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President Biden Virtually Joins Annual US-ASEAN Summit
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 26: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks during the annual U.S.-ASEAN Summit via video link from the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on October 26, 2021 in Washington, DC. According to the White House, Biden talked about efforts "to end the COVID-19 pandemic, address the climate crisis, promote economic growth, and address a range of other regional challenges and opportunities."
After Democrats struggled to agree on the outlines of a trillion-dollar spending bill, US President Joe Biden is under pressure to follow through on a crucial campaign promise. Biden is hoping to secure an agreement on his Build Back Better legislation before leaving for the COP26 Summit on Thursday.
According to sources, the amount spent would need to be lowered by around $1.5-2 trillion to bring key Democrats on board. The Australian's Washington Correspondent Adam Creighton has called the proposal the "amazing shrinking bill," as per Express.co.
Disagreements over Biden's broader spending plans have halted plans for the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives to vote on the President's huge infrastructure measure this week.
White House, Pelosi urge Democrats to embrace Biden's spending proposal
Despite high-level negotiations with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have so far refused to support the President's plan.
Before Joe Biden's departure to Europe on Thursday, when he'll attend a global climate summit, Democrats are under pressure to embrace the newest watered-down version of his Build Back Better spending bill.
Both White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) urged progressive and moderate Democrats to work together on Biden's broad social and climate proposal on Tuesday.
Per Daily Mail, Pelosi pushed colleagues in a closed-door conference to embrace the multi-trillion-dollar spending proposal as the clock ticked down on her ability to deliver Biden's program to the floor.
Meanwhile, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) indicated that the leadership is hopeful that the Build Back Better price tag discussions would be completed in the next few hours.
Psaki was asked at her daily briefing what she would say to lawmakers who are still dissatisfied after weeks of back-and-forth. She stated that the White House feels the Democrats' choice is clear.
The first spending proposal proposed by the Progressives was $3.5 trillion. A federally required 12-week paid family leave, an expanded child tax credit, tuition-free community college, a sustainable energy norm, and the formation of a civilian climate corps were among the improvements.
Joe Biden's approval rating declines amid dilemma in passing budget measures
However, after weeks of deadlock fuelled by Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) opposition, it looks that the budget package will not surpass $2 trillion. With no Republican backing, the bill will need the votes of essentially every Democrat in Congress to pass.
Biden's own planned paid family leave scheme, which might be cut to four weeks or none at all, is one of the measures on the chopping block.
Psaki wouldn't say if Biden would still support the bill if it didn't include it, but she highlighted the need of getting something on the president's desk by Thursday, when he leaves for a meeting with Pope Francis in Rome, followed by the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland.
Pelosi encouraged Democrats in a closed-door caucus meeting to embrace whatever compromise is reached, regardless of the cost. President Joe Biden's popularity is in the doldrums, with his approval rating hitting an all-time low on Friday, as he tries to pass two major budget measures on Capitol Hill.
On Monday, Biden earned a 43.5 percent popularity rating and a 50.6 percent disapproval rating, according to a poll-of-polls conducted by data website FiveThirtyEight.
According to the website, Biden had a 53 percent approval rating and a 36 percent disapproval rating at the start of his term. The Democratic president's popularity rating hit a record low of 43.4 percent on Friday, while disapproval hit a new high of 50.7 percent, Newsweek via MSN reported.
However, Biden's approval ratings have plummeted since the US mishandled its pullout from Afghanistan in August, which resulted in the deaths of 160 Afghans and 13 American service members in a terror assault.
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