Biden celebrates infrastructure projects with Mitch McConnell in Kentucky

Geoff Bennett:

Hundreds of miles away from the chaos in Washington that is consuming the new GOP House majority, President Joe Biden took a victory lap with an unlikely Republican ally.

Laura Barrón-López has more on the president's trip to Kentucky today.

Laura Barrón-López:

Eager to showcase his bipartisan bona fides, as a 2024 decision looms, President Joe Biden appeared Wednesday alongside Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a longtime adversary and sometimes friend.

Joe Biden, President of the United States: I'm especially happy to be here and my friend and colleague of many years, and, I might add, longest-serving leader in the United States Senate, Senator Mitch McConnell.

Laura Barrón-López:

The Republican, a famed obstructionist during Barack Obama's presidency, joined President Biden in his home state of Kentucky to promote new infrastructure projects.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY):

So, today, we sit in this wonderful, clear day with sun shining down on literally a legislative miracle.

Laura Barrón-López:

Standing near the crumbling Brent Spence Bridge, that connects Kentucky and Ohio, the duo announced more than $1 billion in federal funds to repair it and help build a new Ohio River Bridge.

President Joe Biden:

There are bright spots across the country. The Brent Spence Bridge is one of them, a bridge that continues and connects different centuries, different states, different political parties.

Laura Barrón-López:

Investments made possible by the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law that the White House spent months negotiating with a handful of Senate Republicans. It passed in 2021 after receiving a key blessing from McConnell.

Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States: The yeas are 69. The nays are 30.

Laura Barrón-López:

Despite recently facing a leadership challenge for backing bipartisan legislative deals…

Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL):

I ran for leader because Republican leaders in the Senate routinely cave in and allow Schumer and Biden to win. It's happening all the time.

Laura Barrón-López:

… McConnell stressed the need to work across the aisle.

Sen. Mitch McConnell:

No matter who gets elected, once it's all over, we ought to look for things we can agree on and try to do those, even while we have big differences on other things.

Laura Barrón-López:

The prior two presidents bowed and failed to fix the Brent Spence, which funnels traffic from two interstate highways.

Donald Trump, Former President of the United States: I have already heard about the bridge. I love the area. We're going to get it fixed.

Laura Barrón-López:

Frequently doubted, President Biden made clear his love for compromise was here to stay.

President Joe Biden:

Important message to the entire country: We can work together. We can get things done. We can move the nation forward, if we just drop a little bit of our egos and focus on what is needed in the country.

Laura Barrón-López:

As the White House faces a split Congress in Washington, the president, vice president and senior officials fanned out across states to highlight projects repairing the nation's infrastructure.

Kamala Harris:

So just look at the 95th Street Bridge behind me.

Laura Barrón-López:

Kicking off a renewed sales strategy that, at least for today, put President Biden and Senator McConnell side by side.

Geoff Bennett:

And Laura joins us now.

So, Laura, this bipartisan trip fresh into the new year, what are Leader McConnell and President Biden trying to signal here?

Laura Barrón-López:

So, both President Biden and Senator McConnell were very explicit about the message that they were sending, not just to voters, but also to their parties. It was all about finding common ground, about being able to work together even if they disagree on issues.

McConnell actually said that he thought that it was a good example to be showing the country at this time that the government could work together.

And, of course, a striking contrast to what's happening right now in Washington, D.C., and it's something that both — well, that President Biden specifically himself has received a lot of flak for throughout the time that he ran and even into the White House.

Geoff Bennett:

Yes. Who benefits politically, do you think?

Laura Barrón-López:

So, this is interesting, because I was talking to Congressman — former Congressman John Yarmuth today of Kentucky, and he said that it's actually President Biden who potentially benefits more, because he's up for reelection sooner than McConnell.

Here's what he had to say.

Fmr. Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY):

I think it helps — actually helps President Biden far more than it helps Mitch McConnell.

I think it shows Joe Biden as the person who is really willing to work across party lines and will continue to look for support from Republicans for his agenda.

Laura Barrón-López:

And that's because of the fact that Senator McConnell isn't up for reelection for a while longer, whereas the 2024 decision is looming for President Biden.

And I also spoke to a former GOP senator today who agreed with Yarmuth and said that, essentially, that this doesn't help McConnell very much because of the fact that, look, he was just facing a leadership challenge. He isn't necessarily great friends with a number of House GOP members.

And now he's made very explicitly clear that he is trying to distance himself, especially since the midterms, from President Donald Trump, and that he could potentially be using up a lot of political capital by going and appearing alongside the president to send this message.

Geoff Bennett:

Well, we should say the people of Kentucky no doubt benefit from a repaired bridge.

You spoke about this, but I remember back during the campaign, then-candidate Joe Biden talked about the promise of bipartisanship. He said he could work with any Republican who could work with him.

And there were Democrats who said that he was naive. But, looking forward, it strikes me that President Biden will have an easier time working with Senate Republicans, potentially more so than House Republicans.

Laura Barrón-López:

That's right, Geoff. I think that's a good assessment, because of the fact that he has a long relationship in the Senate, right?

Biden worked — President Biden was a senator for more than 30 years, worked alongside Senator Mitch McConnell then, as well as when he was vice president. And when he was vice president, he was typically the person that was dispatched to the Hill to try to break logjams. He actually, to the dismay of a number of Democrats at the time, worked with McConnell on a deal that extended the Bush tax cuts at the time, the tax credits.

He also worked on the debt ceiling with him. But, again, we still are talking about Mitch McConnell and the fact that McConnell is well-known among Democrats, as you noted, for someone who blocked a number of former President Obama's judges, blocked Merrick Garland in the Supreme Court.

McConnell also prides himself and has described himself explicitly as the Grim Reaper, someone who will obstruct the Democratic agenda. But when we're talking about government funding bills, and showing that the government can work to get must-pass legislation through the chamber, that's when President Biden could potentially find a greater ally in Senator McConnell.

And one thing that where, looking forward, they could potentially find potential to work across the aisle — across the aisle…

Geoff Bennett:

Yes.

Laura Barrón-López:

… is on immigration.

And so that's something that the White House has already said — called on Republicans to work with them on, especially since Republicans are trying to pressure the president on the border. And President Biden said today as he was leaving Kentucky that he has the intention of going to the border as early as next week, ahead of the U.S.-Mexico summit.

Geoff Bennett:

Laura Barrón-López, thanks, as always, for that great reporting.

Laura Barrón-López:

Thank you.