McConnell: Biden is a ‘first-rate person’ but he’s running a ‘bold left-wing administration’

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., signaled Thursday that President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion spending bill will not be getting any Republican support – as he described the administration as boldly "left wing."

"I like him personally," McConnell said during a trip to Owensboro Health Regional Hospital in Kentucky. "I mean, we've been friends for a long time, he's a first-rate person. Nevertheless, this is a bold left-wing administration. I don't think they have the mandate to do what they are doing."

The GOP leader predicted Biden would not be able to win over any Republicans for what Democrats have referred to as an "infrastructure" bill.

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"I think that package that they are putting together now, as much as we would like to address infrastructure, is not going to get support from our side," McConnell said.

The plan unveiled by Biden on Wednesday in Pittsburgh clocks in at $2 trillion and includes money for roads, bridges as well as other spending on renewable energy job training, electric vehicles, and climate initiatives – much to the chagrin of Republicans.

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To pay for such a sweeping reform, the president has proposed several tax hikes. But McConnell warned his constituents, "The last thing the economy needs right now is a big whopping tax increase on all the productive sectors of our economy." He continued, "Remember, February of 2020, just little over a year ago, we had the best economy in 50 years. The principal reason for that was the tax reform package we did in 2017."

The White House said Thursday they hope to see a bill passed by this summer. But it faces a rocky road, especially after Democrats already used what’s known as budget reconciliation to pass the COVID stimulus bill known as the American Rescue Plan.

Despite McConnell’s messaging for blanket GOP opposition to the plan, Biden has indicated his desire to work across the aisle. "I’m going to bring Republicans into the Oval Office, listen to what they have to say and be open to their ideas," Biden said Wednesday.

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The next steps on drafting the legislation will be forthcoming, but for now the Senate GOP leader is not convinced.

"If you look at the results in Congress, a 50- 50 Senate and maybe a three-vote majority in the House, I don't think the American people gave them a mandate to drive our country all the way to the political left, but they're not deterred by that and they're going to try to do it anyway," he said.