Washington (CNN) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took a jab at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Wednesday, calling him "Moscow Mitch" -- a cutting nickname that recently prompted the Republican leader to take to the Senate floor to decry "modern-day McCarthyism."

"Moscow Mitch says that he is the 'Grim Reaper.' Imagine describing yourself as the 'Grim Reaper' -- that he's going to bury all this legislation," Pelosi said at an event in Illinois on Wednesday. The California Democrat added the legislation her chamber has passed is "live and well in the general public."

The comments drew a fiery McConnell to the Senate floor, saying, in part, "I don't normally take the time to respond to critics in the media when they have no clue what they're talking about. But this modern-day McCarthyism is toxic and damaging because of the way it warps our entire public discourse."

McConnell has previously said he believes strongly that elections should be primarily controlled by state and local authorities and not managed by Washington . He argues the federal government has already responded to the problems raised from the 2016 campaign and more does not need to be done at this time.