WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden , in a letter to congressional Democrats , stood firm against calls for him to drop his candidacy and called for an end to the intraparty drama that has torn apart Democrats since his dismal public debate performance .

Bidens efforts to shore up a deeply anxious Democratic Party came Monday as lawmakers returned to Washington confronting a choice: Decide whether to work to revive his campaign or try to edge out the party leader, a make-or-break time for his reelection and their own political futures .

Biden wrote in the two-page letter that the question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now. And its time for it to end. He stressed that the party has one job, which is to defeat presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in November.

We have 42 days to the Democratic Convention and 119 days to the general election, Biden said in the letter, distributed by his reelection campaign. Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us. Its time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump.