WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell appeared on ‘CNN’s ‘State of the Union with John King’ Sunday. The following are excerpts from the program:

On Creating Jobs:
“We all have a responsibility to seriously grabble with the question of how to get jobs created again. Two things that we know would help. Businesses are not hiring now in part because they’re looking at health care taxes if this health care bill passes. One big step would be to put the health care bill on the shelf… and indicate that you’re not going to allow all of the tax relief that is supposed to expire at the end of this calendar year to expire.”

On Taxes Hurting Jobs:
“If you’re in business now and you’re trying to figure out what the future is, you’re looking at health care taxes, you’re looking at capital gains taxes going up, dividend taxes going up. If you are a small business and pay taxes as an individual taxpayer, your taxes are going up. So, is that a great environment in which to expand employment? I think the answer is no.”

On Growing Economy:
“I hope this productivity figure we saw in the fourth quarter is the precursor of things to come. What it could be, however,  is that businesses are getting more productivity out of the same number of employees because they are fearful of the tax increases that are coming this year.”

On The Christmas Day Bomber:
“I mean, Larry King would have a more thorough interrogation of one of his [guests] than the Christmas bomber had by the Justice Department. This is really dangerous nonsense. We have a way to do it, John: Interrogate them, detain them, and try them in military commissions offshore at Guantanamo from which no one has ever escaped.”

On Moving The NYC Terror Trials:
“I think any community in America is going to object in the same way that New York finally did to these people being put on trial in the United States in civilian courts.”

On Trying Terrorists:
“Three years ago we passed a military commissions legislation for the specific purpose of trying foreigners captured on the battlefield. They ought to be tried in these military commissions. They also ought to be detained at Guantanamo… What we need to do is deny these people a show trial. We need to proceed to interrogate them.”

On A Debt Commission:
“The American people are appalled by the amount of money we have been spending this year. And I think a more targeted way to do the same kind of commission approach was with the Brownback proposal that we all voted -- many of us voted on last week … Look, I don't think anybody in the country thinks we have a problem because we tax too little, I think the problem is we spend too much. So, I like the commission idea, just as I said a few months ago. I think a better way to do it is target spending. A spending reduction commission.”

On Senator-Elect Scott Brown:
“He emphasized to me exactly what he said publicly. He’s gonna be an independent voice for Massachusetts. We expect that. Republicans from the northeast are not exactly like Republicans from the south or the west, we understand that. We have a big tent party. And we’re thrilled to have him. And I know that he’ll be an aggressive for the people of Massachusetts.”