In an appearance on The View on Friday, Kentucky Senate candidate Amy McGrath tried to make her case for unseating Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in November. McGrath claimed that Leader McConnell’s legislative response to coronavirus was an example of “legislating by emergency,” which she deemed "pathetic:"
.@AmyMcGrathKY criticizes Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s handling of the pandemic, saying that he “legislates by emergency”: “If you think about his response to coronavirus from the very, very beginning it’s been pathetic.” https://t.co/gNm4Fr1OPl pic.twitter.com/FnVBazbzXZ
— The View (@TheView) July 24, 2020
McGrath’s attempt at criticizing Leader McConnell misses the mark, yet again. Leader McConnell did legislate, in a timely manner, by emergency in response to COVID-19. The Kentucky Republican delivered a $2 trillion dollar economic stimulus package directly to Americans facing financial distress on account of COVID-19, along with the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which allows small businesses to take out forgivable loans in order to keep their doors open and employees paid. It was McGrath's own party that blocked additional funding for the programs; while she claims to be "independent" of party loyalty, McGrath offered no criticism of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and other Senate Democrats who chose partisan politics over delivering economic relief to the American people. While Leader McConnell and Senate Republicans may have been "legislating by emergency," as they were elected to do, Senate Democrats saw no emergency in the financial burden felt by Americans because of COVID-19.
Leader McConnell’s re-election campaign took note of McGrath’s swing-and-miss attempt at criticism and pointed to the Republican leader’s “indisputable record:”
“Amy McGrath is living in an alternate reality narrated by talk shows and MSNBC pundits. McGrath is a failed candidate whose only chance to be relevant is by falsely attacking Leader McConnell’s indisputable record of delivering for Kentucky,” said McConnell Senate Committee press secretary Kate Cooksey.
Indeed, these bold legislative actions were representative of “legislating by emergency,” which is the job that Leader McConnell was elected to do and a job that McGrath hopes to earn. The American people are better off because of Leader McConnell’s timely and decisive response to the COVID-19 emergency.
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