Analysis of President Biden’s Comments on Congress and His Agenda
President Biden Addresses Congress Gridlock in Tulsa Speech
In a recent speech in Tulsa, President Joe Biden addressed the challenges he has faced in getting his agenda passed through Congress. Biden pointed out that he only has a slim majority in the House and a tie in the Senate, with two Democratic senators often voting with Republicans.
While Biden did not name names, it is widely believed that he was referring to Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. These two senators have been known to break ranks with their party on key votes, such as their opposition to abolishing the legislative filibuster.
However, a closer look at their voting records shows that Manchin and Sinema are not as aligned with Republicans as Biden suggested. According to VoteView, a tool that analyzes senators’ voting patterns, Manchin and Sinema are among the most moderate Democrats in the Senate but still fall short of voting with Republicans more often.
Other metrics, such as the bipartisan rankings by CQ Roll Call and Heritage Action, also show that while Manchin and Sinema have occasionally voted against their party, they still align with Democrats more frequently.
Despite Biden’s comments, White House press secretary Jen Psaki clarified that the President was not criticizing Manchin or Sinema. It is likely that Biden was using creative license to highlight the challenges of passing his agenda in a closely divided Congress.
In conclusion, while Manchin and Sinema may not always support every Democratic priority, they still align with Biden’s agenda more often than not. The reality of the modern Congress is that the ideological middle is shrinking, making bipartisan cooperation increasingly challenging.
