McConnell urges Biden to pressure top Democrats on bipartisan infrastructure deal

• Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urged President Joe Biden to pressure the top Democrats in Congress to move forward with the bipartisan infrastructure deal on its own.
• Democrats have been pushing to link the bill with a larger deal that aims to address several other issues.
• The president had retracted a previous statement that he will only sign the two pieces of legislation together, a decision that Republicans want other Democrats to follow.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has urged President Joe Biden to pressure Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to move forward with the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal without linking it to a larger reconciliation package pushed by Democrats.

The president had initially declared that the two pieces of legislation move forward together, but later walked back on his statement — a move that was welcomed by Republican Senators. Still, McConnell remarked that it would be “a hollow gesture” if it will not be followed by the two top Democrats in Congress.

McConnell stated on Monday, “The president has appropriately delinked a potential bipartisan infrastructure bill from the massive, unrelated tax-and-spend plans that Democrats want to pursue on a partisan basis. Now I am calling on President Biden to engage Leader Schumer and Speaker Pelosi and make sure they follow his lead.”

“Republicans have been negotiating in bipartisan good faith to meet the real infrastructure needs of our nation,” the Senate Minority Leader continued. “The President cannot let congressional Democrats hold a bipartisan bill hostage over a separate and partisan process.”

Biden had announced the bipartisan deal last Thursday but declared that he would not sign it unless the measure is passed alongside a larger bill that would raise taxes on corporations and the wealthy while addressing climate change and social needs.

The president later retracted that statement on Saturday, clarifying that it was “certainly not my intent.” 

The walkback made Republican lawmakers express their optimism towards getting the bipartisan bill through Congress.

Source: Aol.com