Senate GOP Leadership Holds Weekly Conference

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., center right, speaks accompanied by Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) Sen. Roy Blunt( R-Mo.) and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 10:30 AM PT – Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Republican leadership in the Senate have called out their colleagues across the aisle for their electoral overreach. Leading up to Tuesday’s vote on S.1, the leadership weighed in on what they believed Democrats true intent was on the introduced election reform bill that never stood a chance to pass.

Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) began his remarks by suggesting that even left-leaning media recognized the intentions behind the S.1 vote were not to change election law, but to give Democrats the opportunity to virtue signal to their base. Senate Conference Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) added the symbolism of making S.1, also known as For The People Act, spoke to the Democrat view of the measure as a political tool.

Here’s how Politico characterized Ds’ election bill this am:

“It’s always been a messaging bill — a check-the-box move allowing party leaders to tell the left they tried.”

That’s not a GOP politician saying it. That’s from a paper that covers Capitol Hill day in and day out.

— Senator John Thune (@SenJohnThune) June 22, 2021

“Today we’ll be voting on S number one, which means it is the number one priority for the Democrats in this country and in the Senate,” Barrasso stated. “They make it a higher priority than the economy and inflation, a higher priority than the crisis at the border or the crime in our our cities.”

Policy Committee Chairman Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) pointed out one the major faults of the election reform bill was the most effective reforms did not originate at the federal level. Conference Vice Chairman Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) added to Blunt’s point by saying Democrats were trying to push their already expansive reach even farther.

“Instead of focusing on the things that are really important to our constituencies back home, you know, the rising prices of good that our families need every single day,” she expressed. “These politicians here in Washington D.C. have decided they want to focus on consolidating power.”

Instead of focusing on the needs of American families, Democrats are prioritizing Washington politicians and pushing an elections bill that consolidates power in D.C. by:

❌ Politicizing the FEC
❌ Mandating unlimited ballot harvesting
❌ Forcing taxpayers to fund campaigns pic.twitter.com/P8RRPoOEs1

— Joni Ernst (@SenJoniErnst) June 22, 2021

Senatorial Committee Chairman Rick Scott (R-Fla.) shifted focus to the weeks ahead by arguing the Democrats recent legislative spending sprees are hurting the very people Democrats claim they want to help. He argued inflation was caused by “reckless spending”, which he said the Democrats have been notorious for in many instances such as their proposed $6 trillion dollar budget.

With S.1 behind them, Republicans will have to gear up for the next partisan prize fight: the ongoing struggle over an agreement on infrastructure, from how much to spend to what the term even means.