Congress works amid dysfunction, Mullin says at Tulsa Chamber event
U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin discussed topics including Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole's chances at chairing House Appropriations and the race to replace Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin addressed a Tulsa Regional Chamber forum discussing the outlook for a tax relief bill and who would replace Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Mullin, who has been touring the state while the Senate is in recess, said that while Congress is dysfunctional, work is being done. He also commented on the potential for the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024, which has passed the House but is uncertain in the Senate. He supported the bill and urged the business community to pressure Senate members to support it. Additionally, Mullin highlighted the race for McConnell's position, primarily between Sen. John Thune from South Dakota and Texas' John Cornyn.
Published : a month ago by Curtis Killman Tulsa World, curtis killman in Politics
U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin addressed a Tulsa Regional Chamber forum Wednesday, touching on topics including the outlook for a tax relief bill and who would replace Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell this fall.
It was Mullin’s second stop of the day in the city, having visited The Parent Child Center of Tulsa earlier.
Mullin has been traveling the state the past two weeks while the U.S. Senate has been in recess.
Mullin said a common question he gets asked during his travels is “why can’t you folks get along?”
Mullin tells those who ask that the political system is “not designed for us to get along.”
“Our founding fathers did not set up Washington, D.C., for a group of people to all get along and make decisions together,” Mullin said. “If they wanted us to all get along, they would have had just one person in charge.”
The junior senator from Oklahoma said while things are “a mess” in Congress right now, work is being done.
“As far as Congress goes, we are trying our best to work together,” Mullin said. “And I know you go ‘what are you talking about, you guys are actually dysfunctional,’ yeah, we are, I agree.”
But Mullin said Congress is still working.
“We’re still doing things — it is just ... the dysfunction is exposed more than it’s ever been,” he said.
Senate Republicans, who are a minority in the chamber, are negotiating at a disadvantage, Mullin said.
“So what we are willing to accept today is maybe different than if we controlled both chambers and the White House,” Mullin said. “I’d rather do something than hang on the edge of a building until my hands get tired."
That sentiment was evident in his response to an audience question regarding the chances the Senate would approve the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024.
The bill, which provides for enhanced child tax credit, business breaks, disaster relief and affordable housing tax credits, has passed the House but is on shaky ground in the Senate, Mullin said.
“I think this is where you guys are playing a role,” Mullin told the group of about 250 people.
Mullin said he supported the measure and urged members of the business community to “pressure” Senate members to support the bill.
“Everybody believes this tax bill is better than the one we are working on right now” in the Senate, Mullin said.
Mullin also added his thoughts on U.S. Rep. Tom Cole becoming the next chair of the House Appropriations Committee.
Cole is believed to be the favorite to get the job, Mullin said, adding it would be “huge for the state of Oklahoma.”
“We get overlooked all the time by large states like Texas ... because they have more (congressional) representatives than we have,” Mullin said.
Regarding a replacement for McConnell, who has announced he would step down as minority leader this fall, Mullin said the race for that position is between two people, primarily.
“So, there’s only two people that say they are running: Sen. John Thune from South Dakota and Sen. John Cornyn from Texas,” Mullin said.
“The race is really between those two for the leadership position,” he said, adding he considers Thune a friend.
“I talk to (him) literally almost every day,” Mullin said. “I really think it is his to lose.”
Topics: Congress