President Biden will travel to Kentucky on Wednesday to tout infrastructure investments and his broader economic plan, and he’ll be joined by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the White House said Sunday.
Biden will head to Kentucky one day after the a new GOP House majority is sworn in to speak about “how his economic plan is rebuilding our infrastructure, creating good-paying jobs that don’t require a four-year degree, and revitalizing communities left behind,” the White House said.
McConnell is expected to attend, as is Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R), Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), White House deputy communications director Herbie Ziskend tweeted.
DeWine last week announced more than $1 billion in funding through the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law to replace the Brent Spence Bridge, which connects Kentucky and Ohio.
The event reflects how the White House is hoping to emphasize bipartisanship and its willingness to reach across the aisle as the new session of Congress gets underway, with Republicans narrowly in control of the House and Democrats holding a slim majority in the Senate.
White House officials have spent the weeks since November’s midterm elections arguing it showed the American people expect leaders to work together to get things done, and Biden and his team have expressed a desire to find Republicans who are willing to work with them.
Biden’s first two years in office saw the passage of bipartisan legislation focused on infrastructure, semiconductor chip manufacturing, assistance for veterans and protections for same-sex marriage.
In a memo to reporters just before Christmas Day, deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said Biden enters the new year “with his hand outstretched to both parties in Congress, ready to keep putting country ahead of party and staying steadfastly focused on the needs of American families above all else.”
“He wants to keep working together on cutting costs, bringing more jobs back from overseas, saving more lives from gun violence, and keeping the American people safe,” Bates said.