GEORGETOWN, Ky. — U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell was in Georgetown Wednesday to provide an update from Washington to Kentuckians.
What You Need To Know
- Mitch McConnell was in Georgetown Wednesday
- McConnell said he’s concerned about the economy, current administration
- Inflation and unemployment at the top of list of concerns
- McConnell continuing to encourage everyone who can to get vaccinated
McConnell had a round table meeting with business leaders in Scott County and other surrounding counties. The senator said he’s concerned about the potential economic impact of the last COVID-19 relief bill on the country moving forward.
“I felt, and all of my Republican colleagues felt this is wildly beyond what the economy required at this particular juncture. It’s also noteworthy that in that package, only one percent of it was for vaccines, and only nine percent of it was for health care. There’s a whole lot of other stuff,” McConnell said. “The country is about to be a wash in money.”
Among his biggest concerns, he said, are inflation and unemployment.
“It’s difficult to get people back to work, because now the compensation plans are so generous to not work, that you lose the incentive to go back to work. So we’re experiencing some of the consequences of this overspending already,” he said.
McConnell said he can’t see any Republicans supporting President Joe Biden’s recommended four trillion dollar infrastructure package. But, he said they're willing to work with the administration on a much more scaled down package.
“I personally cannot support this package that the president’s recommended, because, in the name of infrastructure, he is also recommending we completely redo the 2017 tax bill, that we go back to having the highest corporate tax rate in America. That we wack small businesses,” McConnell said.
He said there’s “no question” in his mind the 2017 tax bill was the principal reason the U.S. had its best economy in 50 years in February 2020.
“If that’s the condition for doing a massive infrastructure bill, I won’t be voting for it. And I suspect no republicans will,” he said.
McConnell said he’s continuing to encourage everyone that can to get the COVID-19 vaccine. He called the U.S. having three highly effective vaccines developed in under a year a “modern medical miracle,” though he did say he’s concerned about a slow down in people getting vaccinated.
McConnell was asked about Congresswoman Liz Cheney’s standing with other congressional republicans. Cheney has been vocally critical of other members of her party continuing to question the validity of the November election. McConnell declined to comment specifically on Cheney, saying instead, he’s focused on one thing.
“100 percent of my focus is on stopping this new administration. I think the best way to look at what this new administration is: the president may have won the nomination, but bernie sanders won the argument about what the new administration should be like. We’re confronted with severe challenges from a new administration, and a narrow majority of democrats in the house, and a 50-50 senate, to turn america into a socialist country, and that's 100 percent of my focus,” he said. “What we have in the United States senate is total unity from Susan Collins to Ted Cruz in opposition to what the new Biden administration is trying to do to this country.”