{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=C019D6F5-FF63-4002-B4C1-FAB0C0946857", "A Productive 114th Congress", "2016-12-09", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor:\r\n\r\nThe day after the election, I said that I had two main priorities for this session of the Senate: pass 21st Century Cures and fund the government.\r\n\r\nWe\u2019ve passed the Cures bill already, and we\u2019ll be voting shortly to keep the government running.\r\n\r\nAnd soon after that vote, we\u2019ll pass the bipartisan water resources bill, which directs assistance to families in Flint and supports important waterways projects in nearly every one of our states. It\u2019s testament to the hard work of so many and Chairman Inhofe in particular.\r\n\r\nThis week we also passed the defense authorization conference report, under the leadership of Chairman McCain, which addresses many of the national security challenges facing our country.\r\n\r\nI\u2019d also like to point out, that the Cures bill, which passed earlier this week, simply would not have happened without Chairman Alexander.\r\n\r\nAnd it\u2019s impossible to overlook the unending, unyielding work of Senator Murkowski on the energy bill too. Or our indispensable Finance Committee Chairman, Senator Hatch, who\u2019s been involved in almost every bill \u2014 from the Doc Fix to Tax Extenders \u2014 that comes through this chamber.\r\n\r\nI\u2019d like to note the great work of the Appropriations Committee, specifically, for its efforts to ensure that individual bills and an omnibus were prepared for consideration. We know they\u2019ve been putting in long hours, especially this week, and for that we are thankful.\r\n\r\nThis Congress, the Senate has passed nearly 300 bills and nearly 200 of those are now law.\r\n\r\nBut what really matters isn\u2019t the number of bills passed, it\u2019s what we can achieve on behalf of the American people. And by that standard, I\u2019m incredibly proud of what we\u2019ve been able to accomplish for our country.\r\n\r\nOver the past week, I\u2019ve had the opportunity to pay tribute to many colleagues who\u2019ve made such a lasting impact on the Senate during their tenure. But as the 114th Congress comes to a close, I\u2019d like to take a moment to recognize another set of individuals whose work makes the business of the Senate possible in the first place.\r\n\r\nIt goes without saying that keeping the Capitol running is a vast undertaking. It requires a passion for service, round-the-clock work, and great sacrifice by everyone employed.\r\n\r\nThe legislative process simply wouldn\u2019t be possible without the dedicated work of so many. On behalf of the Senate, I\u2019d like to acknowledge their efforts and say thank you to the following:\r\n\r\n\u2022 To my leadership team for your wise counsel\u2026\r\n\r\n\u2022 To our committee chairs and ranking members for so much great work over the past two years\u2026\r\n\r\n\u2022 To the many, many colleagues in both parties for working so hard to make this Senate a success\u2026\r\n\r\n\u2022 And to those we\u2019re saying farewell to \u2014 Senators Coats, Boxer, Mikulski, Reid, Vitter, Kirk, and Ayotte \u2014 for your service to the country\u2026\r\n\r\nI say, thank you.\r\n\r\n\u2022 To my Chiefs of Staff, Sharon Soderstrom and Brian McGuire, for their indisputable talent and for leading a team that\u2019s second to none \u2014 every member of which I\u2019d thank individually if I could\u2026\r\n\r\n\u2022 To the Floor Staff, Laura Dove and Gary Myrick and their teams, for keeping the floor running smoothly and for making it look effortless every time, even though we know it\u2019s anything but\u2026\r\n\r\n\u2022 To the Parliamentarians and Clerks who sit on the dais whenever the Senate is in session, making sure our operations are smooth and by the book\u2026\r\n\r\n\u2022 To the Secretary of the Senate and her team for protecting the rich history of this body and for overseeing so many different legislative and administrative operations.\r\n\r\nI say, thank you.\r\n\r\nAnd, off the Senate floor, there are so many more to thank too.\r\n\r\n\u2022 The Capitol Police, for putting themselves in harm\u2019s way to protect everyone who works in, or visits, this institution\u2026\r\n\r\n\u2022 The Sergeant at Arms staff, for overseeing a dizzying range of efforts \u2014 from setting up rooms and enacting security protocols to preparing for next year\u2019s inauguration\u2026\r\n\r\n\u2022 The Architect of the Capitol staff, which is always hard at work making this Capitol the best it can be, from the conservation of these illustrious hallways to the extensive restoration of the Capitol Dome\u2026\r\n\r\n\u2022 And the countless others \u2014 the doorkeepers, the legal counsels, the committees and their staff, the pages, and all those I haven\u2019t mentioned \u2014 we appreciate what you do, please know that your service and your dedication does not go unnoticed.\r\n\r\nAnd let me also again recognize the Democratic Leader for his more than three decades of service. As I said yesterday, Harry and I clearly have had differing views on many things throughout the years, but we\u2019ve shared similar responsibilities as the leaders of our respective parties, and I think we can both agree that none of this would have been possible without the support of our staff. I want to recognize Harry\u2019s team, past and present, and thank them for many years of partnership with my office.\r\n\r\nSo we now prepare to turn the page on one Congress, and get ready to write a new story in a different one.\r\n\r\nI\u2019m proud of the work this Republican-led Senate has done the past two years. My colleagues should be proud of their work as well. It\u2019s been incredible to see what we\u2019ve been able to achieve already. We know our work doesn\u2019t end here though, and I know each of us is eager to get started in the 115th Congress.\r\n\r\nBut for now, I want to again thank my colleagues for a productive Congress. And I want to wish each of you happy holidays and a Happy New Year.\r\n\r\n###", 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/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=C019D6F5-FF63-4002-B4C1-FAB0C0946857"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7410829421132803, "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"}