{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=5B020155-DA1C-44F0-86EC-031F4DD0410A", "Leader McConnell Delivers Remarks on Lessons of Leadership and Work Ahead", "2024-12-20", "2024", "2024-12", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor:\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not entirely clear yet how or when Congress will conclude its end-of-year business. But when the Senate does adjourn, it\u2019ll just about mark the end of my tenure as Republican Leader.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve made it clear this year that our colleagues haven\u2019t seen the last of me. I still fully intend to keep frustrating my critics in the years ahead.\n\n\u201cBut while I still command this particular podium, I thought I might make a few observations I\u2019ve picked up along the way.\n\n\u201cFolks come to Washington to do one of two things: either to make a point, or to make difference.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s usually not that hard to tell who\u2019s doing which\u2026 especially in situations like the one we\u2019re in right now.\n\n\u201cThe people who are here to make a difference recognize pretty quickly that you never get everything you want\u2026 but often you can get quite a lot.\n\n\u201cAnd the folks who prefer to make a point have a funny habit of reminding us \u2013 out loud \u2013 how poorly they understand that fact.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t care to count how many times I\u2019ve reminded our colleagues \u2013 and our House counterparts \u2013 how harmful it is to shut the government down\u2026 and how foolish it is to bet that your own side won\u2019t take the blame for it.\n\n\u201cRecent history doesn\u2019t leave a whole lot of room for interpretation on that one: when you try to use normal government function as a bargaining chip, you pay a political price.\n\n***\n\n\u201cThat said, if I took it personally every time my advice went unheeded, I probably wouldn\u2019t have spent as long as I have in this particular job!\n\n\u201cGetting a legislative outcome in the Senate requires that large majorities of people who don\u2019t share all of the same views to actually work together toward outcomes where they do see eye to eye.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve had divided government here most of the time I\u2019ve been in this job. Neither side has owned the place. We have a choice. Do nothing. Or try to find things you can agree on and do them together.\n\n\u201cWith the exception of just one short period of a few months, this place hasn\u2019t seen a filibuster-proof Senate in fifty years. Getting things done almost inevitably requires getting with a lot of people who disagree with you on most things.\n\n\u201cAnd in the interests of stable, enduring outcomes, that\u2019s actually a good thing. Anyone who comes to the Senate hoping for both rigid, hardline conformity and prompt action is barking up the wrong tree.\n\n\u201cYou know, I\u2019ve heard folks who like making a point say they\u2019d rather serve with 30 colleagues who all agree than with a majority who didn\u2019t.\n\n\u2018So if you want to accomplish absolutely nothing, sign up with the group that would rather serve with the 30 people who all agree than those who had differences.\n\n\u201cEveryone I know who\u2019s interested in making a difference understands pretty quickly that it requires that kind of interaction in order to achieve something.\n\n\u201cLeading means letting folks take a walk when they need to, and rallying together when we need to.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve been so grateful over the years to lead majorities that embrace these necessary rhythms\u2026\n\n\u201cI\u2019m gratified by the trust they\u2019ve placed in me repeatedly to determine what that moment requires\u2026\n\n\u201cAnd I\u2019m so proud of the outcomes we\u2019ve achieved for the country.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to spending the next Congress as a member of another majority. In a different set of capable hands.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m rooting hard for my friend, John Thune, and the leadership team our conference has assembled around him.\n\n\u201cThere\u2019ll be no shortage of important work to do, and I\u2019ll stand ready to do my part.\n\n***\n\n\u201cBack in 2007, on my first day in this job, I told our colleagues [that] \u2018the Senate has no claim on greatness unless its power is put to great ends\u2019.\n\n\u201cAnd I stated my view that \u2018the first duty of government is the defense and protection of its citizens\u2019.\n\n\u201cThe Senate is great. And so is the Nation it represents.\n\n\u201cBut today, our nation faces one great challenge \u2013 from forces betting on our decline.\n\n\u201cAnd so that first duty of government is the task to which I\u2019ll devote my efforts in the coming years.\n\n\u201cOur prosperity and security depend on an order forged by American leadership and American strength \u2013 both of which require our urgent attention.\n\n\u201cThe arsenal of democracy must be restored. Peace through strength must once again actually mean something other than just a slogan.\n\n\u201cAnd I\u2019ll do everything in my power to help continue this to be the greatest country in the world.\n\n\u201cNo one can do what we can internationally and that\u2019s where I\u2019m going to put my focus.\n\n\u201cThank you all for the opportunity.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=5B020155-DA1C-44F0-86EC-031F4DD0410A"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.8821710254997015, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}