Vulnerable Democrat Rep. Kim Schrier (WA) walks a tightrope with President Joe Biden as she continues to play both sides, appearing with him when she deems his presence beneficial to her campaign and slamming his administration when she doesn’t.
Schrier voiced her opinion this past weekend during an appearance on MSNBC’s Alex Witt Reports when she lambasted Biden over the baby formula shortage.
“What the heck happened?” she asked, referring to Biden’s inaction on the shortage, noting that the product was recalled in February after four infants were hospitalized and that “bacterial infections may have contributed to death in two patients.”
“Nothing was done,” she added. “You could have predicted in February that this would become an emergency, and we didn’t see anything happen in terms of stepping up, importing, and enacting the Defence Production Act, getting competitors to ramp up, until now.”
This isn’t the first time observers have noticed Schrier’s inconsistent posture toward the president. Schrier was called out last month for criticizing Biden’s border policies despite having voted for several pieces of Biden-backed legislation relating to the border.
Schrier’s critical remarks come roughly one month after Biden visited Washington, where the congresswoman campaigned with him. Biden signed an executive order that was intended to help restore national forests devastated by disasters.
During the visit, Schrier looked extremely close to the president and even held hands with Biden while walking with several other Democrat lawmakers.
But Democrats, like Schrier, are trying to play both sides — staying close to Biden while also criticizing him and his administration when it suits them — as the president’s poll numbers have crumbled.
Having been in office for over a year, Biden has received low approval ratings due to his handling of the supply chain crisis, record-high inflation, a baby formula shortage, and the botched Afghanistan withdrawal. His marquee legislative proposal, the $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act (BBB), has been dead in the water for some time.
Months ago, in September, the Washington State Wire acknowledged that support for Biden was evaporating in Schrier’s Eighth Congressional District. At the time, 45 percent of voters said they would vote for Schrier against an unnamed Republican candidate, while only 44 percent said they would vote for the Republican. The poll also found that 50 percent of the voters disapproved of Biden, while only 46 percent approved.
Months later, Biden’s national approval rating has continued to hit all-time lows, which could hurt Schrier in her reelection bid. Her congressional district had been moved to “toss-up” status by the Cook Political Report.
Republican Jesse Jensen — the former Army Ranger and president of Task Force Argo who is looking to unseat Rep. Kim Schrier in the midterms — recently slammed her corruption and her congressional voting record during an appearance on SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Saturday. He pledged to be a tireless advocate for his constituents if elected:
“I’m going to fight for every single man, woman, and child in the Eighth Congressional District. And I’m not going to be a rubber stamp for my party or for anyone… Schrier has a 100 percent voting record with Nancy Pelosi. She’s not met a tax increase or spending increase that she doesn’t like.”
This was not the first time Jensen has taken aim at the Democrat for being a “rubber stamp” for Biden.
Last November, he also called out Schrier for rubber-stamping Biden’s Build Back Better Act. He argued, “Whether it’s the Afghanistan withdrawal, the porous border, defunding our police, or imposing massive inflation on American families, Kim Schrier and liberal Democrats continue to fail, and we keep paying the price.”
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.
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