Washington has done it again. This country has pressing needs, and our representatives in Washington have failed to pass legislation to address them. I’m talking about two key pieces of President Biden’s agenda: The $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill and the $3.5 trillion “human infrastructure bill.” Both measures enjoy wide bipartisan support among voters. Why can’t the White House and our representatives in Washington get their act together and get them passed?
That’s the question I have been wrestling with the last several days.
Progressives refuse to pass the $1.5 trillion bill until an agreement is reached on the larger bill. So-called “moderate” Democrats disagree on linking the two bills. They believe the “roads and bridges” infrastructure bill should be passed on its own merits. Meanwhile, Speaker Pelosi and President Biden have tried, and thus far failed, to get the two groups to compromise with each other.
But is the fight really about progressives versus moderates? What about the Republicans? Are they really against both bills, or are they simply anxious to deny Biden and Democrats a “win” of any type? Put another way, are Republicans ready to let bridges collapse from disrepair to position themselves better for 2022 and 2024?
These are not easy questions. There are lots of moving parts. A book could, and most likely will, be written to explain what is happening and why. I will want to read it because the mess in Washington is starting to look like a crisis of institutions rather than a crisis of leadership. Has Congress become hopelessly and permanently dysfunctional? Good question.
I don’t have the answer, but to try to bring some clarity to the impasse it is worth looking at the major players, and what they are doing. After that it’s easier to figure out who is part of the solution and who is part of the problem.
Here’s my assessment:
Speaker Pelosi. Her job has been to force her party’s moderates and progressives to compromise. She’s making progress, but thus far has not succeeded. As a result, she is getting criticism from both groups. I’m sympathetic to her but wonder if she’s up to the task.
House Republicans. I fault them for their blanket opposition to the Biden agenda, which they describe as “socialism.” If you view child hunger, failing schools, the absence of affordable healthcare, and a growing income gap between the rich and the poor a problem, you must disagree with House Republicans. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy deserves special criticism for focusing more on winning the next election than on governing.
House “progressives.” Ever since AOC got elected to Congress, progressives have attempted to seize control of the Democratic party. To a degree, they have succeeded. With few exceptions, non-progressive Democrats are afraid to suggest that proposals to spend trillions of dollars are problematic. As a result, the progressives have felt little need to compromise. I fault them from playing chicken with the Biden agenda. There is a real possibility that both infrastructure bills will fail passage, not because of “Republican obstructionism” but because of the progressives’ “my way or the highway” mentality.
Bernie Sanders. The Socialist Senator from Vermont is the tail that wags the Democratic Senate dog. Even though he is technically not a Democrat, as chair of the Senate Budget Committee, he has pushed Democrats to resist compromise with Republicans. As a result, he has made Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell’s job easy. McConnell would like to characterize all Democrats as irresponsible tax and spend politicians. Thanks to Sanders (and his House counterparts), that’s been an easy task.
Senate Republicans. Even moderates who think the $3.5 trillion bill is too expensive are frustrated with McConnell and his fellow Republicans. McConnell is committed to make Biden a failed president. That is abdicating his responsibilities as a Senator. McConnell’s Republican Senate colleagues, the people who chose him as their leader, share the blame.
Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV). Among progressives, Manchin is among the most hated people in Washington. Allegations that he is “in the pocket” of the coal industry and corrupt regularly circulate. I will leave it to others to determine whether Manchin has ethical issues. A better explanation of Manchin’s opposition to the Biden agenda is that he is representing his constituents. West Virginia is the most Republican state in the country.
Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). The Arizona Senator is also widely condemned for not supporting the full Biden agenda. Like Manchin, she is attempting to represent her constituents. Biden won Arizona in 2020, but not by much. Arizona remains a largely Republican state. Sinema believes her Republican constituents deserve to be represented.
Joe Biden. Remember when Biden promised to promote bipartisanship during the 2020 campaign? Since his inauguration, Biden appears to have fully adopted the progressive agenda. In so doing, Biden abandoned any attempt at bipartisanship. He deserves credit for putting his own presidency in jeopardy.
