McConnell on "The Daily Briefing' with Dana Perino

Statement

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) joined "The Daily Briefing' today to discuss coronavirus relief and liability protections.

On the Importance of Masks:

"We have all been told, the single easiest thing we can do as we reopen the economy with the Coronavirus still very much out there is to protect ourselves and others by wearing a mask. We have been doing that in the Senate here. We have been in session most of the time since May. For example, in June, the House was in session three days and we were here the whole month. They have been in eight days since March.

"We were here all of May and June and we have been working safely, by wearing masks, and distancing ourselves at least six feet apart. This is the way to deal with the continuing Coronavirus until we get a vaccine. It's going to be with us. We know that. We don't want to shut the economy down again and so we need to wear a mask."

On Coronavirus Relief and Liability Protections:

"We passed in the Senate the CARES Act and then a follow-on to the CARES Act back in March. I said at the time we need to take a snapshot of where the country is in July, see what kind of progress is being made by reopening the country. Get an assessment of what did or didn't work in the CARES Act and then make a decision about whether to do phase four.

"We may well do that and if we do it, we will do it in July and I can tell you for sure that if we do another bill, it will have liability protections in it for doctors, for hospitals, for nurses, for businesses, for universities, for colleges. Nobody knew how to deal with the Coronavirus and unless you are grossly negligent or intentionally engaged in harming somebody, you're going to be immunized from the epidemic of lawsuits that's already developing surrounding the pandemic."

On Police Reform:

"As I'm sure you reported last week Senate Democrats would not even allow us to get on the bill written by our colleague Senator Tim Scott from South Carolina, who himself is an African-American, has experienced the kind of overreach, you might say, that some police engage in by stopping people simply because of their color.

"It was a solid bill, supported also by law enforcement, because it was not designed to go after them indiscriminately and the Democrats wouldn't let us pick it up. I think the conclusion I drew from that was I'm not sure they want a bill. I think they want an issue."

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