Congress should pass a second coronavirus relief bill before the year’s end, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said.
McConnell spoke Wednesday morning following his win over Democratic challenger and Marine Corps Lt. Col. Amy McGrath. The win signifies McConnell's seventh term representing Kentucky in the U.S. Senate. McConnell, the longest-serving Republican Senate leader in history, took 55% of the vote to McGrath’s 41%.
McConnell said he hopes the “partisan passions” that prevented Congress from pushing a second package through will subside with the election ending. McConnell said his priority is providing additional funding for schools, the PPP small loan programs and hospitals.
“In March and April, we came together and passed the CARES Act without one dissenting vote, so it’s not impossible for us to get together … I think the closer we got to the election, the more that interfered with getting an outcome," McConnell said.
As President Donald Trump’s top ally on Capitol Hill, McConnell led efforts to defend the president during his impeachment acquittal in the Senate. He also worked with Trump on a tax overhaul and orchestrated Senate confirmation of more than 200 judicial appointments, including Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.
Watch McConnell's address in the player below:
Asked about Trump’s false claims that he had won the election early Wednesday morning, McConnell said it’s “not unusual” for people to claim that they have won the election and that he can think of that happening on numerous occasions.
McConnell also said Trump should not be criticized for saying he will get lawyers involved following the results of the election.
“Going to court is the way we resolve uncertainty in our country,” McConnell said. “So no, I’m not troubled at all by the president suggesting it because the other side’s already doing it too.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
