Joe Biden’s Bad Week

Joe Biden’s Bad Week

From a delay in Neera Tanden’s confirmation vote, to the minimum wage shutdown, to Biden’s “gold standard” governor becoming embroiled in scandal, it’s no secret President Biden’s week hasn’t gone as planned.

February 26, 2021
Joe Biden’s Bad Week

President Joe Biden’s lackluster leadership and inability to get things done was on full display this week. From a delay in Neera Tanden’s confirmation vote, to the minimum wage shutdown, to Biden’s “gold standard” governor becoming embroiled in scandal, it’s no secret President Biden’s week hasn’t gone as planned. Here’s a look at what went wrong:

The Biden administration faced scrutiny for Neera Tanden’s rocky nomination rollout. Signs of opposition from senators on both sides of the aisle forced a delay in her confirmation vote.

“Tanden’s confirmation began unraveling last week after Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced he would not support her nomination, triggering a string of moderate Republicans to say they would vote against her.” –USA Today

“But her fate now hinges on Sen. Lisa Murkowski swooping in to save the nomination. Even if the independent-minded Alaska Republican were to do that, the saga would still mark one of the biggest missteps of Biden’s still-young presidency, one that raises questions about the White House’s political acumen and its ability to manage relations on the Hill.” –Politico

“Senate Budget Chair Bernie Sanders, (I-Vt.) was not given a heads-up about Tanden’s nomination, although Sanders and Tanden have often been at odds. Critics also contend that Klain and other White House officials should have known Tanden faced a difficult path to Senate approval, based on her reputation among GOP lawmakers, and that they should have reached out to Republicans earlier.” –The Washington Post

After a predictable ruling from the Senate parliamentarian, Biden’s $15 minimum wage mandate was kicked out of the COVID-19 relief package. The White House has signaled that they will not seek to overturn the parliamentarian’s ruling, angering progressives.

“The decision effectively knocked out a crucial plank of Mr. Biden’s plan championed by liberals, and demonstrated the perils of Democrats’ strategy to fast-track passage of the sweeping pandemic aid legislation, part of an effort to steer around Republican obstruction.” –The New York Times

“Democrats don’t yet have a unified approach for dealing with the minimum wage decision. While Biden called on Congress to “quickly” pass the relief bill, progressives are urging Democrats to overrule the parliamentarian or wage a battle over tax penalties to force higher wages.” – Bloomberg

“‘The White House and Senate leadership can and should still include the minimum wage increase in the bill,’ [Rep. Pramila Jayapal], D-Wash., said in a statement. ‘We simply cannot go back … to the voters who delivered us the White House and the Senate majority and tell them that an unelected parliamentarian advised us – based on arcane rules – that we could not raise the minimum wage as we promised.’” –Fox Business

Biden’s “gold standard” governor, Andrew Cuomo, found himself embroiled in scandal this week regarding nursing home policies and sexual harassment allegations.

“Last year, Biden had called Cuomo the “gold standard” when it came to state leaders handling the pandemic. When asked about this on Sunday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki would not say whether the president still feels this way in light of Cuomo’s nursing home scandal. His administration had withheld the number of nursing home residents who died from COVID-19 after he had directed facilities to accept residents who had tested positive.” – Fox News

“A former top aide to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has accused him of intimidation and sexual harassment, expanding on allegations she first made in December. In an essay posted to Medium on Wednesday, the former staffer accused the governor of going “out of his way” to touch her “lower back, arms and legs,” and kissing her during a one-on-one meeting.” –CBS News

Bottom line: This week was far from successful for the Biden administration. One of its top allies, and a former Attorney General candidate, faces two career-threatening scandals. One of its major legislative priorities can’t pass, and a priority nomination of the White House is in trouble.