Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says President Barack Obama is obstructing the change American voters want by threatening to veto the first bill introduced in the new, Republican-controlled Senate.

Despite that disagreement over approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, McConnell held out hope Wednesday that Republicans could work with Obama on issues such as trade agreements, infrastructure improvements and rewriting tax laws.

In his first major speech since becoming Senate majority leader, the Kentucky Republican held out hope of working with the Democratic president on bigger efforts. He said those included protecting and strengthening Medicare and Social Security, balancing the budget and whittling away the national debt.

But McConnell says Obama is the only one who can lead Democrats to compromise and get things done.

(AP)