McConnell Criticizes Biden's Day 1 Actions
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – US Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) criticized several actions taken by US President Joe Biden on his first day in office, and warned that Republicans will try to block proposals they oppose.
McConnell, speaking from the US Senate floor on Thursday, pointed to Biden's decision to rejoin the Paris climate agreement, cancel the Keystone XL oil pipeline and fire a Trump appointee as National Labor Relations Board general counsel.
"On the Biden administration's very first day, it took several big steps in the wrong direction," McConnell said, The Hill reported.
McConnell added that Biden should "remember that he does not owe his election to the far-left."
"The president can and should refocus his administration on creating good-paying American jobs, not sacrificing our people's livelihoods to liberal symbolism," he said.
The pushback from McConnell comes as Biden pledged to unify the country and touted his ability to cut deals with Republicans throughout his presidential campaign.
If Democrats don't get rid of the legislative filibuster, they will need the support of at least 10 Republicans to pass any legislation.
His coronavirus proposal is already hitting GOP roadblocks, underscoring that it's unlikely to pass quickly. McConnell, on Thursday, also panned his immigration proposal.
"The new administration has also sketched out a proposal for blanket amnesty that would gut enforcement for American laws while creating huge new incentives for people to rush here illegally at the same time. This kind of failed approach will invite another humanitarian crisis on our border," McConnell said.
Biden is expected to propose legislation, titled the US Citizenship Act of 2021, that would provide a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants, includes providing additional funding for technology along the border, and aims to address the root causes of migration in Central America, where migrants have fled by the thousands to the US in recent years.
