President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better agenda, rife with welfare spending and tax hikes on American workers, is facing a critical nine days, in which the White House is hoping for a legislative victory to push Democrat gubernatorial candidates in New Jersey and Virginia over the finish line.
“The next nine days are the most important of Biden’s young presidency: He needs to rescue his legislative agenda in Congress, [and] rescue his party’s political candidates in two states,” Politico Playbook wrote Monday.
Within the next nine days, Biden will go across the country to promote the largest welfare package since Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society legislation and travel to Rome to talk about “climate change” with world leaders. Next Tuesday, November 2, New Jersey and Virginia elect new governors.
Both Republican candidates in New Jersey and Virginia have closed gaps in the polls in recent weeks. Republican Jack Ciattarelli is only six points behind Gov. Phil Murphy (D), overcoming a 26 point gap, while Republican Glenn Youngkin is now tied with Democrat Terry McAuliffe in Virginia.
The close races in heavily blue states are worrisome for Biden, who has failed to deliver his vision for massive welfare spending and taxation. Both Democrat candidates could benefit from a successful legislative agenda from the White House.
As a result, “this afternoon, the president will promote BIF [$1.2 trillion “bipartisan” infrastructure bill] and BBB [$3.5 trillion reconciliation package] in Newark, N.J.,” Playbook reported.
“Biden’s presence in the deep blue state follows a Newark appearance by none other than Barack Obama on Saturday,” Playbook continued. “While nobody seems to think Murphy will lose, we have heard repeatedly from New Jersey pols [sic] that there is a serious lack of enthusiasm among Democrats in the state.”
President Joe Biden (L) and Vice President Kamala Harris attend the 10th anniversary celebration of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial near the Tidal Basin on the National Mall on October 21, 2021, in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
On Sunday, Biden reportedly had breakfast with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in Wilmington, Delaware, to hammer out a final compromise on the $3.5 trillion package. According to Playbook, “Instead, it was another day of inconclusive talks. (‘Progress, but not there yet,’ a White House official revealed to Playbook.) So Biden will begin his tour of the two big 2021 electoral battleground states without a deal in hand.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) continues to sing an ever-optimistic tune about passing Biden’s welfare agenda before the gubernatorial election. “I think we’re pretty much there now,” Pelosi said Sunday about an agreement on a framework for the $3.5 trillion package. She said a vote on both bills would come in the coming week.
“We will have something that will meet the president’s goal,” Pelosi added. “I’m very confident about that, even though it will be different than what we originally proposed.”
President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) depart after a House Democratic Caucus meeting on Capitol Hill, October 1, 2021, in Washington, DC. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
But Manchin threw cold water on Democrats’ optimism last week, suggesting Biden’s agenda will not be completed. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) has also not yet signed off on the massive tax-and-spend legislation due to opposing tax increases.
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