When Kentucky voters elected Mitch McConnell to a record sixth term in 2014, the Commonwealth’s workhorse in the Capitol immediately embarked on a race to get America back on track.
“A race to turn this country around. To restore hope and confidence
and optimism to this Commonwealth and across this nation of ours.” – Mitch McConnell
Throughout his historic run as Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell continues to turn those great ambitions into greater achievements for the people of Kentucky:
Defending Conservatism
After Justice Antonin Scalia passed away during a presidential election, McConnell made the consequential decision to let the American people decide who they wanted to appoint the next Supreme Court justice. Accordingly, the Senate confirmed Justice Neil Gorsuch’s nomination following President Trump’s election. Last fall, McConnell also led Senate Republicans through the shameful intimidation tactics of the far-left and their mainstream media allies to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
“Mitch McConnell has saved
the Constitution” – Hugh Hewitt
Under McConnell’s leadership, the United States Senate has fundamentally transformed the federal judiciary by confirming pro-Constitution judges at a clip typically reserved for the first Saturday in May. Additionally, McConnell prioritized the confirmation of a record 53 circuit courts judges, including three Kentuckians in President Trump’s first two years. He also led the confirmations of 162 district court judges, three of whom are Kentuckians.
McConnell steered a tax package which helped create an estimated 1.5 million new jobs across the country, along with higher wages, bigger bonuses, and “the hottest job market in half a century.” McConnell’s work on the successful Republican push to rewrite the tax code for the first time in more than 30 years continues to yield tremendous benefits for Kentucky families.
“Arguably the most consequential conservative
leader of the century” – Marc Thiessen
Coupled with his historic efforts to reshape the courts and revamp the tax code, McConnell has worked to slash red tape and strengthen our military. Through the “most ambitious regulatory rollback since Reagan,” Congress repealed 16 major Obama regulations, including against coal workers. Further, by prioritizing legislation to reduce regulations on the over 120 community banks and credit unions in Kentucky, McConnell helped small businesses and family farms that rely on these institutions for credit.
McConnell also shepherded the biggest year-over-year increase in defense funding in 15 years, ending President Obama’s dangerous military cuts and providing a pay raise for troops. As Majority Leader, McConnell’s support has led to hundreds of millions of dollars for projects at Fort Knox, Fort Campbell and the Bluegrass Army Depot.
Delivering for the Commonwealth
McConnell has delivered tens of millions of dollars to Kentucky to combat the opioid epidemic and authored legislation enacted into law to help infants born to mothers addicted to opioids. His bill, the CAREER Act, was signed into law to help individuals in recovery find and maintain employment and a stable living situation. McConnell also shepherded the Protecting Moms and Infants Act into law to help stop the heartbreaking effects of babies born into addiction. That bill builds upon his 2015 legislation, which was the first federal law to address prenatal opioid exposure.
Along with his work to repeal regulations against coal miners, McConnell introduced the HELP for Coal Miners Health Care Act, which permanently shored up health care benefits for more than 3,000 retired coal miners in Kentucky. Through his Preventing Maternal Death Act to address the spike in maternal mortality, McConnell also led authorization of federal resources to establish maternal mortality review committees.
A champion for the Commonwealth’s agricultural community, McConnell put himself on the Farm Bill Conference Committee to fight for his monumental hemp initiative. Because of McConnell’s bill, hemp cultivation is now legal after a decades-long federal ban.
“Without him we would not have the program we have today.”
– Ryan Quarles, Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner.
And while the pro-hemp provision will open new doors, McConnell made sure Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College wasn’t forced to close theirs. When SKCTC nearly lost eligibility for federal student loan and financial aid programs, McConnell secured a provision allowing the school to file an appeal to the Department of Education – which was ultimately granted – so it can stay open. McConnell also secured a provision to protect Berea College from an excise tax imposed on large private college endowments that threatened to reduce the number of scholarships it could offer low-income students in Appalachia.
Among the many other accomplishments on his “list of triumphs” for Kentuckians, McConnell secured legislation to block costly administrative fees for Rough River residents – which could have reached $4,000 per household – following the discovery of Army Corps surveying errors. And when the Army Corps tried to prohibit fishing at dams along the Cumberland River, McConnell secured a bill to stop it. Last fall, McConnell also led the successful reauthorization of his provision to continue protecting your right to fish these waters.
Together with the Army Corps’ dedication of an additional $300,000 for clean-up efforts at Fishtrap Lake at his request, McConnell secured $11 million to combat the invasion of Asian Carp and extended U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s focus into our Western Kentucky lakes.
Background
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s illustrious Senate career first began when he became the first Republican to win a statewide race in Kentucky in sixteen years. That year, McConnell was the only Republican in the country to defeat a Democratic incumbent. Since then, McConnell has been reelected by the people of Kentucky six times and is widely considered to be one of the most effective lawmakers in Washington.
McConnell was raised in south Louisville and graduated with honors from the University of Louisville, where he served as the president of the student body for the College of Arts and Sciences. He is also a graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Law, where he was elected president of the Student Bar Association.
McConnell gained experience working on Capitol Hill as an intern for Senator John Sherman Cooper prior to serving as chief legislative assistant to Senator Marlow Cook and as a deputy assistant attorney general under President Gerald R. Ford. Before his election to the U.S. Senate, McConnell served as County Judge-Executive (the elected Chief Executive Officer) in Jefferson County (Louisville), Kentucky.
McConnell is married to the Honorable Elaine L. Chao, the current U.S. Secretary of Transportation. She also served for eight years as President George W. Bush’s U.S. Secretary of Labor. She is also a former president of the United Way of America and director of the Peace Corps.
McConnell is the proud father of three daughters, Elly, Claire, and Porter.