Why Mitch McConnell Is Being Slammed For Senate Announcement

After confirming Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell got an earful for essentially shutting down the chamber.

Barrett was confirmed 52-48 in a late-Monday vote along party lines to fill the seat vacated by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Barrett’s confirmation essentially secures a long-time conservative majority in the nation’s highest court.

Just after the votes were counted, McConnell filed a motion to adjourn the Senate until Nov. 9. That effectively ends the chance of any legislation passing before Election Day, including securing another round of pandemic relief.

In a speech from the Senate floor after the Barrett vote, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said his counterpart would “never, never get your credibility back.”

On social media, the criticism was equally harsh. One commentator noted that McConnel’s decision to close the Senate down was one last shove-it from the leader, while another said getting Barrett on the court “meant infinitely more” to McConnell than passing another stimulus bill.

On financial support, governors at the Federal Reserve warned the economy would falter without another round of stimulus relief, noting policymakers were out of tools to support the fiscal situation. In early October, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell urged Congress to act.

“The recovery will be stronger and move faster if monetary policy and fiscal policy continue to work side-by-side to provide support to the economy until it is clearly out of the woods,” he said.

U.S. gross domestic product is expected to come in higher than 30% growth when third-quarter estimates are released Thursday. That’s relative to the second quarter, though year-on-year growth is lackluster at best.

In a statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said her Republican counterparts had effectively “usurped” the Supreme Court, adding the next Congress must be prepared to act.

“We must have a Congress that is prepared to remedy what the Supreme Court will do to undermine the health, financial security and well-being of American families,” she said.