{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=c9876b3c-73c5-4292-a1a6-ba5a687c5754", "Bipartisan Funding and Tax Relief Legislation Will Strengthen the Economy and National Security", "2015-12-18", "2015", "2015-12", "Republican", "House", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding the bipartisan omnibus and tax relief legislation:\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\nWe know our constituents are deeply concerned about Americas struggling economy. So lets take steps  as the legislation well consider proposes  to support more jobs, more opportunity, and more economic growth.\r\n\r\nLets enact permanent tax relief for American families and small businesses.\r\n\r\nLets set the table for pro-growth tax reform.\r\n\r\nLets permanently eliminate an energy policy from the 1970s that not only costs American jobs, but also strengthens American adversaries like Iran and Russia.\r\n\r\nBecause heres something else.\r\n\r\nWe know our constituents are deeply concerned about Americas national security. So lets take steps  as the legislation well consider proposes  to strengthen our national security in a dangerous world.\r\n\r\nLets help ensure our military has more of the funding it needs to train, equip, and confront the threats that face us from every corner of the globe.\r\n\r\nLets bolster the FBIs ability to confront terror within our borders.\r\n\r\nLets bring badly needed reform to the Visa Waiver Program.\r\n\r\nLets prevent the transfer of dangerous terrorists from Guantanamos secure detention center into American communities.\r\n\r\nLets provide the people we represent with some long-overdue protection from cyberattacks.\r\n\r\nLets honor our veterans and enact critical reforms to help address the crises weve seen at the V.A.\r\n\r\nThe legislation well consider today would take steps to strengthen our economy and strengthen our national security.\r\n\r\nIt would bolster the First Amendment.\r\n\r\nIt would attack key pillars of Obamacare and prevent a taxpayer bailout of this partisan law.\r\nThat last provision is especially important. Protecting the Middle Class from financing a bailout of Obamacare means were likely to speed up Americas day of liberation from Obamacare too.\r\n\r\nSo heres my view.\r\n\r\nThis legislation helps our economy, helps our national security, and strikes more blows to a partisan health law that hurts the Middle Class.\r\n\r\nI think its legislation worth supporting.\r\n\r\n***\r\n\r\nThe American people voted for a new majority last November.\r\n\r\nWe were humbled to have their support to take the Senate in a new direction.\r\n\r\nThe Senate has made great strides in the year since. I think weve shown how the Senate can not only get back to work, but also return to a place of higher purpose.\r\n\r\nWe got committees working again. We opened up the legislative process. We gave Senators from both parties more of a say.\r\n\r\nAs a result, weve gotten a lot done for the American people.\r\n\r\nThere are numbers that help tell the story, like the fact that this Senate allowed about 200 roll-call amendment votes compared to just 15 last year.\r\n\r\nBut its the substance of what we passed that really shows what a new and more open Senate can achieve for the American people.\r\n\r\nReplacing No Child Left Behind with the most significant K-12 education reform in more than a dozen years.\r\n\r\nAddressing crumbling roads and bridges with the first long-term transportation bill in a decade.\r\n\r\nA balanced budget, for the first time since 2001.\r\n\r\nHelp for our veterans.\r\n\r\nHope for the victims of modern slavery.\r\n\r\nModernizing changes for our military and its acquisition systems.\r\n\r\nNotable, bipartisan reforms for programs like Medicare  reforms that set a precedent for further positive action in the future.\r\n\r\nWe brought a permanent end to more of Washingtons artificial cliffs and manufactured dramas, by working toward real reform instead of just temporary patches.\r\n\r\nWell do that again today.\r\n\r\nWell enact permanent tax relief for families and small businesses.\r\n\r\nWell bring an end to a job-destroying 40-year ban on energy exports.\r\n\r\nWell finally pass landmark cybersecurity legislation after years of Senate inaction.\r\n\r\nAnd just last night, we passed the first significant environmental reform bill in decades  one that will create more certainty for businesses and ensure uniform safety standards for products our families use.\r\n\r\nThis is all good news for the American people.\r\n\r\nNearly all of the policies I mentioned were  or will be  signed into law by the President.\r\n\r\nOthers, while important, do not have his support.\r\n\r\nThat includes legislation to rescue the Middle Class from the pain of Obamacare, to support Keystones energy jobs, and to protect Kentuckys small businesses and coal families from Washingtons regulatory assault.\r\n\r\nIts now clear that it will take a new President to achieve those things for the American people.\r\n\r\nBut were proving that you can still get a lot done with a President from a different party.\r\n\r\nWere proving you can actually enact significant, long-term reforms  achieve conservative policy goals  and get them signed into law.\r\n\r\nIm proud of what the new Senate has accomplished. Id like to thank the many friends across the aisle who joined us in passing so many bipartisan reforms for the American people too.\r\n\r\nWere not only putting the Senate back to work, weve put it back on the side of the American people.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=c9876b3c-73c5-4292-a1a6-ba5a687c5754"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.3269089870154858, "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"}