Biden’s disciplined agenda rollout tested by the unexpected

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has taken tremendous pride in methodically unveiling its agenda, particularly the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief measure the president hopes to trumpet over the next several weeks. But a growing list of unforeseen challenges is beginning to scramble the White House’s plans.

In less than a week, two mass shootings have overshadowed President Joe Biden’s “Help is Here” tour at which he planned to herald the ways his administration is helping Americans recovering from the pandemic. The White House has also struggled to respond to the growth in unaccompanied minors crossing the U.S.-Mexico border or blunt a nationwide effort by Republican legislatures to tighten election laws.

Biden’s meticulous approach to the presidency is intended to serve as a stark departure from the chaos of his predecessor, Donald Trump. But the rapid developments over the past week are a reminder that even the most disciplined administration can only control so much.

“Every president and their staff make plans but every day the plans get blown up by reality,“said Ari Fleischer, who was press secretary to George W. Bush when that administration’s priorities were suddenly swamped by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. “Outside events intervene and force you to play defense or improvise or change your plans nearly every day. If you can’t juggle, you don’t belong in the White House.”

The juggle is intensifying at a critical moment for Biden. The most valuable asset of presidents is their time, especially in their opening months in office, when the concerns of future elections are distant. There were signs on Tuesday that the patience of Biden’s diverse coalition may be fraying.

Two Democratic senators, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, condemned the lack of diversity in Biden’s Cabinet. Scrutiny of those advising Biden has intensified after last week’s shooting in Atlanta, which killed eight people, including six women of Asian descent. The violence came during a wave of attacks against Asian Americans over the past year.

Duckworth said she raised her concerns with the White House on Tuesday and she and Hirono threatened to withhold their votes on nominations until the administration addresses the matter. In a Senate that’s evenly divided, such a move could have significant ramifications.

“I’ve been talking to them for months and they’re still not aggressive, so I’m not going to be voting for any nominee from the White House other than diversity nominees,” Duckworth told reporters. “I’ll be a no on everyone until they figure this out.”

Hirono made her aggravation with the White House clear. “I shared the frustration that the AAPI community has that there’s not been a significant number of AAPIs at the Cabinet level,” she said of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Biden could soon face another fight if he follows through with his commitment to tighten gun regulations. After Monday’s shooting at a Boulder,

Col., supermarket that killed 10 people, Biden urged Congress to close loopholes in the background check system and ban assault weapon and high-capacity magazines.

Biden homed in on closing what is known as the Charleston loophole — provision in federal law that gives a gun seller discretion on whether to proceed with a sale if the FBI fails to determine within three business days whether a buyer is eligible to purchase a gun.

“That’s one of the best tools we have right now to prevent gun violence,” Biden said.

Biden, as a candidate, promised rapid action on gun control, including some steps on his first day in office. But the polarizing issue was quietly sidelined by the focus on the virus effort and the imperative to prioritize his agenda with narrow Democratic majorities in Congress and the legislative filibuster in place.

During the general election, Biden managed to quell much of the intraparty divisions that have so often riven Democrats by rallying them around a central purpose: defeating Trump.

After his election, his team adopted the same principle to unite the Democratic factions by again organizing around a common motivation: passing the massive $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill.