Despite their drubbing at the hands of the Republicans in the midterm elections, Democrats have still not acknowledged the public's message by focusing on policies that create jobs, according to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellGOP senators pan debate: 'S---show,' 'awful,' 'embarrassment' 'One more serious try' on COVID-19 relief yields progress but no deal The Hill's Campaign Report: Debate fallout l Trump clarifies remarks on Proud Boys l Down to the wire in South Carolina MORE (R-Ky.).



In Saturday's weekly GOP address, McConnell accused Democrats of using the final days of the lame-duck session to focus on a number of controversial issues at the expense of extending the Bush tax cuts for all Americans, including immigration, environmental regulations and a reorganization of the Food and Drug Administration. The tax cuts expire at the end of the year; Democrats have vowed not to extend them for the highest income tax bracket.





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“Democrats put off all these things until after the election, along with the most basic task of funding the government. By focusing on them now, and not on legislation to promote job creation and reduce spending, they’re showing where their priorities lie," McConnell said.McConnell argued Congress' No. 1 job must be passing bills that focus on job creation, which means preventing tax hikes. He pledged the GOP would work with anyone from either party supportive of that goal.“Time is running out. But it’s not too late for both parties to work together and prevent this massive tax hike from going into effect. It’s not too late to focus on the priorities of the American people," McConnell said. “Americans spoke loudly and clearly on Election Day. We owe it to them to show we heard them — to work together to get this done."

Earlier in his address McConnell poked at the administration over the Recovery Act in the face of an unemployment rate that remains nearly 10 percent.



“Here was a bill that was supposed to create millions of jobs and keep unemployment from rising above eight percent," McConnell said. "Yet, since Democrats passed it nearly two years ago, more than three million people have lost jobs and the economy barely has a pulse."



