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Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor today regarding the Congressional Gold Medal being awarded to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for her extensive work on behalf of the Burmese people and for the cause of Democratic reform and human rights around the world:

“Later today, Congress will award the Congressional Gold Medal to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi — a remarkably courageous woman whose cause I’ve taken a particular interest in over the years.

“Suu Kyi’s story is so powerful it’s almost hard to believe it’s all true.

“Her father, Aung San, the architect of Burmese independence, was assassinated when she was just a toddler. She lived in India for a time, worked at the U.N., and eventually married and settled into a happy and comfortable life with her professor husband and two boys in Oxford, England.

“That quiet suburban life changed forever one night in the spring of 1988. She got a phone call that her mother had fallen ill back in Burma, left to take care of her the following day, and arrived to find a revolution already underway.

“As her father’s daughter, Suu Kyi was regarded as a natural fit to fill the role.

“Years earlier, Suu Kyi had had a premonition that her people might need her one day — so much so that when her husband proposed marriage, she agreed, but on the one condition that if her people ever needed her, she could go.

“He agreed without hesitation. And more than two decades later, he made good on his pledge. With Suu Kyi under house arrest in Burma, her husband fell ill with cancer back in England. She knew she would be allowed to leave, but she also knew she wouldn’t be allowed to return to Burma once she did.

“So with her husband’s support, Suu Kyi made the difficult decision to stay. And for nearly two decades, she remained under house arrest in her mother’s old home on University Avenue on the shores of Inya Lake.

“Over the years, I’ve followed Suu Kyi closely, and I’ve done what I could to advance her cause. Along with Senator Feinstein, I’ve worked to get the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act enacted every year since 2003 as a way of pressuring the regime to reform itself.

“If not for the quiet determination and simple confidence of this remarkable woman, Democratic reforms might have seemed a lost cause under the Burmese junta. But in November 2010, we were all encouraged when Suu Kyi was finally released from house arrest. And since then we’ve seen other hopeful signs.

“I was allowed the privilege of actually traveling to Burma earlier this year to meet with Suu Kyi and discuss some of the reforms we’ve seen. And on April 1, Suu Kyi won a seat in the Burmese parliament. We can’t be sure that the progress we’ve seen in Burma will last, but we’re cautiously optimistic. And it’s a great privilege to be able to honor this woman who has done so much for the Burmese people and for the cause of Democratic reform and human rights around the world.

“I’m also honored that Suu Kyi has graciously agreed to speak about her incredible journey and the cause of Democratic reform and human rights at the University of Louisville this weekend. I know the students and the larger community are all really looking forward to her visit. But for now, this is a truly special day at the Capitol.

“It’s been a long time coming. We’re honored to have this hero with us today, and delighted to award her our nation’s highest civilian honor.”

Washington, DC – Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following statement Monday regarding Constitution Day:

“Today, our Nation celebrates one of our greatest founding documents—the document that has guided the discourse of our great Nation for 225 years. On September 17, we celebrate Constitution Day.

“Americans of all walks of life are united by the ideals of equal justice, limited government, and the rule of law. It was the vision and determination of the Founders who wrote and signed the Constitution that makes our celebration today possible.

“More than two centuries ago, the Founders met in Philadelphia to create a constitution that would preserve liberty and foster freedom. They established three separate branches of government, and a system of checks and balances among them. Ours is still the oldest written constitution in use in the world.

“The most important purpose of Constitution Day is to teach these lessons to the younger generations. I’m pleased to say that the Kentucky Department of Education has made resources available to secondary schools across the Commonwealth to help them recognize this special day.

“The University of Kentucky is marking Constitution Day by inviting speakers and holding historical forums. And at the University of Louisville, Constitution Day was celebrated with a Constitution quiz bowl and Constitution cupcakes.

“So on this day, we recognize the students, teachers, and community leaders in Kentucky and across the Nation who promote and protect the ideals of our glorious Constitution.

“We also say a special thanks for our men and women in uniform who defend it.

“More than two centuries ago, the 39 signers of our Constitution gave us a more perfect Union through a document that endures and guides us here today.

“They understood, as we all must, that above all, government serves to secure the blessings of liberty for the people of our great Nation. It is an honor to stand on this floor and recognize how we have reaped the fruit of their efforts these many years later.”

LOUISVILLE– U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell issued the following statement today in response to the administration’s report detailing its plan for implementing the required sequestration cuts for defense and non-defense programs that are scheduled to occur on January 2, 2013:

“The release today of a report detailing across-the-board budget cuts—including the cuts to national security that the President demanded during last year’s budget negotiations--highlights the crippling effect these reductions will have on our nation’s security and underscores the urgent need for the President to work with congressional Republicans to replace these destructive cuts. Although the sequestration report lacks detail, it makes glaringly clear that those programs most closely related to combat readiness of the force will be severely cut. And while the report claims that the President has offered ‘balanced and comprehensive deficit reduction’ solutions, his plan was so unserious that it was rejected by every single member of Congress.

“Sadly, it took passage of the Sequester Transparency Act to force the Obama administration to tell the American people what programs will be affected by these cuts. The President’s own defense secretary has said these cuts would hollow out our Armed Forces, yet the President refuses to join Republicans who want to responsibly replace them before they go into effect. The defense cuts that will be triggered under the sequester are in addition to the $487 billion in cuts to the Defense Department identified by Secretary Gates. The President needs to provide the leadership to avoid these reductions that will render his own strategy unsustainable.”

Background: Modeled after a Thune-Sessions bill, the Sequester Transparency Act required the President’s Office of Management and Budget to submit a report to Congress on the impact of sequestration on both defense and non-defense programs. The House passed it last month with a vote of 414-2 and the Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent. The following is an excerpt from Sen. McConnell’s speech in July:

“The President owes it to our forces around the world and to their families to put a plan on the table for all to see now, rather than waiting until after the November elections pass. To keep these details secret and to leave the defense sequester in place as written would be irresponsible, regardless of the outcome of the Presidential election.”
“We need President Obama to tell this Congress his plan for avoiding this sequester, for preventing the gutting of his strategy, for responsibly transitioning to a new Commander in Chief, and for keeping faith with the warriors we have sent into combat. And in all this, our overriding objective, our duty, should be to work with the president to achieve the level of savings called for in the Budget Control Act without doing harm to our national security or military.”

Recent Press Releases

McConnell Welcomes Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to the Capitol

‘This is a truly special day at the Capitol. It’s been a long time coming. We’re honored to have this hero with us today, and delighted to award her our nation’s highest civilian honor.’

September 19, 2012

Senator McConnell Honors Constitution Day

September 17, 2012

President Needs to Show Leadership, Avoid Crippling Defense Cuts

“While the report claims that the President has offered ‘balanced and comprehensive deficit reduction’ solutions, his plan was so unserious that it was rejected by every single member of Congress.”

September 14, 2012