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McConnell Talks Biden Spending Plan, Infrastructure, And Vaccines

Lisa Autry

Demand for vaccines has decreased in recent weeks and less than 50% of the U.S. population is full vaccinated.

While in Bowling Green Thursday, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell continued to encourage people to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

During a Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce meeting, McConnell said the nation hasn’t reached the level of vaccination he’d like to see.

If you're a football fan, we're sort of in the red zone, the last 20 yards before the end zone, but not yet in the end zone on getting people vaccinated," McConnell said. "I hope even though we are all back to normal now, we'll still try to encrouge people to get the vaccination."

He said he learned alot about the vaccination creation process through his research of the polio vaccine. The senator suffered from polio as a child.

In Kentucky, an estimated 43% of the adult population is fully vaccinated. McConnell said the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson vaccines are highly effective. 

Kentucky’s senior U.S. Senator also took time during his visit to comment on President Joe Biden’s $6 trillion proposed budget. McConnell said that no one in his party would support the budget, and described the spending plan as widely inappropriate. 

The proposal is the largest spending plan in recent history. 

It includes increased funding for children and families, education, broadband, and efforts to combat climate change. 

While he rejected Biden’s budget proposal, McConnell added he still thinks there could be bipartisan support for infrastructure spending.

“Infrastructure is popular of both sides of the aisle and I’d like to see that portion of what the administration would like to do go forward," McConnell said. "It’s too early to tell exactly if that will happen or not, but all the rest of it I think it’s widely too much spending.”

McConnell previously rejected President Biden’s initial $2 trillion infrastructure proposal. 

A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators has since pushed a compromise plan, totaling around $1.2 trillion.

Former student intern Alana Watson rejoined WKU Public Radio in August 2020 as the Ohio Valley ReSource economics reporter. She transitioned to the station's All Things Considered Host in July of 2020 and became the student reporting and producing specialist in 2023. Watson has a B.A. in Broadcasting Journalism for Western Kentucky University and a M.A in Communications from Austin Peay State University. She is a Nashville native and has interned at WPLN-FM in Nashville. Watson was also a 2nd Century Fellow for Wisconsin Public Radio before rejoining WKU Public Radio. She has received numerous awards for her reporting.
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