Back in March, President Joe Biden signed one of his central campaign promises—the American Rescue Plan—into law. The long-awaited pandemic relief package provided survival funds for small businesses, preserved expanded unemployment benefits, and delivered $1400 stimulus checks to hundreds of millions of Americans.
But the bill passed without one single Republican vote. Senate Democrats managed to bypass an inevitable Republican filibuster using a budget bypass ironically called reconciliation.
Though Republicans railed against the bill as a Democratic wish list and a gross episode of fiscal recklessness by the federal government, they bragged to their constituents about the funding it secured for their states.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is the latest Republican lawmaker to call attention to the funds the American Rescue Plan injected into his state, but unlike his colleagues, McConnell wasn't shy about his opposition to the bill.
Watch his bizarre comments to constituents below.
McConnell, in Kentucky, on the American Rescue Plan: "Not a single member of my party voted for it. So you're gonna get a lot more money. I didn't vote for it... hopefully this windfall doesn't come along again."pic.twitter.com/9lxYB6MTkN— Andrew Solender (@Andrew Solender) 1625602878
McConnell said:
"It passed on a straight party-line vote, not a single member of my party voted for it, so you're gonna get a lot more money. I didn't vote for it, but you're gonna get a lot more money. Cities and counties in Kentucky will get close to seven or eight hundred million dollars. ... My advice to members of the legislature and to others is spend it wisely, because hopefully this windfall doesn't come again."
The Senate Minority Leader clarified that he hoped the windfall wouldn't come again because he believes "we have floated entirely too much money across the country."
But the Senator admitting that his own constituents would be receiving hundreds of millions of dollars, while reiterating that he didn't support it, seemed straight from the fantasies of Democratic fundraisers.
Biden himself told a White House press pool that McConnell "loves" the Rescue Plan, adding:
"Look it up man, he's bragging about it in Kentucky."
As such, someone made the video into a straightforward (likely unofficial) campaign ad by tacking on "I'm Joe Biden and I approve this message" at the end.
Okay it's an ad now.pic.twitter.com/R68WwPedXC— Brian Tyler Cohen (@Brian Tyler Cohen) 1625686906
It worked, to say the least.
https://twitter.com/briantylercohen/status/1412859404756471809\u00a0\u2026— Patrick Delaney (Fender) (@Patrick Delaney (Fender)) 1625689438
@LeaderMcConnell saying the quiet part out loud #ThankYouPresidentBidenhttps://twitter.com/briantylercohen/status/1412859404756471809\u00a0\u2026— Leasa Fisher (@Leasa Fisher) 1625688385
These types of ads need to happen over and over.https://twitter.com/briantylercohen/status/1412859404756471809\u00a0\u2026— Sherie Ryan-Bailey (@Sherie Ryan-Bailey) 1625688009
McConnell's words were instantly used against him.
Mitch McConnell: Help is here #ForThePeople of Kentucky and across the country because of Democrats, not Republicans. \n\nHe's not wrong.pic.twitter.com/dXFvphDSFA— Nancy Pelosi (@Nancy Pelosi) 1625621920
Couldn\u2019t have said it better ourselves, Mitch McConnell.pic.twitter.com/h7S81WlRDv— The Democrats (@The Democrats) 1625611512
Here\u2019s video of Mitch McConnell admitting that Democrats are solely responsible for the billions in pandemic relief coming into Kentucky.\n\nLet\u2019s get some eyeballs on this one. #DemocratsDeliverpic.twitter.com/qdPJ1DtHpx— Nick Knudsen \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Nick Knudsen \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1625609395
McConnell just admitted that: \n\n1. The American Rescue Plan is helping Kentucky to the tune of $4B \n\n2. He voted to deny that relief\n\n3. In his mind, it was an unearned \u201cwindfall\u201d that his constituents didn't deserve\n\n4. If he has his way, Kentuckians will never get relief againhttps://twitter.com/RepJayapal/status/1412562003059560448\u00a0\u2026— Public Citizen (@Public Citizen) 1625684687
While touting the benefits Kentucky would receive thanks to the American Rescue Plan, @LeaderMcConnell\nadmitted: that Democrats deserve ALL the credit for delivering the help to the people. "I did not vote for it" he said... Listen for yourself #AmericanRescuePlanpic.twitter.com/asytIIKIgU— JR Gaillot (@JR Gaillot) 1625609207
Thank you, Mitch McConnell, for highlighting the tremendous help President Biden and Congressional Democrats\u2019 #AmericanRescuePlan is providing to cash-strapped state and local governments, hardworking American families, frontline workers, and those hit hardest by the pandemic.https://twitter.com/sahilkapur/status/1412472519848779781\u00a0\u2026— Rep. John Yarmuth (@Rep. John Yarmuth) 1625601207
Well done, Senator?
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Screenshot of Michele Morrow's tweet