Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) actually had the gall to blame the impeachment hearings in the House for his own refusal to take up any bills in the Senate, resulting in a cavalcade of responses calling out his lies.
The House has been holding impeachment hearings for months now, all while proving they can investigate and legislate at the same time as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the Democratic majority pass bill after bill dealing with issues ranging from gun violence to drug prices.
McConnell, of course, has the power to bring these bills up for a vote. But he refuses to do so because he wants the Senate to be a “legislative graveyard,” which he has bragged about on several occasions and has made a central part of his re-election campaign.
On Monday, however, McConnell tried out a new tactic by claiming that impeachment is the reason why the Senate is so slow at getting things done, even as he jams judicial appointments through in his mission to pack the courts with conservative lackeys.
We’re a few weeks from the end of 2019 and Congress is feeling the impact from months of Democrat heel-dragging. The impeachment obsession has brought us into December with core, routine governing duties still unfulfilled. It is past time to get serious and pass these key bills.
— Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) December 9, 2019
Democrats have spent months blocking funding for our armed forces and delaying the NDAA, a must-pass bill for our troops. I urge my colleagues to finally let Congress move this essential legislation forward for our country.
— Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) December 9, 2019
Seriously.
The House is actually closing in on passing the new NDAA defense bill. A funding bill that large rightfully takes time to wrap up.
In addition to that, right after Adam Schiff announced the articles of impeachment, Nancy Pelosi announced that the House has completed its duties on the Canada-Mexico trade agreement, and it will soon be on its way to Mitch McConnell and ultimately Donald Trump’s desk. So, not just in theory, but in reality, the Democrats have shown they can walk and chew gum at the same time.
Beyond that, there are hundreds of bills waiting for a vote in the Senate, as many Twitter users, including Democratic lawmakers, pointed out in a scathing rebuke of McConnell’s attack.
We must not let Senate Republicans add #VRAA to Leader McConnell’s #LegislativeGraveyard. The House Friday did its part to protect Americans’ foundational right to vote by passing #HR4. Will Senate Rs finally act on my Senate VRAA? History is watching. pic.twitter.com/MoST3UM6l2
— Sen. Patrick Leahy (@SenatorLeahy) December 9, 2019
We’re a few weeks from the end of 2019 and there are still more than 400 House-passed bills sitting on your desk… https://t.co/qI63hWMNUS
— Amy McGrath (@AmyMcGrathKY) December 10, 2019
We are 330 days away from the 2020 election and Mitch McConnell has yet to take any concrete steps to protect our federal elections from hacking or foreign interference. https://t.co/4BkXUky3CQ
— Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) December 9, 2019
When was the last time you saw the bottom of your desk?
— Joe Lockhart (@joelockhart) December 10, 2019
The fact is that the Senate does not have to deal with the impeachment until articles of impeachment are passed by the House, which is likely going to happen soon. Until then, the Senate has hundreds of bills to take up, but McConnell would rather use the backlog to attack impeachment in defense of Trump instead of doing his damn job. It’s just one more reason why he should be ousted from office next November.
Featured Image: Wikimedia