McConnell clashes with Rick Scott over Republican agenda

Mitch McConnell and Senate Republican leaders are warning Rick Scott that his agenda for the GOP could expose the party to unnecessary attacks this fall, a significant intraparty rebuke of the Floridian.

The Senate minority leader, who has declined thus far to release a party agenda, advised Scott at a GOP leadership meeting on Monday afternoon that his 11-point proposal gave Democrats ammunition for millions of dollars of ads in the midterms, according to multiple people briefed on the exchange.

Though he chairs Senate Republicans' campaign arm, Scott defended himself by saying he released the agenda in his role as a rank-and-file senator, not as a statement of party plans. The meeting lasted nearly an hour, and Scott’s recess-week agenda introduction dominated the discussion.

The exchange between McConnell and his top campaign hand highlights a growing divide in the party as the GOP fights to take the House and Senate, despite their bright electoral prospects. While McConnell prefers to keep the heat on Democrats and make the election a referendum on President Joe Biden, some in the party — not just Scott — believe Republicans need a more affirmative agenda.

The schism played out on into Tuesday at a leadership press conference. Scott exited the event abruptly just before McConnell castigated two of his proposals.

“Let me tell you what will not be a part of our agenda: We will not have as part of our agenda a bill that raises taxes on half the American people and sunsets Social Security and Medicare after five years. That will not be part of the Republican Senate majority agenda,” McConnell said.

And McConnell made clear he’s planning to be fully in charge in 2023: “If we’re fortunate enough to have the majority next year, I’ll be the majority leader. I’ll decide, in consultation with my members, what to put on the floor.” He didn't offer specifics of what his agenda would be beyond topics like inflation, border security, crime and energy.

Scott has launched an ad to promote his agenda and has been unrepentant about roiling his party with potentially polarizing proposals, such as sunsetting all federal laws after five years and advising that “all Americans should pay some income tax to have skin in the game.” Scott declined to address the Monday meeting with McConnell, and said in a brief interview that he’s “not ever going to talk about private conversations, but I believe it's important to tell people what we're going to do.”

“Republicans, and really all Americans outside of Washington, are demanding that we have a plan to turn our country around,” said Chris Hartline, a spokesperson for Scott. “Sen. Scott is not afraid to start this conversation and will continue talking about his plan to rescue America.”

A spokesperson for McConnell declined to comment on the meeting.

Some have speculated that Scott might be preparing to challenge McConnell or run for president, both of which he has denied. And though Scott launched his agenda in his personal capacity, Republicans said the fact that Scott is the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee has made everything a little messier.

That’s what “makes it a little confusing,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a former two-time NRSC chair.

“This is not an approach embraced by the entire Republican conference,” Cornyn added of Scott’s agenda. “We’re going to keep our focus on inflation, crime, the border and Afghanistan. And some of these other things are things to think about … after the election is over.”

McConnell wants to avoid giving Democrats things to criticize over the next eight months, hoping to keep his party on offense. He believes that focusing on Biden’s low approval ratings and running as a check on the Democratic Party is the most effective midterm strategy. He’s also reluctant to embrace specific policy measures after the Senate GOP failed to repeal Obamacare after a years-long campaign against the law.

Scott has indisputably disrupted that strategy, as Democrats tee off on aspects of his plan. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Tuesday that Scott had “proposed everything from raising taxes on low-income Americans to naming a useless and ineffective border wall after Donald Trump.”

And former Rep. Abby Finkenauer (D-Iowa), who is challenging Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), latched onto Scott’s endorsement of term limits, tweeting on Tuesday that “even the @NRSC Chair is calling for term limits. He called Senators like Chuck Grassley who have sat in DC for DECADES part of the ‘Washington ruling class.’”

An attack like that “sort of validates the strategy that Sen. McConnell is talking about,” said Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.), who is up for reelection. “You want to be talking proactively about things you would do. But I think most candidates will be making those determinations [based] on their own circumstances.”

Led by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, House Republicans are expected to roll out their own agenda in the summer or early fall. Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said he agrees with McConnell that "Democrats are self-destructing on their own," but that McCarthy and House leaders "made a decision to put on a platform, and I'd rather participate than not."

And it’s possible McConnell and other Senate leaders do eventually put together a broad outline of their goals for the 2022 election. But at the moment, that's not the party’s focus.

“We’re wiser to have each senator promote their own view on the issues they care about,” said Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah).

Though Scott’s platform has roiled some corners of the GOP, it has some support in the party too. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) said he’s “on board” with Scott’s blueprint and said Republicans need to be thinking about “a universal plan that we need to sell to the American people.”

Scott’s plan is a mixture of fiscal conservatism and the more confrontational style of politics ushered in by former President Donald Trump. Scott wants to treat socialism “as a foreign combatant which aims to destroy our prosperity and freedom” and says the party should “prohibit debt ceiling increases absent a declaration of war.”

He also wants to name the southern border wall after Trump, drawing a gentle reproach from some of his colleagues.

“Completing the border wall and the broader issue with border security is on the top of mind for the American people,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). “What we name it after to me is less relevant than fixing 2 million people coming across the border.”

Because of how the Senate map is shaping up, Scott’s blueprint will only affect a handful of Republicans running for reelection. Just three GOP senators are running in states considered at all competitive: Grassley, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).

Asked if Scott’s agenda is making his reelection harder, Grassley said “absolutely not.” But he also defended McConnell’s lower-key approach.

“This is just [Scott’s] own personal ideas, and just like Chuck Grassley can express my views, he can express his,” Grassley said. “As a practical matter, you wouldn’t count your chickens before the eggs are hatched … McConnell is putting all of his effort into winning because if we don’t win in November, there isn’t such a thing as a Republican agenda.”

Olivia Beavers contributed to this report.