Biden: To mark his first year in office, Biden to highlight progress, ask for patience over setbacks – Times of India

Washington: President Joe Biden Wednesday will try to talk worried Americans through the challenges of delivering his long to-do list as he holds a rare news conference to mark his first year in office and the recent setbacks on his lofty agenda. Ask for patience.
before the session, scheduled for 4 p.m. EST on your 365th day in office, Biden No indication that they thought a reset was in order. But his presence was coming to the fore on the same day that long-standing Democratic efforts to change the nation’s voter laws appeared to be going up in flames on Capitol Hill and stalling Biden’s massive social spending package.
The East Room event will provide an opportunity for Biden to highlight his achievements to a national audience, and to highlight the bipartisan infrastructure legislation he built on his watch, a roaring economy and the country’s progress against COVID-19 was confirmed.
Still, it’s a dangerous time for Biden: The nation is in the grip of another disruptive surge in virus cases and inflation at a level not seen in a generation. Biden’s approval rating has dropped sharply in his first year in office and Democrats are poised for a possible midterm route if he can’t turn things around.
Biden has held only six solo news conferences during his first year in office. The ongoing threat from the coronavirus will be clear in the setup of Wednesday’s gathering: A limited number of journalists will be allowed to participate, and everyone will have to be tested for the virus and wear a mask.
The White House said Biden would use his presence to highlight progress but also to “level up” with the public about the challenges ahead.
“It didn’t work, it didn’t work, and we’re definitely not telling it,” the White House press secretary said. jane saki said Tuesday. “So, our objective, and I think you’ll hear the president talking about tomorrow, is how to build on the foundation we laid in the first year.”
As for voting rights, she said, Biden is of the view “It’s never a good idea not to shoot for the moon with your proposals and what you’re fighting for. And the alternative is to fight for nothing and Nothing is to fight for. Tough.”
The lasting impact of COVID-19 has become a burden on Biden’s presidency, despite his best efforts to rally the nation in the common purpose of defeating the virus. As a candidate, he promised to restore normalcy in a pandemic-hit nation, but overcrowded hospitals, shortages in grocery stores and fierce divisions abound over vaccine mandates and face mask requirements.
On the Senate floor, meanwhile, Democrats are on track to lose a vote to change the chamber’s rules to pass voting reform legislation because of opposition from Democratic Senses. Kirsten Cinema More of Arizona Joe Munchkin of West Virginia. It would underscore the constraints on Biden’s influence barely a week later, when he delivered an impassioned speech in Atlanta that compared opponents of the separatist measures and implored senators to act.
And just a month ago, Manchin blocked Biden’s nearly $2 trillion legislation aimed at addressing climate change, reducing child poverty and expanding the social safety net, paid for by new taxes on the wealthy. went. The bill, which many of Biden hopes will build a lasting domestic legacy, is now on the back burner as Democrats await Biden’s guidance on how to move forward.
The bill was once seen as a catch-all home for a variety of progressive priorities, but now Democrats feel the need to deliver another milestone to voters in the midterm year and come up with a slimmed-down package Who can beat Manchin. frugality
“I’m open to whatever is going to get us to the finish line,” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren told CBS News on Tuesday. “We just need to get what we can across the finish line.”
Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin encouraged Americans to be “honest and realistic” in his remarks, particularly about the harsh realities of what’s possible in a 50-50 split Senate where no one legislator can block Biden’s agenda. Can do.
“We have an agenda that is not only engaging voters, but is realistic on Capitol Hill,” Durbin, D-Ill., told reporters Tuesday. “Having an ambitious agenda is fine, but it has to come down to the harsh reality of generating votes.”
Recent Democratic presidents have reformed their first term after being rebuffed in midterm elections. shifted in a more moderate direction after beating President Bill Clinton in 1994; President Barack Obama was forced to recalculate after admitting that he had received “shellac” in the mid-2010s.
For his part, Biden is indicating that he is unprepared for a major change in direction following recent policy setbacks. Instead, his White House is dogmatically promising to deliver on the promises made.
His words will be closely analyzed both at home and abroad, as the US seeks to rally an international coalition to defuse a dangerous situation in Eastern Europe.
“We are now at a stage where Russia can attack Ukraine at any time,” Saki said on Tuesday.
Former Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs called on Biden to acknowledge Americans’ concerns about the future.
“President Biden needs to reassure Americans that he understands their economic concerns, particularly around inflation, and his administration is working to increase the availability of testing, keep schools and businesses open, and provide clear guidance around COVID-19.” is focused on getting the country back to normal,” he said.
Gibbs said, “They should resist the idea of ​​a victory lap or try to re-prove the current narrative in an event based on what they have already achieved and instead stay where concerned Americans are.” , talk about the road ahead and the road already traveled.” added.

,