The upcoming few months will push Joe Biden to wield every drop of his impact on Congress. Democrats are now plunging into a mess of internal debates over social programs like child care, drug pricing, etc. they are trying to beat back the GOP resistance on voting rights. At the same time, it is trying to steer the US away from the economic catastrophe. To avert the government shutdown, Democratic lawmakers are urging Biden to have more direct involvement.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin said that Biden maintained sway over his caucus’s 50 members. Hence there is no comparable political force to him at this moment. Biden answered this call. He is getting involved in the chaotic fall session of Congress. He battles sagging approval; ratings. Also, he is dealing with raised concerns around the pandemic and criticism for army withdrawal from Afghanistan.
However, even if he is having success on many fronts, he still needs to maintain momentum on election legislation for Democrats. Biden met two of the key Democratic holdouts on his domestic spending agenda Wednesday. It falls as part of a sustained push to keep Kyrsten Sinema and Manchin on board with his legislative program. He met Sinema four times. Also, he made phone calls with him. Now is the time for the president to jump with full force into the reconciliation conversation.
Andrew Bates, a spokesperson for Biden, said that the president and his administration “are in frequent touch with Congress about each key priority: protecting the sacred right to vote, ensuring our economy delivers for the middle class and not just those at the top, and preventing needless damage to the recovery from the second-worst economic downturn in American history.”
To help corral all the 50 senate democrats, the president and his party need to create an echo chamber around its substance. But it will not be easy. Manchin told his colleagues that he is much worried about whether the safety net, tax reforms, and climate action will be popular in the state or not. He further said that he would not support a measure at the current level of spending.
Credits: POLITICO
