In town to help break ground on a new Forage Animal Production Lab at the University of Kentucky, McConnell also spoke with reporters about the debt ceiling negotiations and sought to tamp down tensions as the June 1 deadline approaches.
The minority leader said everyone needs to "relax" and reiterated his statement that the U.S. will not default, despite growing questions surrounding the labored talks on Capitol Hill.
"Regardless of what may be said about the talks on a day-to-day basis, the president and the speaker will reach an agreement, it will ultimately be passed on a bipartisan vote in both the House and the Senate," the GOP leader stated.
McConnell characterized the Republican demands to attach spending cuts to the debt limit hike as standard operating procedure in divided government.
While the exact date of a default is an estimate, even the threat of one can cause problems. In 2011, the potential for a default led to the first US federal government credit rating downgrade in the country's history.
