U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the Senate leadership elections:
“Yesterday, the Republican Conference met to select its leadership team for the 118th Congress.
“I am deeply honored that my remarkable colleagues on this side of the aisle decided to re-hire me for another term as Republican Leader.
“I’m proud of Senators Thune, Barrasso, Ernst, Capito, and Daines, who were also elected to take on critical responsibilities for the next two years.
“We have impressive new Senators-elect and we have outstanding returning members. Our Conference is brimming with energy, ideas, and enthusiasm to fight for the millions and millions of Americans who elected Republican Senators to be their champions and their voice in this chamber.
“Republicans are a big-tent party that unites around commonsense conservative principles and policies to make our nation stronger and make American families’ lives better.
“We stand for fiscal sanity instead of the reckless liberal spending that created jaw-dropping inflation.
“We stand for the pro-worker, pro-family, pro-growth ideas that built the best economy for working people in a generation — before COVID-19, Republican policies had fueled low inflation, low unemployment, and robust growth, all at the same time.
“We stand for a strong, modern military that can deter and defeat America’s enemies. And confident American leadership in the world instead of this Administration’s deadly botched retreat from Afghanistan and desperate cozying up to the murderous regime in Tehran.
“We stand for American energy dominance, instead of cutting off our own supplies and canceling our own pipelines while begging foreign dictators to produce more. We stand for real energy independence, not for making China rich buying solar panel components that make American energy more expensive and less reliable.
“We stand for safer streets — and we understand that real compassion means ensuring safety and security for innocent people, not giving shorter sentences to the violent convicts who hurt them.
“We stand for securing our border and enforcing our laws instead of letting unvetted people and illegal drugs pour into our country 24-7.
“We stand for putting parents’ rights and parents’ involvement back into our nation’s schools and getting radical indoctrination out.
“We stand for the quaint notion that judges need to follow our laws and our Constitution as they’re written, not act like a third legislative branch that our citizens can’t vote out.
“We stand for free speech, religious liberty, and the freedom of worship instead of using the courts and the government to persecute men and women of faith.
“This is where we stand, Madam President. And it just so happens — the American people stand with us.
“Last week’s exit polls showed that Republicans are more trusted on the kitchen-table issues that keep American families awake at night. When the American people get a clear, un-muddled look at our commonsense conservative approach to the issues… they like what they see.
“We’ve got 49 outstanding members on this side of the aisle who are living proof of that fact. And in just a few more weeks, we’ll have 50.
“It is the honor of a lifetime to serve alongside my distinguished colleagues… and to serve our Conference in this leadership role.”
