Biden, McConnell Join in Prayer But Face Tests of Fraught Ties
- Two Senate institutionalists cut budget deals in Obama years
- GOP leader was self-described ‘Grim Reaper’ of liberal plans
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Joe Biden began Inauguration Day joining in prayer at a church service with the Democrats’ legislative nemesis, Mitch McConnell, a gesture of unity after four years of division and bitterness that will quickly be tested by the new president’s ambitious plans.
No relationship may be more important to the tone and domestic agenda of Biden’s presidency than his dealings with McConnell, the Senate Republican leader who bestowed on himself the nickname “Grim Reaper” of Democrats’ plans as he regularly obstructed Obama administration priorities.