and I applaud him for his work to help distressed areas around the nation, including those in Kentucky,” Sen. McConnell said. “In addition to helping bring businesses to distressed areas, this legislation will assist in job creation by unraveling burdensome federal regulations that are stifling economic development.”

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding the National Defense Authorization Act and the majority’s continued powergrab:

“The National Defense Authorization Act is one of the essential pieces of legislation the Senate considers every year.

“This is legislation that authorizes funding for our troops and the equipment and the support they need to carry out their mission.

“This is legislation that – along with the funding that follows in the Appropriations bill – puts muscle behind America’s most important strategic objectives across the globe.

“And yet, under the Democrat majority, this bill has basically languished since the summer.

“About 6 months — 6 months — have elapsed since the Armed Services Committee first reported the NDAA out for floor action.

“Now, with just days to go before Christmas — after wasting valuable time ramming through political appointee after political appointee — the majority wants to rush this crucial legislation through without the debate it deserves. They want to push it through the Senate without even giving the minority the ability to offer more than a single amendment.

“Just to give you some perspective, 381 amendments were proposed to this bill last year, and we agreed on 142 of them. The year before that, hundreds were again proposed and many were agreed to.

“And keep in mind that all of this follows right on the heels of the Democrats’ ‘nuclear’ power grab just a few weeks back.

“So this is what’s become of the Senate under the current Democrat majority: rules and traditions of the Senate that have served us well for years are broken or ignored in the interest of a short-term power grab.

“And some of the most important legislation that we consider as a body is rushed through at the last minute without a real opportunity for debate or amendment.

“Some have suggested that the Senate has become a lot like the House under the current Democrat leadership. From the standpoint of the minority, it’s worse.

“Committee chairmen have been cut out of the process. Senators who thought they’d have an opportunity to legislate have been told they’re basically irrelevant.

“And evidently so are the rules.

“The Senate rules are now just as optional to Washington Democrats as the Obamacare mandates they decide they don’t like. All of which obviously makes a mockery of our institutions and our laws, and all of which suggests that this is a majority that has zero confidence in its own ideas.

“This is a majority that can’t allow the minority to have a meaningful say when it comes to nominees…this is a majority that won’t allow members to offer amendments when it counts…

“Why? Because of a fear that the minority might actually win the argument and carry the day.

“And that’s exactly what we’re seeing with the NDAA.

“The Majority Leader won’t allow a robust amendment process because he can’t stomach a vote on Iran sanctions.

“He knows the Administration would lose that vote decisively, and he knows that many members of his own caucus would vote alongside Republicans to strengthen those sanctions.

“So rather than allow a democratic vote that might embarrass the Administration, the Majority Leader simply won’t permit that vote to happen.

“Here’s another consequence: by denying the Senate the ability to legislate, debate and amend the National Defense Authorization Act, the Defense Appropriations Act, and additional Iran sanctions – and by refusing the Senate the ability to vote on the Authorization for the Use of force against Syria – the Majority Leader has abdicated this chamber’s constitutional role in shaping and overseeing national security policy.

“Without considering these matters, the Senate has been unable to address the programs, policies, and weapons systems necessary to make the President’s strategic pivot to the Asia-Pacific theater real. Are the programs in place adequate to address China’s aggressive encroachment upon the territorial and navigational rights of other nations in the region? Through defense legislation, have we considered the necessary tradeoffs to fund adequate force structure? Can we execute this pivot and maintain adequate force structure in the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean?

“We won’t have that debate.

“We have been denied the opportunity to consider additional Iran sanctions. Despite the assertions of the administration that it has worked with the Congress to craft the current sanctions regime, each time sanctions have been enacted during the Obama Administration these bills have basically been forced upon the President. Despite the fact that the administration concedes that sanctions have brought the Iranians to the negotiating table, it is actively working to forestall additional sanctions tied to verification of the interim agreement. The Senate should not be denied a vote concerning Iran – the President retains the power to veto anything we might pass.

“What are our policies for preventing the ungoverned portions of Syria from becoming a terrorist safe haven?

“Unfortunately, we will not be having that debate this session of Congress.

“What is our policy for capturing, interrogating, and detaining terrorists? And if we had a coherent policy, would it survive after we draw down our forces from Afghanistan?

“We will not have that debate.

