Scoop: McConnell says he won’t support infrastructure in coronavirus bill

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell panned the idea of using a coronavirus stimulus bill to fund major infrastructure investment in a conference call today with Republican senators.

Why it matters: President Trump has been floating the idea — and McConnell is moving early to crush it and more generally, encouraging Republican senators to buck the president’s freewheeling spending ideas.

Behind the scenes: On today’s call, McConnell said he won’t support infrastructure in a COVID-19 bill. “We need to keep the White House in the box,” he told senators, according to two sources familiar with the call.

• “The Democrats and the White House both need to get the message,” McConnell said, according to the sources. Continue reading.