President Biden has not appointed any Republicans to his Cabinet and has signed a slew of executive orders that appear designed to roll back former President Donald Trump’s legacy. However, he is still pursuing a bipartisan agenda, according to the White House.
“He was involved, even before yesterday, having conversations with members of both parties, picking up the phone and having those conversations,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said of Biden’s desire to find common ground on new legislation, some of which has already been delivered to Capitol Hill.
An immigration bill sent to Congress on Wednesday proposes significant immigration policy changes, including a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented people living illegally in the United States.
Biden, previously a 36-year Delaware senator and two-term vice president, “will be rolling up his sleeves and will be quite involved in this process” of negotiating legislation, Psaki said.
She was joined on Thursday by Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and now an adviser to Biden’s coronavirus response team. Though Fauci attended briefings at the White House almost daily in March and April, he largely disappeared from the podium in the final months of Trump’s presidency after falling out of favor with the former president. He also became something of a lightning rod for Republicans who objected to the government’s public health guidance.
Biden has proposed a $1.9 trillion coronavirus bill that includes additional direct payments, a minimum wage hike and allocations for vaccine distribution, assistance to reopen schools, and unemployment insurance.
“Is unemployment insurance only an issue that Democrats in the country want, or do only Democrats want their kids to go back to schools, or do only Democrats want vaccines to be distributed across the country?” Psaki said.
“It’s been applauded by everyone from Sen. Bernie Sanders to the Chamber of Commerce, and there are specific pieces in there that are meant to serve as a bridge for the American people,” she added, referring to the liberal icon and the usually-aligned-with-Republicans business group. “We feel that that package, he feels that package is designed for bipartisan support.”
If Democrats and Republicans can’t reconcile, however, other options remain. This could include budget reconciliation, through which a Senate bill would need support from a simple majority of lawmakers instead of the 60 required to overcome a filibuster.
Another option would be ending the legislative filibuster.
Biden, during the campaign, while under pressure from his party’s liberal wing, expressed an openness to ending the 60-vote threshold for legislation. But his press secretary declined to take a firm position when pressed several times on his stance on Thursday.
“This crisis is dire, and it requires immediate action, and we hope and expect members of both parties to work together to do that,” she said. “We’re also not going to take options off the table.”
