Democrat Senators on Thursday have complained about Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) Senate dysfunction amid legislative failures.
In 2021, he Senate has yet to pass in the routine National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), appropriations to fund the government, a fresh debt ceiling limit, and President Biden’s massive 1.9 trillion reconciliation package.
Schumer promised all these provisions would be completed by Christmas, though it is looking less likely the deliberative body will deliver on months-overdue legislation.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) pointed out Schumer’s mismanagement to Politico:
Here we are in December, we don’t have a national defense authorization act completed. We don’t have an appropriations process completed. We’ve got a debt ceiling limit we’re going to run up against once again. And there’s only four or five items for the whole year you’re expected to get done.
“I’m just tired of it,” he added.
Democrat Senators are echoing Rounds’ points of frustration. But it seems the best Schumer can do is promise votes that never seem to result in enacted legislation. Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) told Politico:
Our national politics have become less and less tolerant, less and less respectful, less and less constructive, and we’re a representative body. Clearly there’s a rising number of House and Senate members whose home states are saying, ‘go to Washington and stop those fill-in-the-blank.’
A key point of contention for Democrats is that Schumer has promised the left since the spring he will pass Biden’s reconciliation package. But Schumer has not yet delivered, with deadlines only becoming tighter. As political campaigns begin to swing into action, it will become more difficult to pass Biden’s radical agenda with moderate members seeking to win reelection.
Far-left Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) told the establishment media outlet he is confident McConnell could fix the Democrat-controlled Senate logjam, noting McConnell does not have an incentive to fix the opposition party.
“Mitch McConnell has done … what, to fix this?” Brown questioned McConnell’s lack of concern for the Democrats. “McConnell can fix this in 15 seconds.”
Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) complained that Schumer is too weak to convince all 50 Democrat senators to support Biden’s agenda. Just on Thursday, for instance, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) would not indicate if he would support Schumer’s measure to fund the government.
“You know the vulnerability of the Senate. It only takes one … Schumer’s earning his paycheck this week,” Durbin said.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø
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