Biden’s agenda -- after ‘months of setbacks’ -- may be on the verge of historic victory: report

Some pundits have astutely observed that if members of the United States' Democratic Party were in Europe, they would be five or six different parties. But in the United States' two-party system, Democrats are still a very big tent — and getting everyone from centrist, relatively conservative Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona to self-described "democratic socialist" Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to come together on legislation has been an uphill battle for President Joe Biden, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. But according to CNN reporters Lauren Fox and Phil Mattingly, Biden may finally be on the verge of pulling it off.

At issue are two major bills: a bipartisan infrastructure bill that Sinema worked out with Senate Republicans and the Build Back Better Act of 2021.

Fox and Mattingly report, "After months of negotiations and a series of setbacks between disparate corners of his own party, Biden is on the cusp of clinching not one, but two massive legislative achievements, with sources on all sides signaling the clear goal and momentum to finalize everything this week. But it's not a done deal yet, and as we've seen repeatedly, the trust deficit between moderates and progressives is fully capable of pushing Biden's agenda off track."

The reporters add, "Democrats are still working through some internal disagreements over Medicare expansion, immigration and prescription drug pricing, and even once all parties agree to a deal, legislative text has to be finalized. Members have to actually read the bill, and then, they will vote. The bottom line is that Democrats still have some work to do, but if Biden and Democratic leaders can pull off an agreement over the next 72 hours, they will have made a massive dent in reshaping the role the U.S. government plays in family life — not to mention be on the verge of investing in crumbling physical infrastructure around the country."