Nov 3, 2019 - Politics & Policy

Rep. Jeffries: 250 House-passed bills are in Mitch McConnell's "legislative graveyard"

Ursula Perano

In an interview with Mike Allen for "Axios on HBO," Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) lamented that more than 250 bills passed by Democrats in the House are sitting in Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's "legislative graveyard."

The big picture: McConnell has called himself the "grim reaper" of progressive policies in the Senate. His campaign has also tweeted a photo of a graveyard with Democratic efforts marked on the headstones, including the name of McConnell's Democratic competitor Amy McGrath.

Since taking back control of the House in 2018, Democrats have argued that their policies have been given unfair play in the Senate, often going without committee assignments.

What they're saying: Questioned by Allen about the perception that House Democrats are spending too much time on impeachment and not enough on legislating, Jeffries pushed back:

"The president and his defenders here on the Capitol are doing everything possible to create the false perception that House Democrats are doing nothing other than investigate the President. Nothing can be further from the truth. We have passed more than 250 bills this Congress and sent them over to the Senate, where unfortunately they're sitting in Mitch McConnell's legislative graveyard."

— Jeffries told "Axios on HBO"

Go deeper: Pelosi lists House-passed bills stalled in Senate amid impeachment attacks

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Rep. Jeffries: 250 House-passed bills are in Mitch McConnell's "legislative graveyard"

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