McConnell speaks about election implications and foreign policy at Paducah lunch Election 2024

PADUCAH – U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell spoke about the general election, foreign policy and tariffs at the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce’s Public Policy Luncheon on Thursday.

McConnell discussed the general election in the context of the Senate and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Many of the law’s provisions expire in 2025, and McConnell said the outcome of the election will determine whether the Senate extends those provisions.

“I think it all depends on who wins the election,” he said.

He also shared his thoughts on the presidential election, saying the outcome will depend on the swing states of Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada and Arizona.

“There are seven states that decide who gets elected,” McConnell said. “This is a really close election.”

McConnell said the outcome will have a “tremendous impact” on Senate action on the expiring tax credits. “Because our friends on the other side think taxes aren’t high enough,” he claimed.

Depending on which senators are elected on Nov. 5, McConnell said the Senate could shift to a Republican majority and effectively block presidential decisions if Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris is elected.

“I think we have a chance to take back the Senate 51-49,” he said. “For the sake of discussion, let’s say you lose the White House and the House of Representatives [of Representatives] but keep the Senate. The Senate was designed to kill bad things.”

The topic then turned to tariffs or taxes on imported or exported goods, which McConnell called “skeptics.”

“I’m not a fan,” he said. “I know there are prominent members of my party who think this is a good idea.”

He said Kentucky exports about $40 billion worth of goods per year.

“Trade creates a tremendous amount of jobs,” McConnell said. “We benefit from a global economy.”

McConnell then discussed foreign policy and said he would focus on strengthening defense and national security in his next few years in the Senate.

“We have clearly been the leader of the free world since the Eisenhower presidency,” he said. “Later to the present: North Korea, China, Russia, Iran and Iran’s proxies are all communicating with each other and have a common ambition to remove America from the position of the most important country in the world. This is very, very scary for democracies everywhere.”