Jackson Purchase News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) addressed concerns about inflation and crime in a recent speech on the Senate floor. McConnell highlighted the impact of rising prices on Americans, stating, “Americans know that stable prices and basic safety shouldn’t be much to expect from their leaders.”

McConnell pointed out alarming statistics, saying, “Last week, cumulative inflation since President Biden took office hit 19.4%. Since January 2021, gas prices are up 47.8%. Car repair costs have increased 6.7%. And in barely two years, car insurance premiums have increased, listen to this, 45.8%.”

The Senator shared a quote from a woman affected by the rising costs, who expressed, “What can you do? You need insurance. You can't have a vehicle or a house without them. So you have to … figure out where you can cut other things to make sure you can drive around.”

McConnell also addressed the connection between crime policies and the cost of car insurance, stating, “Of course, the soaring cost of insuring a car has a lot to do with the dangers of driving one in blue cities across America where soft-on-crime policies let violent offenders run free.”

Highlighting the increase in car theft rates, McConnell emphasized, “Today, drivers are more likely than ever to become victims of crime. 2023 saw rates of car theft tick up by 29% in 34 cities across the country, more than double since 2019. And 2023 was also the second year in a row that car thefts surpassed 1 million in the United States.”

In response to the surge in carjackings, McConnell criticized the City of Washington's approach of distributing free tracking devices, stating, “Here in Washington, local residents and members of Congress, alike, have fallen victim to an unchecked surge of carjackings. And the City’s response? Hand out free tracking devices.”

Concluding his remarks, McConnell expressed a sense of urgency for change, saying, “Millions of Americans are waiting eagerly for this fever of incoherent policy to break. They’re recalling woke prosecutors, and I suspect they plan to fire many more of their local, state, and national leaders this fall.” McConnell criticized current policies, stating, “Bidenomics isn’t working. And neither is soft-on-crime radicalism.”