Joe Biden's Legislative Agenda Is About To Grind To A Halt | HuffPost Latest News - Action News
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Posted: 2021-03-15T17:55:23Z | Updated: 2021-03-15T18:56:54Z

Joe Biden and top members of his administration are fanning out across the country this week to tout his first major legislative accomplishment: a massive $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package stuffed with progressive priorities like $1,400 direct payments and a boosted child tax credit that is expected to cut child poverty in half.

The victory lap, called the Help is Here tour, is meant to educate the public on the benefits of the law and continue to build support for the measure. Vice President Kamala Harris , first lady Jill Biden, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, and members of Bidens Cabinet are all scheduled to participate in the multistate tour.

But the passage of the American Rescue Plan which was made possible entirely with Democratic votes may be the Biden administrations high water mark, at least when it comes to enacting legislation.

Going forward, Biden will need to convince at least 10 Republicans to join him in overcoming a filibuster to advance his agenda in the Senate on contentious issues such as immigration reform, gun control, climate, voting, jobs and infrastructure.

The special budget procedure that allowed Democrats to pass the coronavirus relief package with a simple majority is available to them once more this year. The process, known as reconciliation, is limited and can only be used for measures affecting spending and revenue. An infrastructure and jobs package would fit those constraints, but not much else on Bidens broad agenda.