McConnell: Biden Isn't 'Serious' About Bipartisanship After Infrastructure Bill Veto Threat

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky claimed Thursday that President Joe Biden isn't "serious" about reaching a truly bipartisan infrastructure deal.

"Less than two hours after publicly commending our colleagues and actually endorsing the bipartisan agreement, the President took the extraordinary step of threatening to veto it," McConnell said on the Senate floor, and then later tweeted. "That's not the way to show you're serious about getting a bipartisan outcome."

Biden announced via tweet leading up to a press conference Thursday that a bipartisan group of senators had reached an agreement on a $953 billion infrastructure package: "We've struck a deal. A group of senators—five Democrats and five Republicans—has come together and forged an infrastructure agreement that will create millions of American jobs."

McConnell seemed to be referring to Biden's clarification during a White House press conference soon after his tweet that he expects lawmakers to pass a separate reconciliation bill "in tandem" with the current infrastructure bill in order for the deal to move forward.

In the press conference, Biden announced the success of the agreement, praising the "bipartisan group of senators" that came together and "forged an agreement that will create millions of American jobs and modernize our American infrastructure..."

The president said he wanted to be clear that passing the American Jobs Plan is only half of his economic agenda, delivering on "clean transportation, clear water and clean water, universal broadband, clean power infrastructure, and environmental resilience."

The president stressed that he wanted the second half of his plan, the American Family Plan, which covers "childcare, education, the caring economy, clean energy tax cuts—clean energy, and tax cuts for American families," to pass at the same time.

"I'm going to work closely with Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi and Leader [Chuck] Schumer to make sure that both move through the legislative process promptly and in tandem," the President said. "Let me emphasize that: and in tandem."

"Endorse the agreement in one breath, and then threaten to veto it the next," McConnell said on the Senate floor. "An expression of bipartisanship and then an ultimatum on behalf of your leftwing base."

The current infrastructure deal does not contain provisions for several items on the progressive wishlist, including childcare and clean energy—causes Biden plans to fund with the reconciliation bill.

In response to questions about whether he would sign the infrastructure bill without the house reconciliation bill he is asking for "in tandem," Biden reiterated that he wants the two passed together, and said, "If this [the American Jobs Plan] is the only thing that comes to me, I'm not signing it."

Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment.