Biden’s double blow over voting and Covid

Republicans celebrate as senator puts brakes on president’s agenda and he suffers Supreme Court loss

Joe Biden’s attempt to overhaul how Congress passes laws was dashed by one of his Democrat senators last night as his agenda stalled and his popularity plunged to a new low. It came as the US Supreme Court delivered a blow to the US president’s Covid policy by blocking his vaccine mandate for businesses of more than 100 workers. A Quinnipiac poll showed Mr Biden’s approval rating had plunged to 33 per cent, the lowest of any major poll in his presidency.

JOE BIDEN’S bid to overhaul how Congress passes laws was dashed by one of his own Democrat senators last night as his agenda stalled and his popularity plunged to a new low.

It came as the US Supreme Court delivered a major blow to the president’s Covid policy by blocking his vaccine mandate for businesses of more than 100 workers. However, judges have agreed the vaccine should be compulsory for health care workers at facilities receiving state funding.

In a last-ditch attempt to pass voting reform laws, the president was seeking to bypass the filibuster, a Senate process which means legislation can currently only succeed with some opposition support.

He needed the backing of all 50 Democrat senators to do so but Kyrsten Sinenma, the Democrat Arizona senator, said the move would be “shortsighted” and “worsen the underlying disease of division in our country”.

Mitch Mcconnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, said: “She [Ms Sinema] literally saved the Senate as an institution. It was an act of conspicuous political courage.”

Mr Mcconnell condemned Mr Biden’s failed attempt to change the rules, accusing him of “pure demagoguery”, and “pouring a giant can of gasoline on the fire” in an already bitterly divided country.

In a rare intervention Barack Obama, the former US president, gave his full support to Mr Biden. He used his first newspaper opinion piece since leaving office to tell Democrats to “fight for our democracy” and said the filibuster was “standing in the way”.

The row came as a Quinnipiac poll showed Mr Biden’s approval rating had plunged to 33 per cent, the lowest of any major poll in his presidency so far. At the same stage of Donald Trump’s presidency he was on 36 per cent.

The Senate is currently split 50-50 with Kamala Harris, the vice-president, holding a casting vote. However, the filibuster rule requires a supermajority of 60 votes, rather than a simple majority to pass most laws.

Such is the importance of the electoral reform legislation to Mr Biden that he endorsed the rare tactic of creating an exception to the filibuster – the socalled “nuclear option”.

Opponents of the tactic argue it would lead to further erosion of the filibuster, and turmoil every time power in Washington changes hands.

Mr Biden has pursued voting reform legislation after Republicans in 19 states passed dozens of recent electoral laws. Democrats have accused Republicans of making it harder to vote, particularly for minorities who tend to back Leftwing candidates.

Mr Biden’s proposed laws would include making Election Day a national holiday and expanding access to postal voting, and more early voting.

In a fiery speech on the Senate floor on Wednesday night, Mr Mcconnell said he had “known and liked” Mr Biden a long time, but “no longer recognised the man”, calling him “profoundly unpresidential” and divisive.