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A28 u.s. news
Diamars 19 OctOber 2021

Crunch time: Biden faces critical next 2 weeks for agenda

the legislation that is a lock to Glasgow, at a summit that the
make the final package. administration has held out
as a vital opportunity not just
Even Democratic leaders are to combat climate change but
divided on the best way to to reassert U.S. leadership on
shrink the overall price tag the issue after four years of
of the package in order to retrenchment under Presi-
win over more votes. Biden dent Donald Trump. The
said Friday he prefers includ- United States will be bring-
ing all of the wish-list pro- ing a major footprint to the
posals, but trimming down gathering — including for-
the length of the programs mer President Barack Obama
to cut costs. His thinking is — but it risks falling behind
that a future Congress can European nations that have
vote later to extend programs taken more concrete steps to
that the American people will cut emissions.
find popular.
Biden’s stop in Scotland early
But days earlier, House in November will follow his
Speaker Nancy Pelosi sug- participation in a summit of
gested the opposite tack — world leaders in Rome. But
approving a narrower set of Chinese President Xi Jin-
programs to last for a longer ping’s decision to skip the
time period. gatherings — delaying the
first meeting between the
Some Democrats have leaders of the two superpow-
pushed for passing the bi- ers — could diminish their
partisan infrastructure deal relevance. Still, Biden is ex-
by Oct. 31 even if the larger pected to meet in Italy with
social services package is not French President Emmanuel
(AP) — President Joe the nation’s economic recov- of that,” she said. settled, a move many pro- Macron as the men look to
Biden is entering a crucial ery and sent his poll numbers gressives dislike because they repair relations after a U.S.
two weeks for his ambi- tumbling. For the White House, there could lose leverage for the submarine deal with Austra-
tious agenda, racing to are the explicit target dates, latter bill. lia scuttled a French contract
conclude contentious con- His team has continued its including an end-of-month and led the French to briefly
gressional negotiations strategy — one that served it deadline on transportation The fate of climate change withdraw their ambassador
ahead of both domestic well during the campaign and funding and Biden’s upcom- provisions is particularly per- from Washington.
deadlines and a chance to earlier this year — of block- ing foreign trip. But there are ilous.
showcase his administra- ing out the outside noise to also more abstract impera- Also looming is the Nov. 2
tion’s accomplishments stay focused on a singular tives: proving Democrats can West Virginia Sen. Joe Man- gubernatorial election in Vir-
on a global stage. mission, this time to pass the deliver on their promises to chin’s objections to a pro- ginia, which is regarded as a
two-part package that will voters and protecting Biden’s gram aimed at speeding the referendum on Biden and
Biden and his fellow Demo- give Democrats a platform on waning political capital. nation’s transition away from the Democrats’ chances of
crats are struggling to bridge which to run in next year’s fossil fuels threatens the heart retraining control over Con-
intraparty divides by month’s midterm elections. With new urgency, the ad- of Biden’s plans to combat gress next year.
end to pass a bipartisan in- ministration has sent signals climate change just before he
frastructure bill and a larger “These bills, in my view, are to Capitol Hill in recent days tries to assert American lead- Terry McAuliffe, who pre-
social services package. The literally about competitive- that it is time to wrap up ne- ership on the issue at the up- viously served as the state’s
president hopes to nail down ness versus complacency, gotiations, that a deal needs coming global conference in governor, is locked in a clos-
both before Air Force One about opportunity versus to be reached, according to Scotland. er-than-expected race with
lifts off for Europe on Oct. decay, and about leading the two White House officials Republican businessman
28 for a pair of world leader world or continuing to let the who spoke on condition of “It is absolutely pivotal that Glenn Youngkin in a state
summits, including the most world move by us,” Biden anonymity because they were these pieces of legislation that Biden won by 10 points
ambitious climate change said Friday while pushing the not authorized to publicly have climate components last year.
meeting in years. legislation in Connecticut. discuss private conversations. and they will to address the
Biden himself has expressed climate crisis,” Psaki said McAuliffe has been surpris-
But that goal has been jeop- Yet beneath the White impatience and will be in- Monday while declining to ingly public in his criticism
ardized by fractures among House’s pleas for patience — creasing his own personal specify how the White House of the administration’s legis-
Democrats, imperiling the reminding people that hard outreach this week to push was aiming to adapt the pack- lative strategy, urging Demo-
fate of promised sweeping things take time — is a bub- lawmakers to find a compro- age to win Manchin’s sup- crats to pass the infrastructure
new efforts to grapple with bling sense of urgency that a mise and bring the bills to a port. bill before Election Day to
climate change. There’s also deal needs to be struck rap- vote, the officials said. give him something to show
rising anxiety within the par- idly. The Democrats’ razor-thin voters. White House officials
ty about a bellwether guber- West Wing officials are still margins in both houses of privately expect McAuliffe to
natorial contest in Virginia Press secretary Jen Psaki said optimistic that an agreement Congress have empow- emerge with a narrow win
and looming Senate fights Monday that Biden spent the will ultimately be struck, but ered individual lawmakers and believe they can ignore
over the federal debt limit weekend engaging with law- there are also fears that the like Manchin and Arizona worries about a smaller-than-
and government funding that makers and planned to host messy, drawn-out negotia- Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, vex- expected margin of victory.
could distract from getting both moderate and progres- tion has clouded the tangible ing fellow lawmakers and the
the president’s agenda across sive Democratic lawmakers benefits of what Biden aims White House. White House But a tight outcome, or a
the finish line. at the White House on Tues- to deliver to voters. aides have not abandoned the Youngkin win, could rattle
day, saying Biden was “en- clean energy program but are Democrats uncertain about
Biden is trying to stabilize his couraged by accelerated pace Biden sought to address some exploring alternate means to Biden’s political coattails
presidency after a difficult of talks.” of that when he traveled to string together a mix of poli- — potentially making them
stretch marked by the tumul- Hartford, Connecticut, last cies to cut emissions, officials less likely to take risky votes
tuous end of the Afghanistan “We are at a point where week to showcase initiatives said. for his agenda — and would
war, a diplomatic spat with a we feel an urgency to move to sharply reduce the cost of buoy Republicans heading
longtime ally and a surge in things forward and the pick- early childhood care — per- Abandoning the provi- into the midterms.
COVID-19 cases that rattled up of meetings is a reflection haps one of the only pieces of sions could wound Biden in