Biden says he called Republicans who voted for infrastructure bill to thank them

published 10 August 2021

Bipartisan has been the key word throughout the Senate's quest to pass a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill over the last few months, and President Biden made sure to emphasize that on Tuesday while briefing reporters after the upper chamber achieved its goal with a 69-30 vote.

Among those voting in favor were 19 Republicans. Biden said he called them each up to thank them for doing so and praised them for showing "a lot of courage." He also gave a shout out to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) — who has had a warm relationship with Biden going back to their days together in the Senate — for casting his vote in favor of the package.

"This bill shows that we can work together," Biden said. "I know a lot of people ... didn't think this could happen ... that bipartisanship was a thing of the past."

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.