Sen. Mitch McConnell is solely responsible for a dysfunctional Senate, according to an op-ed Tuesday by Minnesota Democratic Sen. Tina Smith.
“Let’s be clear that the problem isn’t that senators on both sides of the aisle can’t agree on anything. Truth is, there’s plenty of work we could be doing — if only Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would let us,” Ms. Smith wrote in a piece published on CNN’s website. “But McConnell has transformed the Senate into little more than the Trump administration’s personnel office, the place where good ideas go to die.”
The op-ed was released the same day Kentucky Democrat Amy McGrath declared her bid to unseat Mr. McConnell in the 2020 election.
Ms. Smith cited that between April 3 and July 3, only 21 of 127 floor votes were for actual legislation, the others were for President Trump’s judicial nominations, a number that has increased since Mr. McConnell pushed through a change to Senate rules dialing back debate limits on potential judicial picks from 30 hours to just two.
Ms. Smith said Mr. McConnell is “proud of” this rule change because it has allowed him to further the Republicans agenda with limited time for debate.
“McConnell puts a name on the floor, we look down at our binders, we cast our votes, and we move on to the next one. Sometimes I think about how automation is taking jobs away from American workers and wonder whether we’re going to be next,” she said.
Ms. Smith said Mr. McConnell’s commitment to “packing the courts” has created an environment where promoting any legislative changes is “nearly impossible.”
“I had always heard that Mitch McConnell was a master legislator and a true loyalist to this institution. But in the 18 months I’ve been in the Senate, what I’ve seen is an astonishingly limited vision for what the Senate can and should accomplish.”
In response to Ms. McGrath’s candidacy, McConnell campaign manager Kevin Golden called her an “extreme liberal” who is “far out of touch” with Kentuckians.
“Comparing President Trump’s election to 9/11, endorsing a government takeover of healthcare, and calling the wall ’stupid’ is a heckuva platform that we will be delighted to discuss over the next sixteen months,” Mr. Golden said.
• David Sherfinski contributed to this report.
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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