Democrats try to regroup heading into rough November
Democrats are trying to regroup as they head toward November with their biggest legislative priority stalled and polls showing that voters are in a sour mood.
Democrats spent months on a failed voting rights effort and have effectively put Build Back Better on the back burner. At the same time, they are heading toward a midterm election, which is historically bad for the party in charge, with their majority in jeopardy.
Democrats, led by a group of senators who are facing tough reelection battles, are homing in on cost-cutting ideas that could struggle to pass in the Senate but would let them sharpen their differences with Republicans before November.
“That's the big difference between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to lowering people's costs. We have real answers. They don't. They just attack,” said Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), previewing the party’s message.“We are focused on getting costs down, and you're going to see a lot of activity in March from us on that issue,” he added.
Senate Democrats pitched ideas during a closed-door caucus lunch this week about where they should focus their efforts, including suspending the gas tax, a suspension of the state sales tax or trying to lower prescription drug costs. They’re also expected to hear from White House chief of staff Ron Klain during a closed-door lunch on Thursday about President Biden’s priorities for the rest of the year.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Schumer’s No. 2, said that Democrats “need a credible, simple approach that families understand.“We want to help these families make ends meet but we don't want to make inflation worse. We've got to come up with a plan that addresses that,” Durbin said.
The move to focus on lowering costs comes as Americans are facing record high inflation, a frequent GOP talking point that they are making a central part of their bid to win back the majority.
Inflation hit 7.5 percent in January, more than a 40-year high. Americans are also still facing supply chain issues, and Democratic governors are rolling back coronavirus restrictions as they face an exhausted constituent base.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) noted that there were positive economic signs, including wage growth and a bounce back in jobs from the height of the pandemic, but that Democrats were trying to target inflation.
Read more : https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/594635-democrats-try-to-regroup-heading-into-rough-november
