Biden makes Trump seem like uniter
3resident -oe Biden promised to usher in a golden age of bipartisan cooperation, but instead he is showing a reverse 0idas touch – – taking issues that once united Republicans and 'emocrats and making them partisan and divisive.
8ntil Biden came along, every single covid- relief bill was approved with overwhelming bipartisan support in both houses. &ongress passed three covid relief packages in 0arch with margins of - ,
- , and - in the Senate, and with overwhelming bi- partisan support in the House. This was followed in $pril by the 3aycheck 3rotection 3rogram and Health &are (nhancement $ct, which passed - in the House and by unanimous consent in the Senate. Indeed, the votes were so bipartisan that 'emocrats blocked another covid relief package until after (lection 'ay – – because they did not want to let 3resident 'onald Trump claim credit for another bipartisan victory before voters went to the polls. But after he lost and they finally allowed another covid bill to come up for a vote in 'ecember, it passed both houses of &ongress with similar margins.
For Biden, who promised to put his “whole soul” into uniting Republicans and 'emocrats, passing a bipartisan covid bill should have been a layup. I mean, Trump did it five times. But instead, the president has turned unity into division by using covid relief as a prete[t to pass all sorts of liberal spending projects that have nothing to do with the pandemic. He did so even after Republican senators, led by Sen. Susan &ollins, R-0aine, came to the White House and offered him a path to a filibuster-proof bipartisan majority. 1ot only did the president reject their offer, last week he actually tried to blame the senators, saying that “they didn¶t move an inch” from their initial proposal of billion. That¶s a lie, the senators responded: Biden never gave negotiation a chance. “Fewer than
hours after our meeting in the Oval Office, the Senate 'emocratic /eader began the process of triggering reconciliation which precluded Republican participation,” all
Republicans e[plained in a statement, adding that the White House “roundly dismissed our effort . . . in order to justify its go-it-alone strategy.”
1ow, Biden is trying to do the same thing when it comes to infrastructure. There has long been strong support among Republican leaders for an infrastructure package of as much as trillion. But instead of uniting Republicans and 'emocrats around a bipartisan deal, Biden is using infrastructure as a prete[t to spend more ta[ dollars on things that have nothing to do with infrastructure. $ 3olitico analysis of his . trillion proposal found that only billion, or percent, is focused on traditional infrastructure items such as transportation, electricity and Internet. $dd another billion for clean drinking water, and that comes to billion – – almost precisely the amount Republican leaders are on record supporting. Biden could easily win enough *O3 support for an infrastructure package of this magnitude and pass it by a bipartisan, filibuster-proof majority.
But instead, he has loaded up his bill with another
. trillion in spending that has little or no relation to infrastructure. For e[ample, his proposal includes billion to support e[panded home care for seniors. This might be a worthy social program, but what does it have to do with infrastructure" On Fo[ 1ews Sunday, Biden¶s 1ational (conomic &ouncil director, Brian 'eese, justified it as “the infrastructure of care” – – which is ridiculous. He¶s not alone. Sen. .irsten *illibrand, '-1.<., recently tweeted, “3aid leave is infrastructure. &hild care is infrastructure. &aregiving is infrastructure.” This is Orwellian. If Republicans had tried to tack on a billion boost in defense spending as part of an infrastructure package and claimed that “defense is infrastructure,” 'emocrats would have howled.
But Biden does not seem to care. -ust like his covid package, he is trying to ram his infrastructure plan through &ongress using the budget reconciliation process, which reTuires no Republican votes. The only obstacles he faces are within the 'emocratic caucus, from moderates who oppose the ta[ increases he has proposed, and progressives who think he does not spend enough.
How does Biden justify the hyperpartisan start to his presidency" -ust as 'emocrats redefined “infrastructure,” the president is now trying to redefine “bipartisanship.” Biden recently declared, “I would like . . . elected Republican support, but what I know I have now is that I have electoral support from Republican voters.” First, that is flat untrue – – in a recent *allup poll, just of Republicans approved of Biden¶s job performance. Second, that is not what Biden promised. He pledged to work “across the aisle to reach consensus.” Instead, he¶s making the Trump presidency seem like a golden age of unity by comparison.