NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Vice President Joe Biden on Friday condemned the political gridlock crippling Washington, calling on Republican and Democratic governors alike to lead the nation “out of this mess” while insisting that Congress approve billions of dollars to repair the country’s aging infrastructure.
“The way things have gotten today, and I’m not singling out any party or any group of people – the politics, the culture in Washington, it’s become too personal, it’s too corrosive,” Biden said during a meeting of the National Governors Association. “I think you’ve got to lead us out of this mess we’re in.”
The vice president’s comments came during the first day of the governors’ three-day conference in Nashville, where state leaders from both parties gathered to collaborate despite intensifying partisan differences on immigration, health care and education.
Despite the bipartisan tone, the approaching midterm elections loomed over the gathering.
Many governors face voters in an election season that will decide the balance of power in statehouses from Nevada to New Hampshire and could end some presidential campaigns before they begin.