--- title: Why Joe Biden Needs Mitch McConnell to Govern description: One person will determine the success of the incoming Biden Administration: Sen. Mitch McConnell. canonical: https://time.com/5913168/why-joe-biden-needs-mitch-mcconnell/ author: Philip Elliott article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2020-11-18T18:27:24.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-14T09:08:24.099Z article:section: Politics og:title: Why Joe Biden Needs Mitch McConnell to Govern og:description: One person will determine the success of the incoming Biden Administration: Sen. Mitch McConnell. og:url: https://time.com/5913168/why-joe-biden-needs-mitch-mcconnell/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7a5c84b866f9cd1e/698a147386f68e86746ef6ca/GettyImages-1229654324.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: House And Senate Meet As Biden Calls For Coronavirus Relief Bill og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Joe Biden Needs Mitch McConnell to Govern twitter:description: One person will determine the success of the incoming Biden Administration: Sen. Mitch McConnell. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7a5c84b866f9cd1e/698a147386f68e86746ef6ca/GettyImages-1229654324.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Joe Biden Needs Mitch McConnell to Govern > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=e011787d-1893-496b-9bd4-4c7dba66f378&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=e011787d-1893-496b-9bd4-4c7dba66f378&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=e011787d-1893-496b-9bd4-4c7dba66f378&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=e011787d-1893-496b-9bd4-4c7dba66f378&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: McConnell Prevails in Kentucky [Watch (HLS stream): McConnell Prevails in Kentucky](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/TmcQ3MlB.m3u8) (1:03)  _Published 2020-11-04. Mitch McConnell is going back to the Senate, prevailing in his re-election bid early in the night. What’s unclear is this: will he be the Majority Leader or the Minority Leader come January? The Associated Press made the call soon after polls closed._  by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott Senior Correspondent Nov 18, 2020 6:27 PM UTC  by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott Senior Correspondent Nov 18, 2020 6:27 PM UTC _This article is part of the The DC Brief, TIME’s politics newsletter. Sign up_ [_here_](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/newsletter%5Fopt-in?qs=3a19a0aa35903a2d9f214b74f69a37910b58de73cf3f2b89adc123fac024f0478c72f91010ae9d01f08f46c616068cab3e74726837cd2cce70dac3796e46c2b4) _to get stories like this sent to your inbox every weekday._ More than anyone in the Cabinet or elsewhere on the West Wing seating chart, one figure above everyone else will determine the success of the incoming Biden Administration: Sen. Mitch McConnell. The Republican Leader is a master of Washington’s levers of powers. Whether he remains the Majority Leader by winning one of the two ongoing races in Georgia or whether he retreats to Minority Leader if Democrats can win both Peach State playoffs, McConnell will still have enormous sway over what unfolds in Washington. Obviously, should Republicans hold onto the majority, he alone can set the schedule of the Senate and turn the entire Biden agenda into a morgue of proposals. But if Democrats win the majority — and barring a serious break with Senate rules to scrap the procedural filibuster — McConnell can still gum up action by withholding consent. That’s why all eyes are on the relationship between McConnell and Biden, two septuagenarians who know their way around the Senate and its arcane rules. Each leads a party whose base is far more animated than he is inclined to be. McConnell is deeply conservative, but not prone to the theatrics of the Donald Trump-era GOP. Likewise, Biden overcame skepticism from his party’s left flank by simply arguing — and proving — he was the most-electable Democrat on the field. Both men will start 2021 on defense: McConnell’s party will be defending 20 Senate seats the following year, and Biden knows first-term Presidents seldom do well in their first midterms. Even in his victory speech, Biden paid heed to the looming negotiations and warned his most-liberal supporters that they may not get their wish lists. “I believe that this is part of the mandate given to us from the American people,” Biden said in Wilmington, Del. “They want us to cooperate in their interest.” There are reasons to see the contours of compromise on the horizon. After all, McConnell used Biden as a back-channel to the Obama White House for eight years. When things got tough, President Barack Obama often sent Biden to his ceremonial offices at the Capitol to figure out a deal, especially when it came to government funding. Republicans on the Hill despised Obama but saw Biden as one of them. “There is a reason ‘Get Joe on the phone’ is shorthand for ‘Time to get serious’ in my office,” McConnell said in 2016. Biden understood when to show deference to McConnell, who knows — as he did then — how to keep his caucus in line. Biden seldom tried to snipe any stray Senators through lobbying, which made negotiations between the pair efficient, if impersonal. In return, McConnell