Mitch McConnell holds year-end press conference -- live stream
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, held his year-end press conference Friday at the Capitol after Congress left Thursday night until 2018.
Here are the highlights:
Possible bipartisan items in 2018
The majority leader said that the items on the agenda have been "pretty partisan" and he admitted that there's "not much you can do on a partisan basis in the Senate" at 52-48 or 51-49 next year. Areas he mentioned that could get bipartisan agreement is a measure connected to Dodd-Frank and legislative action on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
McConnell on his relationship with Trump
He was asked what he thinks the president has learned about working with the Senate.
"I think we've established a really good working relationship," he said.
McConnell later said that he hasn't been a fan of Mr. Trump's tweets "until this week." "I'm warming up to the tweets," he said.
Future efforts to unravel Obamacare
He was asked about a proposal from Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, and Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, that didn't have enough votes to pass this year. McConnell said he'd "love" to bring it up if it had the votes, but confessed that "51-49 is a pretty tight majority."
"I'd love to be able to make more substantial changes," he said, on top of the repeal of Obamacare's individual mandate.
Talk of welfare and entitlement reform
McConnell said that his only observation about entitlement erform is "the only time we've been able to do that has been on a bipartisan basis and it was a long time ago" under President Reagan and Speaker Tip O'Neill.
"The sensitivity of entitlements is such that you almost have to have a bipartisan agreement in order to achieve a result," he said.
Plan for 2018 midterms
McConnell said that in 2012, Republicans had nominees that "couldn't appeal to a general election audience." But in 2014 and 2016, Republicans changed the model and nominated people who could win in November.
"The approach in 2018 will be the same," he said. "We're going to be supporting people who can actually win."
The Russia probes
McConnell was asked if he'd like to see the congressional investigations wrapped up before the 2018 midterms.
"I'd like to see them wrap it up when they finished," he said.
On John McCain
McConnell said McCain is the "finest person I've served with in my time here and a person for whom I have the greatest admiration."
"We fully expect to have him back after the first of the year," he said.
