President Joe Biden’s attempt to pass on a $ 1.9 trillion bailout package creates a dilemma for him between his instinct to seek a two-pronged deal and his desire to keep his promises in the midst of of an urgent crisis.
His dual good faith has been a defining feature of his political career, first as a Senate negotiator, then as a legislative negotiator as vice president in the Barack Obama administration, and finally during the 2020 campaign that led him to president.
But the magnitude of the multiple crises facing the nation, along with lessons learned by Democrats during four years of Republican obstruction during Obama’s presidency, seem to tip Biden’s scales toward a swift adoption of the aid package, even without Republicans.
“I’ve told both Republicans and Democrats what my preference is: work together. But if I have to choose between providing immediate assistance to Americans who are suffering so much, or getting stuck in lengthy negotiations or concessing a project at the height of the crisis, the choice is easy, ”Biden said Friday. “I will help Americans who are now suffering.”
So far, the government has progressed on two parallel tracks.
One was a public display of crossing the political divide, with dual rhetoric and an invitation to Republican senators to the White House. His response was to propose a package with $ 1 trillion less than what Biden wanted.
At the same time, Biden insists on the need for an aid package that matches what the deadly pandemic requires. The government has urged Democrats to prepare to cut themselves back, to prepare a plan that combines funds to tackle the virus and vaccines with money to implement a progressive agenda that will create a increases in the federal minimum wage.
A third option cannot be ruled out either: that at least one or two Republicans support the big package, making it a layer of bipartisan. But most likely the White House will have to choose between the two extremes.
This could send a clear signal about Biden’s priorities and set a pattern for navigating deeply polarized Washington into the future.