‘The 2020 election was as far from a sweeping mandate for ideological transformation as any election we’ve seen in modern history. The American people stunned the so-called experts with the number of Republicans they sent to the House and the Senate to make sure common-sense conservative values have a powerful say in this government.’
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Senator Mitch McConnell
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding protecting jobs:
“Our side takes great pride in the accomplishments that three consecutive Republican Senates helped deliver for the American people.
“In 2014, our majority was elected to check and balance the last years of a lame-duck presidency.
“In 2016, we were reelected to help ignite a real, all-American economic comeback; rebuild and modernize our military; and fight for the forgotten corners of our country. Together with the Trump Administration and a Republican House, we did just that.
“In 2018, we were rehired again on those strong results -- especially the historic job market for American workers and our commitment to the judiciary.
“And now, even as voters chose President Biden for the White House, they simultaneously shrunk Democrats’ House majority and elected this evenly-divided Senate.
“The 2020 election was as far from a sweeping mandate for ideological transformation as any election we’ve seen in modern history.
“The American people stunned the so-called experts with the number of Republicans they sent to the House and the Senate to make sure common-sense conservative values have a powerful say in this government.
“So our side is ready to share ideas and work with the Biden Administration, applying common sense to find common ground for the common good.
“But if and when our Democratic friends depart from common sense, when they retreat from common ground, when their proposals would harm the common good — then we’ll use the power the American people have given us to push for what is right.
“And on the Biden Administration’s very first day, it took several big steps in the wrong direction.
“The President re-entered the failed Paris climate agreement -- a terrible bargain that would set us up to self-inflict major economic pain on working American families with no assurance that China or Russia would honor their commitments.
“In fact, the U.S. has already been reducing carbon emissions while China and other nations in the agreement have kept increasing theirs. Rejoining will just set us up to kill American jobs while our competitors continue to roar on by.
“The President also unilaterally cancelled the Keystone XL pipeline.
‘The day-one priority was to kill thousands of American jobs including union jobs, disappoint our strong ally Canada, and reverse some of our progress toward energy security.
“This is a project that the liberal Canadian government and Prime Minister Trudeau support. An investment in North American energy.
“Even the Obama State Department concluded it would not harm the climate. But because canceling a pipeline project just feels like the green thing to do, the new Administration killed these jobs.
“This was not the Day One that American workers deserved.
“The new Administration has also sketched out a massive proposal for blanket amnesty that would gut enforcement of American laws while creating huge new incentives for people to rush here illegally at the same time.
“This kind of failed approach will invite another humanitarian crisis on our border and privilege powerful interests ahead of American workers.
“And for all the talk about norms within government, last night brought an unprecedented move at the National Labor Relations Board. The President fired the Board’s independent general counsel almost a year before the end of his term.
“Even left-wing activists called the unprecedented move, quote, ‘aggressive.’
“Now, it’s still early. There is plenty of time for President Biden to remember that he does not owe his election to the far left.
“The President can and should refocus his Administration on creating good-paying American jobs, not sacrificing our people’s livelihoods to liberal symbolism.
“Senate Republicans will be ready, willing, and eager to help make that happen.”