Democrats feel new urgency on Biden agenda after Virginia rout
By Reid Wilson - 11/03/21 12:54 PM EDT
Democrats smarting from election losses in Virginia and New Jersey on Tuesday are feeling new pressure to act on President Biden’s domestic agenda in the face of political headwinds that appear all but certain to cost the party its already narrow majorities in Congress.
Factions negotiating over the massive reconciliation package traded blame for the drubbing even before the polls closed. By Wednesday, new fissures emerged as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) added four weeks of paid family leave to a bill even as Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), one of two moderates at the center of the negotiations, signaled he could not support such a provision.
Speaking to reporters, Manchin called the results of Tuesday’s elections — in which Republicans won Virginia’s governorship and nearly upset New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) — “unbelievable.”
“If we’re going to do something, let’s take time and do it right. Let’s make sure that people know what’s in it,” Manchin said. “We’re talking about revamping the whole entire tax code. That’s mammoth. Totally. We’ve had no hearings, no open hearings.”
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https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/579860-democrats-feel-new-urgency-on-biden-agenda-after-virginia-rout
