News

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding the administration’s need to focus on meaningful job creation and paying for the UI extension:

“On the unemployment insurance bill, there have been productive conversations between the Majority Leader and several members on this side.

“Republicans have offered numerous common-sense proposals to get to a conclusion here.

“Ideally, we'd have spent the last week voting on those proposals.

“So there’s really no good reason for us to be in this position at all.

“And let me just underscore some of the things members on my side expect to see in the final product.

“First, the Senate should actually be paying for whatever it passes – and not with spending cuts 11 years from now that may never happen.

“It’s also reasonable to expect practical pro-growth job-creation measures, so we can actually help get people back to work.

“And for a solution to be reasonable it should also respect the right of our constituents to be heard on this issue through a more open amendment process.

“We’ve got to get away from an attitude that essentially says the views of half the American people don’t matter in the Senate. And these days, it’s gotten even worse than that. Ideas on both sides are often just ignored completely.

“That’s just not how the Senate is supposed to work. And here’s a golden opportunity to start fixing the problem.

“It’s the right thing to do.

“And I’m hopeful common sense will prevail in the end.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell issued the following statement today after attending the Supreme Court argument in a case regarding the constitutionality of President Obama’s so-called “recess” appointments to the National Labor Relations Board in January 2012. McConnell and 44 of his Senate colleagues filed an amicus brief in the case and counsel for the Senators presented oral argument.

“The President made an unprecedented power grab by placing political allies at a powerful federal agency while the Senate was meeting regularly and without even trying to obtain its advice and consent. The President was dismissive of the Constitution’s constraints on his power, saying he would ‘refuse to take no for an answer.’ Three federal appeals courts have rejected this and similar abuses of power. The Court today was rightly skeptical of the Solicitor General’s inconsistent argument that the Senate is in session if the President wants it to pass legislation he supports, but the Senate is not in session if he wants to circumvent the advice and consent requirement of the Constitution. Unfortunately, this is just one example of the Obama administration's tendency to abide by laws that it likes and to disregard laws it doesn't like. Whether it's recess appointments or Obamacare, this troubling approach does serious damage to the rule of law.”

Background: The challenge to the recess appointments is being brought by Noel Canning, a local, family-owned business in Washington State that bottles and distributes soft drinks. The company is challenging the NLRB’s determination that it must enter into a collective bargaining agreement with a labor union.

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding Republican proposals for Unemployment Extension:

“I’d like to just say a word about unemployment insurance.

“The reason for the holdup should be pretty obvious at this point.

“Republicans have a lot of good ideas on how to pay for this extension. We also have a lot of proposals for getting at the root of the problem – proposals that would make it easier for folks who are struggling in this economy to actually find stable and fulfilling work, or to get retrained so they can find good jobs.

“That’s a goal we should all be able to agree on.

“Unfortunately, up until the weekend, the Majority Leader wasn’t terribly interested in any of these ideas. He only seems to want to extend this program — without really paying for it, without doing much of anything to help private sector job creation, and without creating opportunities for targeted training that would help folks who are currently receiving unemployment assistance find work.

“I think this is unfortunate. There’s clearly no shortage of creative, constructive proposals out there that speak to the underlying problems — that speak to the urgent need to create more stable, good-paying jobs, and which make sure we don’t increase our already out-of-control federal debt. Some of these ideas even come from Democrats, like an idea from the Senior Senator from Connecticut to create a program that subsidizes employment for low-income Americans, so they aren’t stuck in neutral while they search for permanent work.

“This is an idea that deserves debate, and deserves a vote.

“As I’ve indicated in recent days, the Majority Leader should give other Senators more of a say in what we do around here, including members of his own conference.

“Hopefully his comments over the weekend are a sign that on this issue, he finally will.”

Recent Press Releases

UI Extension Should Be Paid for, Include Job Growth Measures

January 14, 2014

McConnell Comments on Supreme Court Argument Regarding the President’s Unconstitutional “Recess” Appointments

January 13, 2014

It’s Time for Better Ideas

January 13, 2014