House Democrats will try to shake off the minority blues with an all-star lineup at their annual retreat in Baltimore that begins Wednesday, including President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah, who’ll deliver the keynote address.
The conference theme is “United for Opportunity,” and is likely to center on immigration reform, climate change policy, higher education affordability and the economy. Wealthy environmentalist Tom Steyer also plans to talk to Democrats.
“Let’s make the American dream a reality for all,” Democratic Conference Chairman Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., tweeted about the retreat.
It will be Obama’s final retreat appearance for the House Democrats, who in 2009 and 2010 paired their majority with the new president to pass a liberal agenda that included healthcare reform, Wall Street regulatory reform and a bill to require carbon emissions caps.
But House Democrats have been unable to regain the majority that they lost in 2010, and have slipped further into the minority since 2014. They now control 188 seats, while Republicans hold 246 seats.
Still, Obama is expected to try to rally Democrats ahead of the 2016 election. It’s unlikely Democrats can recapture the House majority, but the Senate GOP gavel is in play with a number of toss up Republican seats threatened. The White House could very well end up with a new Democratic occupant come January.
Biden and Obama are expected to address the Democratic caucus on Thursday.
On Tuesday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, of California, and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, of Nevada, met with Obama at the White House to discuss the 2016 Democratic agenda. They discussed working with Republicans on the budget, criminal justice reform and resolving Puerto Rico’s debt crisis.
“Specifically, the president and leaders discussed areas where Congress can take action on a bipartisan basis in the months ahead,” said Obama’s deputy press secretary, Jen Friedman.
Republicans and Democrats have already established a budget number for fiscal 2017. It sets domestic and military spending at $30 billion above federal spending caps.