“This is not simply a matter of denying the minority a voice in shaping foreign policy, it’s an erosion of the Senate’s responsibility. We have given President Obama a free reign in shaping these matters and our allies in Asia and in the Arab world are now questioning our commitment to remaining forward deployed and combat ready.

“Most importantly, though, the courageous men and women who defend us every day shouldn’t have to suffer from these tactics.

“Still, despite the egregious abuses we’re seeing here of the legislative process, the underlying bill is an important one.

“It contains the authorization needed for key military construction projects on our military bases, for multi-year procurement that’s more efficient – that saves the taxpayers money – and for the combat pay and special pay our troops deserve.

“It also extends the prohibition on bringing Guantanamo Bay prisoners into the United States – a provision I and many Americans strongly support.

“And it authorizes funding for the next generation of aircraft carriers, something that’s central to the success of the President’s ‘pivot’ to the Asian theater I mentioned earlier.

“In short, there are a lot of good things in this bill, even if the process that got us here was unacceptable.

“But let me be clear: the bill before us would be markedly improved if Senators were allowed to offer amendments, and more than just a day or two to debate it.

“The Democrats who run the Senate really need to think hard about what they’re doing.

“This is just about the only regular order legislation we even consider any more – it’s one of the only chances Senators can count on to offer important amendments.

“And now, the Senate Democrat majority is even trying to shut that down too.

“So in closing, I’d remind my colleagues on the other side that one day they’ll find themselves in the minority again. And they should think long and hard about what they’re doing to this institution. Because the Senate is bigger than any one party or presidential administration.”

Washington, D.C. – Since the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) refused to host a “listening session” in coal country, U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell held a pro-coal listening session of his own in Pikeville, Kentucky on December 6th. Yesterday, every comment and testimony from the hearing was delivered to the EPA. Senator McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor today regarding the powerful testimony and comments he heard from Kentuckians:

“I rise today to give voice to the people of eastern Kentucky who are hurting due to this administration’s War on Coal. Recently, I traveled to Pikeville, Kentucky, to hear first-hand from coal miners, their families, those in the energy industry, and others about how their communities are being ravaged by the EPA’s excessive, overly burdensome regulations on coal.

“The EPA did not want to listen to these folks, so I did. I held this listening session to put a human face on the suffering that is being felt in Appalachia due in large part to this administration’s War on Coal. I want to share with my colleagues just a little of what I heard.

“Behind me is a picture of Howard Abshire. Howard is a former production foreman and a fourth-generation coal miner. Sitting in the audience during his testimony was Howard’s son, Griffin, a fifth-generation coal miner.

“Both Howard and Griffin are out of work. Two of the over 5,000 Kentucky jobs lost in the War on Coal were theirs.

“Howard is holding up a piece of coal to show us just what’s at stake—coal mining is what the EPA wants to stamp out, but coal is also the powerful substance that powers our homes, provides light and heat, and fuels the commerce of goods and services worldwide.

“‘This is coal,’ he said when he held that piece up. ‘This keeps the lights on.’

“Howard is only one of many coal miners laid off for lack of coal mining work. ‘Look in our schools. Look in our nursing homes. Look in our pharmacies. We’re hurting,’ he said. ‘We need help. We don’t want to be bailed out. We want to work.’

“Seated next to Howard is Jimmy Rose, a veteran and former coal miner. Jimmy was perhaps the most famous attendee at the listening session because he brought attention to the War on Coal to a national television audience on ‘America’s Got Talent.’ His song ‘Coal Keeps the Lights On’ spoke directly to the hardship in his community largely caused by the War on Coal.

“‘It’s in our heritage, it’s in our blood,’ Jimmy said. Addressing the administration, Jimmy said: ‘Look at what you’re doing, and who you’re affecting…Coal mining is a way of life, just like I say in the song. Don’t kill our way of life. I hope one day I can always say coal kept the lights on.’

“I also heard from Monty Boyd, the owner of Whayne Supply Company and Walker Machinery, a mining and construction equipment distributor that serves Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia, and Ohio. The companies employ 1,900 people and operate 25 store locations.

“Whayne Supply this year celebrated 100 years of operations. Yet, this is what Monty had to say:

‘At a time when I should be excited about our future, I am full of concern and uncertainty because our future outlook is bleak due to the regulatory ambush on the coal industry by the EPA.’

