McConnell calls on Democratic leaders to follow Biden on separate infrastructure and spending bills

Washington — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday called on Democratic leaders in Congress to commit to separating a bipartisan infrastructure deal reached last week from a sweeping spending bill that's expected to pass with party-line support after President Biden clarified the two are not linked.

"Republicans have been negotiating in bipartisan good faith to meet the real infrastructure needs of our nation," McConnell, of Kentucky, said in a statement. "The president cannot let congressional Democrats hold a bipartisan bill hostage over a separate and partisan process." Mr. Biden rankled Senate Republicans last Thursday just hours after he announced a deal had been reached between the White House and a bipartisan group of 10 senators on a $1 trillion infrastructure plan. The plan is more narrow than the president's sweeping package put forth earlier this year and focuses on "traditional" infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, railways and broadband.