Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, penned an op-ed published on Sunday urging President Biden to use “executive action” to “make clear to those who hinder Build Back Better that the White House and Democrats will deliver for Americans.”
Biden’s social spending plan was dealt a serious blow last weekend when Sen. Joe Manchin announced on “Fox News Sunday” that he is a “no” on the social spending bill. The Senate is evenly divided 50-50 and the Biden administration cannot afford to lose one vote on the legislation.
Jayapal penned an op-ed in the Washington Post Sunday that called out Manchin for reneging on his position to support the framework of the bill, which she called a “stunning rebuke of his own party’s president.”
Biden’s critics say he is being pulled to his party’s left and was not elected president with the mandate to fundamentally change the country. Progressives in the House who come from dark blue districts do not reflect the political appetite of the country, they say. But most in his party say he has a finite period of time to pass key parts of his agenda and needs to take bold action.
The president himself seems to be running low on patience. He said in a recent interview that he would support an exception to the Senate’s filibuster rule when it comes to the wide-ranging election and campaign finance reform bill that passed the Democrat-controlled House earlier this year but hit a roadblock in the Senate.
