Sen. McConnell addresses labor shortage & more

RUSSELLVILLE, Ky. – After signing off on the one trillion dollar infrastructure bill, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said the Biden Administration will not get the same bipartisan support needed to pass the social spending bill now on the table in the House.

News 40 caught up with the senator in Logan County Tuesday afternoon to ask about the controversial bill and other workforce challenges plaguing the commonwealth.

Apart from the recent bipartisan infrastructure bill, McConnell opened his press conference with words aimed at Congressional Democrats and the Biden Administration.

“If you’re in a deep hole,” remarked McConnell. “Quit digging. I think everything we’ve done this year has dug the hole deeper.”

McConnell said Kentuckians are facing a variety of challenges from businesses having trouble getting people back to work, to companies concerned about how the vaccine mandate will affect their employee numbers.  

“Even though the vaccine is demonstrably effective, many people choose not to take it,” said McConnell, “and business are concerned that if the mandate goes into effect they will lose some of the employees that they have now and they don’t enough now.”

Logan Economic Alliance for Development executive director Jim DeCesare, who was also at Tuesday’s meeting, said he’s also seeing the effects of the labor shortage here locally. 

“We’re seeing lots of companies now where they’re closing early or having shorter hours,” said DeCesare, “and it’s all because not enough workers, not enough supplies, you know it’s just tougher all the way around.” 

McConnell said that the Democrat Senate trying to pass a new major spending bill will not get us out of any tough spot. McConnell says the bill will only increase taxes and undo the positive economic impact from the 2017 tax bill.

“That is the single biggest mistake we can make at this point,” McConnell said. “Not a single member in my party in the House or Senate is going to vote for it.”