McConnell Rails Against Dem Bill That Would Make Election Day A Federal Holiday

Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) on Wednesday slammed a key House Democratic proposal over a provision that would make Election Day a federal holiday for federal employees and encourages private business to give employees the day off.

“This is the Democrat plan to restore democracy? A brand-new week of paid vacation for every federal employee who would like to hover around while you cast your ballot?” McConnell asked from the Senate floor.

“Just what America needs, another paid holiday and a bunch of government workers being paid to go out and work for I assume … our colleagues on the other side, on their campaigns,” McConnell added.

McConnell has previously railed against House Democrats’ anti-corruption bill, known as H.R. 1, as a “political power grab” and has promised that it will go nowhere in the GOP-controlled Senate.

McConnell today criticized the bill as the “Democratic political protection act” and that it would create a “Washington-based taxpayer-subsidized clearinghouse for political campaign funding.”

“Their bill would make Election Day a new paid holiday for government workers, and create an additional brand new paid leave benefit for up to six days for any federal bureaucrats who decides they’d like to hang out at the polls during an election,” McConnell added on Wednesday.

Mitch McConnell just mocked the idea of a national Election Day holiday on the Senate floor.

Our turnout sucks — some of the worst in the world — due to our antiquated system.

But he’s not even remotely ashamed about wanting to keep turnout suppressed.pic.twitter.com/1edtOF6RrG

— Jacob Soboroff (@jacobsoboroff) January 30, 2019