Yesterday the House passed new energy legislation to increase fuel efficiency standards and repeal billions in tax subsidies to the oil and gas industry, but the bill can't even make to a vote in the Senate. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) led the Senate effort against the bill, with $576,900 in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry and another $107,00 from auto manufacturers to back him up.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is raising eyebrows again for pushing an earmark worth $25 million for a company, BAE Systems, long suspected of bribing public officials. Oh and they've steered $53,000 to McConnell's campaign account since 2002.

The House fell nine votes short of overriding President Bush's veto of a bill that would have expanded the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Over the course of the debate on the bill we've looked at the money Sen. Mitch McConnell and President Bush have taken from HMOs and Big Tobacco (the increase in the program would have been funded by an additional tax on tobacco products). Now we see the end result: another example of big money interests dominating over voter concerns.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is taking another position directly contrary to this interests of voters by attempting to strong-arm the Senate into confirming Hans von Spakovsky for a seat on the Federal Election Commission. Is von Spakovsky qualified? Only if you count an extensive background in suppressing voting by minorities, and in using his perch at the Justice Department to advance a partisan agenda. The Louisville Courier-Journal has more.

Did Sen. McConnell send Sen. Ensign to do his dirty work? The Senate has been battling over S. 223, the bill that would require electronic filing of campaign finance reports by Senators (the House already does this). Turns out the efforts to obstruct the bill may have been coming from Sen. McConnell's office the whole time.

Last week Insight Communications, a cable company, refused to air our ad about Sen. Mitch McConnell. We responded with a petition campaign against this censorship and Insight relented: our ad will air this week! Thanks to all who signed the petition or contacted Insight. Here's a sample of the press coverage on the incident.

From the AP:

We're not the only ones questioning McConnell's track record today. USA Today is wondering about his...uneven...enforcement of ethics policies among his Senate Republicans. They focus in particular on McConnell's quick shunning of Sen. Larry Craig but much lighter treatment of Sen. Ted Stevens, even as the corruption probe surrounding the former heats up.

Sen. Mitch McConnell backed a company that wanted $8.3 million to send mp3 players to Afghan tribesmen, while the lobbyist for the company helped line up $120,000 in campaign contributions for McConnell from his clients. Then McConnell voted -- twice -- against giving our troops abroad better body armor. We think it's time to tell this incredible story, and hold McConnell accountable, so we're rolling out a new ad today in Kentucky to do just that.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), in an unexpected move, came out opposed to the bipartisan children's health insurance bill yesterday.

His opposition to the bill puts the health insurance of 102,430 Kentucky children at risk.

Public Campaign Action Fund is featured in this NKY.com article about groups expressing their displeasure with Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) job performance. The article mentions our efforts to hold him accountable for doing favors for his biggest campaign contributors.