After failing to meet their self-imposed deadline on infrastructure and social spending, Democrats are looking for a reset. Some moderates in the party are not happy.
Summary
The White House is trying to reset expectations after deadlines on infrastructure and “social spending” legislation came and went, with President Biden saying “everybody’s frustrated.”
- After failing to get a handful of moderates on board with $3.5 trillion in additional spending on social programs, Biden will try to sell both progressives and moderates on a $2 trillion compromise.
- Moderates seem disappointed Biden was siding with progressives in allowing the delay of passing a bipartisan infrastructure bill tied by Democratic leadership to the social spending bill.
- With “offsets” by increases taxes on corporations and high-income Americans, Democrats believe they can sell a slimmed-down social spending bill as fully paid for.
- President Biden, when leaving for Delaware for the weekend, “declined to set a deadline” for passage of the bills.
- The New York Times elevated the grumbling of moderate Democrats on Capitol Hill who are disappointed with Biden’s embrace of the progressive wing of the party.
- CNN promoted Biden’s meeting with House Democrats as an “off-ramp” from the “slow-motion game of chicken” Democrat moderates and progressives have been playing. (There was zero coverage of any of Biden’s legislative failings on CNN’s front page.)
- Newsweek celebrated Biden’s alignment with progressives while highlighting Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s statement criticizing progressives.
- Former Trump cabinet nominee Andy Puzder wrote for Fox Business that Biden’s agenda is not just expensive, but that the “wide-ranging policy implications” also “constitute an unprecedented assault” on the American economic model.
- OANN celebrated the temporary demise of Biden’s agenda on Capitol Hill, calling it “a monster of his own making.”
- Townhall.com reported on Speaker Pelosi’s apparent new deadline to get the smaller, bipartisan infrastructure bill passed: October 31, casting skepticism that she will hold firm on the new deadline.
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© Dallas Gerber, 2021
