Mitch McConnell Says He's 'Delighted' That Infrastructure Bill Passed
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has said he is "delighted" that the bipartisan infrastructure bill finally passed in the House of Representatives on Friday.
McConnell was speaking in Covington, Kentucky on Monday and appeared to dismiss criticism from former President Donald Trump, who had opposed passing the bill.
The $1.2 trillion bipartisan package was passed by the Senate in August by a vote of 69-30 with McConnell joining 18 other Republican senators in supporting it.
The bill passed the House late on Friday by a vote of 228 to 206.
McConnell said on Monday: "I was delighted the House finally found a way to pass the infrastructure bill last week."
"This will be the first time I have come up here in a quarter of a century where I thought maybe there was a way forward on the Brent Spence Bridge," he said.
The Brent Spence Bridge connects Covington to Cincinnati, Ohio and could benefit from the infrastructure bill as it is in need of repair, and has been for some years.
The Federal Highway Administration declared the double-decker bridge to be functionally obsolete in the 1990s. The bridge was opened in 1963.
McConnell also appeared to shrug off criticism from former President Trump on Monday, saying he is not concerned about a split in the Republican Party as "elections going forward are about the present, not the past."
He also reiterated a sentiment he has previously expressed about the GOP's chances of victory in the 2022 midterm elections and said the party should be focusing on President Joe Biden's administration.
"I think the key to '22 is to have a discussion with the American people about the new administration, the Democratic Congress and what they're doing. I think the election will be about the future and not the past," McConnell said.
Trump issued a statement on Sunday criticizing the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Republicans who voted for it. He also singled out McConnell.
"All Republicans who voted for Democrat longevity should be ashamed of themselves, in particular Mitch McConnell, for granting a two-month stay which allowed the Democrats time to work things out at our Country's, and the Republican Party's, expense!" Trump said.
The bill passed in the House with the vast majority of Republicans voting against it, though 13 GOP members voted in favor, while six progressive Democrats voted against the bill.
President Biden has not yet signed the bill into law and White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre suggested on Monday that he could sign the legislation when Congress comes back in session the week of November 15.
