We are no strangers to contentious political battles. As former majority leaders in the U.S. Senate from opposing parties, we used to wage them. But for all our differences, that never stopped us from being able to collaborate productively with the other side on common interests and tackle challenges facing our nation.

That’s why we believe that it’s so imperative for the new Congress and the Biden administration to cooperate, not only to ease suffering and end this pandemic, but to stop the drift toward mistrust in government among the electorate, which boiled over into disturbing acts of insurrection earlier this month when rioters attacked the Capitol in a troubling assault that left five dead.