“He went on to say,

‘Coal in Kentucky is more than just mining. It is the driving force that keeps our energy rates affordable, keeps our manufacturing sector competitive, and is the economic life blood of eastern Kentucky.’

‘I am disheartened to continually see the federal government and the EPA take such an anti-business stance that destroys an industry that is vital to our regional economy. The federal government appears to be choosing the winners and losers in regard to the energy sector of America.’

“Those are strong words from someone with a good perspective on Kentucky’s coal industry. I also heard from Anita Miller, a manager of safety for Apollo Fuels in Middlesboro. She has worked in the industry for more than 15 years. She had this to say:

‘My son walked earlier than my daughter…every time she would try to stand up, he would either knock her down, or put his hand on her head so she couldn’t stand. This is what is happening to the coal industry.’

“Anita went on to say:

‘Every time we try to stand up for ourselves, someone either knocks or holds us down…You can’t really buy anything or make plans for the future, because you don’t know what the future holds.’

‘My wish is that the people who are trying so hard to destroy the coal industry would just stop for a minute and think about the hot showers they take, the lights they turn on, and that first hot cup of coffee in the morning, and remember that it came from electricity powered by coal.’

“I couldn’t agree more with what Anita says. It is apparently too easy for EPA bureaucrats in Washington to make decisions that have a huge impact on the people of eastern Kentucky, without thinking of the consequences. And, I might add, without bothering to meet face-to-face with the people they hurt.

“The EPA scheduled listening sessions for its new regulations only in cities far away from coal country, both geographically and philosophically—cities including New York, Boston, Seattle, and San Francisco. They held 11 listening sessions in all, but the closest one to eastern Kentucky was in Atlanta, requiring Kentuckians to make a 14-hour round trip drive to attend.

“Clearly, the EPA did not want real input.

“That is why I convened the listening session in Pikeville that resulted in the powerful testimony I’ve shared with my colleagues today. Since the EPA would not come to Kentucky, I’ve brought the voices of Kentuckians to the EPA.

“We held three panels, composed of those in the coal industry, miners and their families, and local elected officials to illuminate the disruption in these communities caused in large part by the War on Coal.

“Many of my constituents filled out comment cards also, and my office delivered them yesterday to the EPA along with the hearing testimony.

“I want to leave my colleagues with the comments of one Kentuckian, Justine Bradford, who is a retired teacher in Pikeville. Here is what she wrote:

‘Dear EPA, will you please tell Santa Claus all we want for Christmas this year is to be able to work. Here in eastern Kentucky, we too are real people. Please help us find a job! Come and work in our shoes.’

“The people of eastern Kentucky believe in coal, and with good reason. The abundance of coal in America, and in Kentucky in particular, is a God-given resource. For decades it has powered our factories, transported our goods, and warmed our homes.

“Yes, the blessings of coal come with the responsibility to use it in an environmentally friendly way. But they also come with the responsibility to see that hard-working Kentuckians who rely on coal for an honest day’s work and steady pay are given every chance to earn that.

“And they come with the right for all Americans to take full advantage of this God-given domestic resource to produce clean, cheap, and safe energy.

“These things have been true for many decades. There’s no reason they shouldn’t still hold true now.

“Eastern Kentucky must look for some economic opportunities beyond coal. I support that, and I know the people of the region can accomplish great things. It’s vital that we consider eastern Kentucky’s future.

“But let me make this point: It is equally vital that we not give up on eastern Kentucky’s present. And coal is the key to the present in eastern Kentucky.

“So the EPA has the testimony I heard in Pikeville, whether they want it or not. Eastern Kentucky is going to continue to push back in this War on Coal.

“This war isn’t over yet, not by a long shot. This president will be gone in three years, and the coal will still be in the ground.

“The people of the region are resilient, and they will keep fighting. So I’m very hopeful for a positive outlook in eastern Kentucky and the Appalachian region. And I will defend them in every way that I can.”

Recent Press Releases

Sens. Paul and McConnell Introduce Economic Freedom Zones Act of 2013

December 18, 2013

Senate Democrats Rush Defense Bill, Block Minority from Amendments, Debate

December 18, 2013

McConnell Shines Light on Kentuckians’ Coal Jobs Concerns

‘It is apparently too easy for EPA bureaucrats in Washington to make decisions that have a huge impact on the people of eastern Kentucky, without thinking of the consequences. And, I might add, without bothering to meet face-to-face with the people they hurt.’

December 18, 2013