Donald Trump. What analysis of political dysfunction is complete without considering Donald Trump? What is his role? I would describe it as poisoning the water. First, while president, Trump promised to reduce the budget deficit. Then he increased deficit spending and the national debt. His dismal record has empowered progressives, who claim “Trump increased the national debt for tax cuts for the rich; we want to spend to help people.”
Trump also has encouraged the “take no prisoners” attitude practiced by some Republicans. As a result, it is more difficult than ever for Congress to find the common ground.
Is it fair to assign Trump a role in the current impasse? I would say yes, despite Trump’s limited understanding of the legislative branch, he has helped muck up the process despite his ignorance. His goal hasn’t been to produce sound fiscal policy, it has been to promote his political comeback.
So where does all that leave us? One response is “In a fog.” For the time being, especially as raising the debt limit is debated over the next two weeks continues, we are waiting for a leader, or two, to figure out a way out of the woods. My fingers are crossed.
J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant writing on politics, government, birds, and occasionally, golden doodles.
Robert Parker says
Mr. Dean,
While I agree that there is much blame to be shard among the several parties in Congress for the lack of progress on the 2 infrastructure bills and a vote to raise the debt limit, these parties do not, in my opinion, include Pres. Biden. Yes, he did campaign on returning Congress to bipartisan decision making, this has been made impossible because of the refusal of the Republicans to participate in such a process. Both McConnell and McCarthy have refused to support any of the Democratic initiatives, including the “bipartisan” $1tr infrastructure bill. While McConnell “allowed” “his” Senators to vote their conscience on this bill, he has refused to have any GOP participation in essentially any other process -“NO” to immigration reform, “No” to debt ceiling action, “No” to continued funding of the gov’t and even “No” to essentially all Biden appointments. In this environment, there is nothing Biden, or the Dems, can do to further bipartisanship other than telling McConnell and McCarthy “OK, you make proposals and we’ll vote for them”. McCarthy complains about any Dem proposals, but unlike McConnell, he has no power to stop anything unless some Dem Reps defect. Manchin and Sinema could do wonders to promote bipartisan agreement in Congress if they supported a proposal to abolish the filibuster for continued spending, debt ceiling and voting rights actions. If they did this, I anticipate that there might be some realization that the if the GOP is to have any profile in this Congress they must participate. The fear of the GOP taking advantage of a no-filibuster Senate in the future is real, but has McConnell done anything that makes one believe he will not abolish the filibuster in the future if it benefits him? Dare I say “Gorsuch”, “Kavanaugh” or “Coney Barrett”?
John Dean says
Thank you for reading the piece and for your thoughtful comment.
I share your view of House Republicans–they have refused to give an inch towards compromise with President Biden. I respectfully disagree that Biden is without blame. I believe he should not have put forward as aggressive an agenda as he did. He should have known this was a non-starter with Republicans. I also disagree with his decision to attempt to roll the entire agenda into one bill (two if you disregard his attempt to link passage of the two). FDR achieved the New Deal through the enactment of a series of focused bills. With the benefitof hindsight, I think this would have been a better strategy. I believe he would have achieved some Republican support for parts of the human infrastructure bill as well as passage for the $1.5 billion bill.
You are forgiven if you disagree with me. Many friends have told me that “going big” was the best shot Biden had at passing many of his priorities.
In any case, thanks for your thoughtful comment. I remain hopeful the impasse will be broken and that major parts of the two bills will make it into law.
Jim Franke says
Irony. “Progressives” only want perfection and are reluctant to accept compromise in order to make PROGRESS.
Sanders and company helped get us Trump and are trying their best to do it again.
John Dean says
Thank you for reading the piece and commenting. I share your frustration with the progressives. I like major parts of their agenda but disagree with their tactics, which have often backfired.
I share your hope that their efforts won’t help Trump. I personally believe Trump is finished, but if Republicans are successful in painting the Democratic Party as socialist, Trump or a Trump clone could win in 2024.