When he first took office, Joe Biden promised to make a good faith effort to work with Republicans. And that effort has been made on numerous occasions over Biden’s first few months in office.
Mitch McConnell, though, has often urged his senators against working with the president or supporting his legislation. This is the same kind of obstructionist behavior the senate minority leader was so fond of during Barack Obama’s time in office.
On Wednesday, Biden chided McConnell for highlighting the details of his infrastructure package without actually supporting it. McConnell said at a recent event in Kentucky, “Not a single member of my party voted for it. So, you’re going to get a lot more money. I didn’t vote for it. But you’re going to get a lot more money. Cities and counties in Kentucky will get close to $700 [million] or $800 million. If you add up the total amount that will come into our state, $4 billion, that’s twice what was sent in last year.”
When asked about those comments, Biden replied, “Mitch McConnell loves our programs. You see what Mitch McConnell said? He told me he wasn’t going to get a single vote in order to allow me to get, with the help of everybody here, that $1.9 trillion … program for economic growth. Look it up, man. He’s bragging about it in Kentucky.”
McConnell and Biden, despite their political differences are long-time friends. But Biden’s strategy of pointing out the benefits to McConnell’s constituents is a smart one.
Watch the exchange below:
Reporter: "McConnell says you're in for a heck of a fight on this one."
President Biden: "Mitch McConnell loves our programs." pic.twitter.com/zaVAbj553S
— The Hill (@thehill) July 7, 2021