Press Conference With Senate Republican Leaders

Press Conference

Press Conference With Senate Republican Leaders

Subject: Announcement of the New Chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee

Briefers: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senator John Thune, Senator Lisa Murkowski

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SEN. MCCONNELL: Well, good afternoon everyone. I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you to two of our newly elected leaders. Senator John Thune will take over the policy committee, elected without opposition, and Senator Lisa Murkowski is taking over the vice chair of the conference position, also without opposition. We're pleased to welcome them to the team. In a sense they were already there. As you know, Senator Thune was vice chair, and Senator Murkowski was by my appointment at the leadership table. But we've now made these changes, and I'm happy to call on them to make a few comments, and then we'll take a couple of questions if there are any.

John, why don't you lead off?

SEN. THUNE: Okay, thanks.

Well, thank you, Leader. And I want to thank my colleagues for giving me the opportunity to serve as policy committee chair. I'm very much looking forward to working -- continue working with our leadership team, with Leader McConnell and the other members of our leadership, as we shape an agenda that I think will move America forward and that will serve as a counter to some of the agenda items that we think are going to be detrimental to America's future that are currently being proposed by the president and the Democrats in the Congress. And I think they've given us a lot of opportunity to work with, whether it's proposing the largest tax increase in American history, spending at unprecedented levels, exploding the debt, putting on a new energy tax, nationalizing one-sixth of the economy with the health care system, taking ownership interest in now over 500 companies, calling for more unionization. There are so many things out there that I think create great opportunity for us to point out the distinctions between our vision of the future and theirs.

And I look forward to not just challenging the Democrats on the things that we think that they're doing that are wrong but also advocating a forward-looking, positive agenda for America's future that will help address the challenges and the problems that the American people are facing.

So I'm looking forward to working with the team. I want to congratulate Senator Murkowski for joining this leadership team as well. And I think we're going to have a fun time. We've got great chemistry with the leadership and, with all our colleagues right now, I think a great deal of unity in terms of the things that we're trying to accomplish here in the United States Senate.

So, thanks, Mitch.

SEN. MCCONNELL: Thanks, John.

Lisa?

SEN. MURKOWSKI: Thank you, Leader McConnell. Thank you to my colleagues for this opportunity to serve in a capacity on leadership.

As has been mentioned, I have been sitting at the leadership table during this Congress, but there's a difference between being there and offering your input, your insight, and that of actually representing other members of the conference while sitting at the leadership table.

As Senator Thune has mentioned, there is so much in front of us in terms of opportunities and in terms of challenges. Whether it's health care or energy or immigration, the issues are complicated; they're complex. And part of what we need to do as a Republican conference -- we build out the agenda, most certainly, but it's also very important how we explain what it is that we are offering to the American public. It's not just an issue of pushing back, for instance, on a health care plan that doesn't deliver what the president is seeking in terms of reducing cost or increasing access or making sure that there is continued choice in your provider. We need to, as Republicans, be able to voice, be able to express what our solutions, what our plans, what our proposals are, and how they truly fit in with the agenda, whether it is from Alaska to Maine or parts in between. So being a member of the leadership team, being able to help in that capacity as we build our coalitions, as we advance a message that I think resonates with Americans -- this will be a challenge, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to serve with my colleagues.

Thank you.

SEN. MCCONNELL: Any questions, if you have them.

Q Mr. Leader?

SEN. MCCONNELL: Yeah?

Q Mr. Leader, what are your feelings and reactions when you hear people witnessed the events regarding Senator Ensign, Governor Sanford, and then predict more electoral gloom for the party going forward?

SEN. MCCONNELL: Look, we're elected to do the people's business. We addressing extraordinarily important issues here -- health care, climate change, what to do about Guantanamo. I think the unanimous view of my colleagues is we're here to do the people's business, and that's what we intend to concentrate on.

Q But is it getting in the way of the message that you're trying to put forward on anything from health care to energy to Judge Sotomayor -- these, you know, two scandals, two consecutive weeks in a row that have been dominating the headlines?

SEN. MCCONNELL: What we are working on is what I just said. We were sent here to do the people's business. We don't intend to be distracted by any other issues that may be out there.

And obviously the most important issue we're dealing with is what to do about the finest health care system in the world, which we already have, which definitely needs some fixing. And I think I can safely speak for all Republicans that we don't believe the status quo is adequate, but we do intend to oppose things like a government-run plan, things like -- most of my members are not in favor of the so- called "pay or play" proposal. We're going to grapple with health care and hopefully at the end of the day have a better health care system for America.

Q Do you expect any agreement on Leg. Branch or Homeland Security this week?

SEN. MCCONNELL: Yeah. I do think we're going to reach some kind of consent agreement to process Legislative Branch appropriations. And I think that we'll -- the majority has indicated we'll probably go to Homeland next and try to get some appropriation bills behind us during the next recess.

Q Senator McConnell?

SEN. MCCONNELL: Okay. Thank you, everybody.

END.

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