Opinion: Biden’s honeymoon is ending

Opinion: Biden’s honeymoon is ending
The Biden administration has successfully ramped up the vaccine rollout, hitting the President’s goal of administering 100 million shots in his first 100 days several weeks ahead of schedule. And while Republicans were stirring up outrage over Mr. Potato Head and Dr. Seuss, Democrats won a huge legislative victory with the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. The measure, which is massive in scope, included stimulus checks for the vast majority of American households as well as an expansion of the child tax credit and the Affordable Care Act.
Unlike former President Barack Obama, Biden didn’t waste much time searching for elusive Republican support and instead gave the green light to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to use the reconciliation process so Democrats could pass the bill with a simple majority. That strategy has paid off — polls show the majority of Republican voters support the bill and Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi went so far as to laud the American Rescue Plan’s funding for small businesses, despite voting against the bill himself. Although some key provisions were lost along the way, such as a $15 minimum wage, the factions within the Democratic Party forged ahead and put on a united front.

But now Biden faces an uphill battle. Without reconciliation, which can only be used for certain tax, spending and debt limit bills, Biden confronts a legislative wasteland. Any major initiative, whether it addresses voting rights or climate change, is likely to face McConnell, who has proven he is willing to do whatever is necessary to obstruct the Democrats’ agenda, even if this means damaging the strength of the Senate as a deliberative institution. With the current 50-50 split in the Senate, Democrats will find it all but impossible to meet the 60-vote threshold to advance legislation.

Democrats must seriously consider reforming or abandoning the filibuster if they want a chance at staying in power, building on the success of the…

Read the full article at rss.cnn.com

More

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Opinion: Biden's honeymoon is ending

 

Log In

Or with username:

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.