CINCINNATI (AP) — Sen. Rob Portman had worked through the night repeatedly as the lead Republican negotiator in a bipartisan group seeking an infrastructure deal. For the Ohio Republican and a handful of other lawmakers, the talks became something of a test of whether Washington can still work. But Portman says he wasn’t surprised when a hard-won breakthrough started to sink. Still, he says in an Associated Press interview he’s not giving up on passing infrastructure legislation. Portman, who worked under both President George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, isn’t seeking a third term in 2022. He made that announcement in January, saying it had become too hard to get things done in Washington.
Sen. Portman still champions bipartisanship, against tide
