Stakeout Following a Senate Policy Committee Luncheon
Statement
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SEN. MCCONNELL: Well, good afternoon, everyone. We all know this is budget week, an opportunity for both parties to talk about how they believe we ought to spend the resources that are provided to us by the American people.
Our view is, is that the Democratic blueprint for the next five years is pretty clear. It envisions a massive tax increase, roughly $2,300 per taxpayer, and we think America will not benefit, particularly with an economic slowdown, from the higher tax burden that the Democratic budget envisions.
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SEN. MCCONNELL: We'll take a few questions, if there are any.
Q Senator?
SEN. MCCONNELL: Gil.
Q What feedback, if any, did you get from the caucus on Senator DeMint's amendment on an earmark moratorium?
SEN. MCCONNELL: Well, you'll have to ask members of our conference what -- you know, what they had to say on the issues that are in our conference. We had a broad discussion on a whole lot of different matters but I'm not here to announce various people's views on that particular subject.
Q Would you support the DeMint --
SEN. MCCONNELL: Would you know back in January, I appointed a group of five of our most thoughtful members to take a look at the earmark issue. Senator Lugar is chairman of the working group -- Senator Cochran, Senator Coburn, Senator Isakson and Senator Crapo, they've been working very diligently. They've had a number of meetings all well-attended, 100 percent attendance. And I believe that they can come up with a consensus. They're not quite yet ready to report, so that is an issue for another day, in terms of whether we were able to achieve a consensus with this working group which would make it more likely that all of Republican senators could agree on the single issue.
The issue for the week, that you are discussing, is the DeMint amendment. It'll be voted on sometime between now and the end of the budget. Frankly, I'm not certain what the outcome will be, and I haven't decided personally how I'm going to vote on that yet.
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Q Do you expect --
Q Is there any possibility that this thing could be resolved before -- (off mike)?
SEN. MCCONNELL: Let me just add one point. Senator Kyl covered it very, very well. I would only add one thing. We already know there's a bipartisan majority in the House for the Senate bill. There are 21 Blue Dogs -- we understand there are even more Democrats than that who have been advocating to the speaker that they simply take up to the Senate bill, as Senator Kyl just suggested, and pass it. There is a bipartisan majority in the House right now to do the very same thing the Senate did. The only thing keeping that from happening is the leadership -- the Democratic leadership of the House just simply won't give them that vote.
Q Senator, do you feel compelled -- does Senator McCain's support of the DeMint amendment compel you at all to feel obligated toward a final --
SEN. MCCONNELL: Yeah, I don't think I have anything to add beyond what I already said on that issue, and we'll be voting on it shortly.
Thank you, everyone.
Q Thank you.
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