McConnell on 'Faulkner Focus': Dems do not have mandate to 'completely transform' the country

close

Video

Mitch McConnell: Democrats'

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says the Senate will not be able to function without the filibuster.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said on Wednesday that Democrats were not given a "mandate" by the American people to eliminate the filibuster in order to completely "transform" this country.

McConnell, during an appearance on "The Faulkner Focus," said that some Democrats are prepared to "steamroll" the Senate into a majoritarian body, like the House of Representatives, by eliminating the filibuster because it is an "inconvenience" their ability to push through progressive legislation.

"So I guess where [Democrats] stand depends on where they sit," McConnell told Harris Faulkner. "When they’re in a position to advance the ball they don’t care."

McConnell said that the Senate should operate differently than the House, functioning not as a "speedway" to pass far-left bills, but as a forum to "kill bad ideas" and inspire thoughtful bipartisan discussion.

DEMOCRATS HATE FILIBUSTER NOW BUT USED IT TO BLOCK GOP LEGISLATION UNDER TRUMP

McConnell threatened on Tuesday to turn the Senate into a "100-car pileup" and block "even the most basic aspects" of its function if Democrats get rid of the legislative filibuster.

Video

"So let me say this very clearly for all 99 of my colleagues. Nobody serving in this chamber can even begin to imagine what a completely scorched-earth Senate would look like," McConnell said.

"None of us have served one minute in a Senate that was completely drained of comity and consent. This is an institution that requires unanimous consent to turn the lights on before noon, to proceed with a garden-variety floor speech."

McConnell continued: "I want our colleagues to imagine a world where every single task, every one of them, requires a physical quorum. Which, by the way, the vice president does not count in determining a quorum. This chaos would not open up an express lane for liberal change ... The Senate would be more like a 100-car pileup, nothing moving."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

This proposal would end the ability of a minority to stop any legislation and essentially set up a test of wills between the minority and majority over whether a certain piece of legislation passes.

Fox News' Tyler Olson contributed to this report.