Issues Facing America

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, a recent survey asked Americans for their view of the most important problems facing our country. Of course, we know what Washington Democrats view as their top priority. President Biden and Senate Democrats have been shouting--actually shouting--at the American people that an evil, racist, anti-voting conspiracy will destroy democracy forever unless Democrats get total one-party control of the entire government, starting next week.

But are the American people buying any of it? Is this what working families want prioritized? So let's take a look. In a recent survey, Gallup asked citizens for their priorities, what they thought we ought to be doing.

Do you know what share of Americans said election law? Less than one- half of 1 percent--one-half of 1 percent. Nobody in this country is buying the fake hysteria that democracy will die unless Democrats get total control.

Here is what people do care about: The top response at 21 percent was poor government leadership. About a year into the Biden administration, the American people's single greatest concern is bad leadership. And when you dig into the other issues, you can see why.

Some of the next largest concerns were either general economic problems or inflation and rising costs, in particular, and no wonder-- no wonder. New figures, just yesterday, show our country continues to experience the worst inflation in 40 years--40 years.

Gas prices are nearly a dollar higher than a year ago; grocery prices are up 6.5 percent; and across the economy, inflation has exceeded 5 percent every month for 7 straight months. There is no working family who has not been hurt directly by this.

Another huge chunk of Americans said their chief worry is the coronavirus--certainly no surprise there. A year into the administration that promised it would shut down the virus, well, what do we have? Record-setting new cases. Shortages of testing. Shortages of important treatments, in part, because of the Biden administration's decisions.

We have reports of multiple States potentially limiting or excluding patients from lifesaving treatments on the basis, believe it or not, of their ethnicity.

And still, 2 years into this, notwithstanding abundant vaccines and a milder variant, we have Big Labor bosses in big cities being permitted to lock vulnerable kids out of the classroom.

Oh, and when kids are in the classroom, the Department of Education and the Department of Justice try to persecute concerned parents who dare ask what their kids are learning.

So these are just a few examples of real problems. These are the kinds of places where the American people need this dramatically unpopular administration to entirely refocus.

Yesterday, a new poll indicated that 33 percent of Americans approve of the President--33 percent. When he was inaugurated and pledging to govern for all Americans, to heal and unite the country, this White House enjoyed impressive approval ratings. But as the far left has been handed the reins, the support has cratered.

Now, there is a path forward for my Democratic colleagues to respond to the country they have so badly disappointed, but it isn't to try to break the Senate and rewrite election laws. It is to actually start tracking the issues that American families need tackled.

Now, there are also countless other issues which may not make national headlines but matter hugely to those who are affected. For example, next week, I will again travel to Western Kentucky to visit some of the areas hit hardest by last month's devastating tornado outbreak. The national news cameras may have left, but families in this part of the Commonwealth are still trying to pick up the pieces of their lives after losing homes, businesses, and loved ones.

I am profoundly grateful to everyone contributing to the recovery process.

Our utility workers are taking on the herculean task of restoring public services. The Kentucky National Guard has played a crucial role in distributing supplies. Private individuals have donated food, clothing, and blood.

The Kentucky General Assembly just approved a State-funded relief package, and Kentucky's entire Federal delegation joined together to advocate directly for increased Federal aid.

This is going to be a long process. It will require consistent support on the local, State, and Federal levels. Rebuilding will take literally months and years--not days and weeks.

Well, I will be with these communities every step of the way.

Finally, beyond our shores, there remains no shortage of forces that wish to harm America and our interests. Senators will vote today on a measure to impose sanctions on Nord Stream 2. We can send a strong warning to Putin that he won't be allowed to use energy as a weapon. We can signal strong support for Eastern and Central European partners that have long opposed Putin's pipeline.

Even Democratic Senators who now oppose the sanctions they used to support acknowledge the pipeline is ``a tool of malign influence of the Russian Federation.''

Really, the Government of Germany should have shelved this project itself a long time ago. Berlin can still make the right call.

These sanctions, like the prior Nord Stream 2 sanctions that had overwhelming bipartisan support here in Congress, are not about driving a wedge in Europe. The pipeline itself is the wedge. That is the whole point. That has been Putin's goal--decoupling Ukraine from Europe and making Europe even more reliant on Russian gas.

So for Senators who seem more concerned about standing with Berlin than with Kiev, this bill includes a waiver. We expect President Biden would actually exercise the waiver.

But a clear bipartisan message would still be sent, just like when 98 Senators voted to enact CAATSA in 2017, just like when Democrats signed off on the previous bill to sanction Nord Stream 2 in the 2020 NDAA.

So I hope each of our colleagues will support Senator Cruz's measure. The Senate must show we are focused on real-life threats to democracy, to security, and to our friends.

As we speak, Russia is literally preparing to escalate its military assault on Ukraine. It has amassed more than 100,000 troops on Ukraine's border. Deterring Russian aggression and preparing for the very real threat of a major war on the European Continent will take far more than these sanctions.

It will take urgency and seriousness from the administration. Time is of the essence. Our delays in getting emergency assistance to Ukraine approved do not inspire much confidence.

The administration cannot move at the speed of bureaucracy. That won't cut it. Humanitarian and military support to Ukraine cannot wait. Reinforcing American and NATO positions in Europe cannot wait.

We must not pull our punches out of some fear of provoking Putin. What will encourage Putin is if he senses American weakness. Ukraine and our eastern flank NATO allies deserve our support.

They are on the frontlines of a much broader war that Russia and China are conducting against the democratic international order itself. This order helps America. It benefits our national interests, and it benefits our allies, but it is not going to enforce itself. It will not defend itself. And our allies will not act if America fails to lead.

Our Nation's contest with China and Russia is the biggest challenge we face. It will entail significant risks and perhaps, God forbid, serious sacrifice.

Meeting these challenges and preventing the worst will take the kind of unity and bipartisanship that President Biden promised--not the outrageous--outrageous--and divisive partisanship he has embraced.

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