At least 16 Republican Senators sent a strong message to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Friday; demanding the party leadership “get moving” on President Trump’s legislative agenda.
The group, led by Sen. David Perdue of Georgia, called on McConnell to act more aggressively on the President’s key campaign promises; pointing out there are less than 70 working days remaining in the 2018 fiscal year.
The Republican legislators are calling on the GOP leader to work through Fridays -and some weekends- to pass key legislative victories heading into the 2018 midterm elections.
“If we reach August and we still have not completed appropriations work or not confirmed our nominees, then of course we would like to see the Congress stay here and do its work,” said White House legislative affairs director Marc Short.
“We continue to witness historic obstruction by the minority party when it comes to funding the federal government and confirming the President’s nominees,” writes the letter to McConnell. “If we are complicit, we are on track for another last-minute spending battle come September. However, if we take action now, we can break the cycle of continuing resolutions and omnibus spending deals. Therefore, we want to offer our full support to expedite floor consideration, even if we must work nights and weekends and forgo the August recess to get it done.”
Read the full story at the Daily Caller.
FLATLINE: Mitch McConnell Pulls the Plug on GOP Healthcare Bill
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell officially pulled the plug on the GOP’s latest efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare, telling fellow Senators there will not be a vote on the Graham-Cassidy bill and admitting yet another defeat in his final push to make good on a seven-year promise.
According to the New York Times, McConnell made his final decision hours after Sen. Susan Collins of Maine announced her opposition the legislation; joining Sen. John McCain and Rand Paul’s ‘no’ votes and ending the bill’s chances of passing the Senate.
The Graham-Cassidy legislation was GOP lawmakers last and best chance to repeal and replace Obamacare before the September 30th deadline. Any vote after the deadline would then require a 60 vote super-majority; making it nearly impossible to “repeal” Obamacare without any democratic support.
Speaking from the White House, President Trump did not mince words for republican legislators who have -so far- failed to advance the President’s agenda; breaking a seven-year promise to voters that ushered the GOP into power.
“At some point there will be a repeal and replace, but we’ll see whether or not that point is now or will it be shortly thereafter,” said the President. “But we are disappointed in certain so-called Republicans.”
GLOVES OFF: McConnell SLAMS Schumer, Senate Dems for DACA DISASTER
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell slammed Democratic lawmakers on the Senate floor Thursday; blasting his liberal colleagues for tainting the immigration debate by insisting that DACA recipients take priority over border security and other issues important to Republican voters.
McConnell called-out the left-wing legislators in a fiery speech at the US Capitol, saying Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and fellow Democrats have accomplished nothing during the weeklong debate except “slow the process as much as possible.”
“The entire week has been set aside, as I assured it would be, for votes on the DACA issue, border security, and other issues pertaining to the subject of immigration. Wrapping up a lively week of at this point we should be debate, amendments, and numerous votes. That’s not what happened,” McConnell said.
“Remember, our Democratic friends wanted this debate. Actually shut down the federal government for 300 million Americans unnecessarily to guarantee we could have this debate and at this particular time, this week. They spent months insisting DACA is a top priority for them and telling their constituents they’d do everything they could to resolve it,” he added.
“All they’ve done so far is to slow the process as much as possible. It turns out they didn’t want a fair, open, free-wheeling amendment process after all,” said the GOP leader.
McConnell’s comments come as President Trump threatened to veto the proposed legislation; saying it would “weaken” America’s borders and encourage millions of illegal aliens to pour into the United States.
h/t Daily Caller