(CNN) President Joe Biden responded on Wednesday to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's comment that "100%" of his focus is "on stopping this new administration," asserting that he had heard such threats from the Kentucky Republican before and worked through them. When asked Wednesday whether he still thought he could work with McConnell after the Senate minority leader had committed to obstructing the new administration, Biden chuckled. "Look, he said that in our last administration, (with former President) Barack (Obama, that) he was going to stop everything -- and I was able to get a lot done with him," Biden told reporters in the State Dining Room, following remarks touting the administration's new restaurant revitalization fund. "Again, look -- everything I'm proposing that be done to generate economic growth, employment, and put us in a position where we can out-compete any other country in the world with research and development, and moving ahead: I pay for it." The clash between Biden and McConnell comes as the two navigate unique challenges -- the President looking to balance soliciting Republican support for his infrastructure plan with actually getting it passed, and the minority leader watching a brewing fight in the other chamber over House Republican Liz Cheney , who stands to lose her leadership post over remarks criticizing former President Donald Trump's baseless claims that he won the 2020 election.

Source: CNN May 05, 2021 20:08 UTC