knew the power of gestures. During Biden’s final days as Vice President, McConnell passed a $6.3 billion cancer-research [bill](https://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/joe-biden-cancer-moonshot-bill-232342) and [renamed](https://www.cnn.com/2016/12/05/politics/joe-biden-cancer-mitch-mcconnell-beau-biden/index.html) it after Biden’s late son, Beau Biden. McConnell was upfront about his [desire](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/01/11/when-did-mitch-mcconnell-say-he-wanted-to-make-obama-a-one-term-president/) to make Obama a one-term President; there’s little reason to believe he’d like to see Biden be a two-termer. To this point, McConnell has yet to acknowledge Biden’s victory, instead paying fealty to Trump’s chase of long-shot legal challenges so as not to poke Trump’s MAGA base. Shame, after all, isn’t really McConnell’s thing. He had no hesitation in denying Obama’s third nominee to the Supreme Court a hearing, let alone a vote. As a result, that nomination passed to Trump in 2017, part of McConnell’s long-standing desire to reshape the federal benches for a generation. The first [test](https://www.wsj.com/articles/democrats-seek-covid-aid-talks-with-mcconnell-this-week-11605656941) facing the duo will be another round of coronavirus relief. McConnell has dug in so far and refused to budge on negotiations, which he has now taken over from Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. House Democrats initially sought $3.5 trillion but came down to $2.4 trillion; McConnell is more comfortable with about $650 billion. Biden has said he likes House Democrats’ plan, although anything is possible. Further down the line, it’s not too farfetched to imagine some level of compromise on an infrastructure package, a clean-energy proposal, criminal-justice reform and — now that the House is no longer under control of the Freedom Caucus — an immigration overhaul that passed the Senate in 2013 but fell flat on the other side of the Capitol. Any Senate where McConnell holds even a shred of power is likely to reject Biden’s proposed tax increases on corporations and the super-wealthy, but it’s not impossible to imagine some compromise on smaller-ticket changes to the tax code. But don’t break out the fancy pens for White House signing ceremonies just yet. Obama himself scoffed at the prospect of a Biden-McConnell collaboration. In an [interview](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/11/why-obama-fears-for-our-democracy/617087/) with The Atlantic to promote the first volume of his presidential memoirs, Obama seemed to mock the optimism about the idea in Washington right now. “Mitch McConnell is not buddy-buddy with anyone. I’m enjoying reading now about how Joe Biden and Mitch have been friends for a long time,” Obama said before making a distinction between friendship and familiarity. “They’ve _known_ each other for a long time.” Biden may not fully appreciate the difference, but McConnell sure does. _Make sense of what matters in Washington._ [_Sign up for the daily D.C. Brief newsletter._](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/politics?source=dc%5Farticle) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5913168/why-joe-biden-needs-mitch-mcconnell/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5913168/why-joe-biden-needs-mitch-mcconnell/"},"headline":"Why Joe Biden Needs Mitch McConnell to Govern","datePublished":"2020-11-18T18:27:24.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-14T09:08:24.099Z","description":"One person will determine the success of the incoming Biden Administration: Sen. Mitch McConnell.","url":"https://time.com/5913168/why-joe-biden-needs-mitch-mcconnell/","keywords":["The D.C. Brief","feature"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7a5c84b866f9cd1e/698a147386f68e86746ef6ca/GettyImages-1229654324.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Philip Elliott","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7a5c84b866f9cd1e/698a147386f68e86746ef6ca/GettyImages-1229654324.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"House And Senate Meet As Biden Calls For Coronavirus Relief Bill","caption":"House And Senate Meet As Biden Calls For Coronavirus Relief Bill","creditText":"Al Drago—Bloomberg/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/the-dc-brief/","name":"The D.C. Brief"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5913168/why-joe-biden-needs-mitch-mcconnell/","name":"Why Joe Biden Needs Mitch McConnell to Govern"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"McConnell Prevails in Kentucky","description":"Mitch McConnell is going back to the Senate, prevailing in his re-election bid early in the night. What’s unclear is this: will he be the Majority Leader or the Minority Leader come January? The Associated Press made the call soon after polls closed.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/TmcQ3MlB/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2020-11-04T02:56:15.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/TmcQ3MlB.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5913168/why-joe-biden-needs-mitch-mcconnell/","duration":"PT1M3S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5913168/why-joe-biden-needs-mitch-mcconnell/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```