Democratic lawmakers return to Washington on Monday with President Biden’s re-election troubles looming, while the party remains divided over whether the incumbent should continue his bid for the White House after last month’s disastrous debate.
In the House, five Democrats have publicly called on Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race, and at least four senior lawmakers voiced support for that course of action during a private phone call over the weekend. In the Senate, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) is working to rally support among Democratic senators to call for Biden to resign.
Meanwhile, some lawmakers in both chambers have publicly supported Biden amid the post-debate fallout, and the president himself has been adamant about his intention to stay in the race, creating a harsh divide in the Democratic Party over the future of the Democratic ticket, With just a few weeks left until next month’s convention.
That dynamic is expected to come to a head this week as Democratic lawmakers return to Capitol Hill amid questions about Biden’s viability as the party’s nominee, and as leaders face pressure to respond to growing discontent with the incumbent.
Also this week, the Senate is expected to vote on a bill to establish a national right to abortion before the third trimester of pregnancy, codifying a Roe v. Wade protection. Meanwhile, House lawmakers will vote on a measure to ban noncitizens from voting in federal elections, which is already illegal.
Problems with Biden loom over the return of Congress
Two divided Democratic parties are returning to Washington this week amid a tumultuous time for the party, with several lawmakers calling for Biden to withdraw from the 2024 election, others publicly supporting the incumbent, and the president firm in his belief that he is for the best. candidate to face former President Trump in November.
Those views are expected to collide on Capitol Hill on Monday when both chambers return to session. It will be the first time that senators have returned to the building and faced reporters since the debate, and the second time that members of the House have.
For House Democrats, talks are expected to begin Tuesday morning, when the caucus will meet as a group for the first time since the debate.
The chorus of voices calling for the president to step aside grew louder ahead of the Sunday afternoon meeting with Reps. Jerry Nadler (DN.Y.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Joe Morelle (DN.Y.) and Adam Smith (D-Wash.) – all ranking members of the committee – expressing support for a change at the top of the ticket during a private phone call.
This quartet joins Reps. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), and Angie Craig (D-Minn.), who publicly called on Biden to step aside.
In the meantime, however, a handful of Democratic lawmakers — including senior leaders and members — have publicly supported Biden’s re-election bid, highlighting divisions within the caucus. Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Florida), for example, wrote in a statement Sunday: “Any ‘leader’ calling for President Biden to step down needs to get his priorities straight and stop undermining this incredible real leader who has delivered real results for the our country.”
At the center of the contentious debate will be House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.), who heard differing opinions at his caucus last week and will be bombarded with questions about his thoughts on the issue this week.
Jeffries, after the debate, said he didn’t think Biden should step aside, but raised eyebrows when he told reporters hours later: “Until he articulates a path forward in terms of his vision for America at this point, I’m going to reserve comment.” about anything. in terms of where we are right now, as well as saying that I’m after the fine.”
Meanwhile, in the Senate, Warner has been working to drum up support among other House Democrats to call on Biden to end his re-election bid, a worrying sign for the president. Axes had reported that Warner was leading efforts to organize a meeting on Monday night to discuss Biden’s campaign, but a source familiar with the Virginia Democrat’s thinking told The Hill on Sunday night that the meeting would not happen.
No Senate Democrat has publicly called for Biden to resign, but fissures have emerged in that support. In addition to Warner’s behind-the-scenes efforts, Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) have publicly criticized the Biden campaign’s response to the election fallout.
Biden, for his part, tried to quell panic within the party through an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Friday night, although some Democrats said he fell short of that goal.
“The interview did not put an end to the concerns,” Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “No single interview will do that.”
Senate will vote on bill to protect access to abortion
The Senate is expected to vote this week on a bill that would create a national right to abortion before the third trimester of pregnancy — reinstating protections that were afforded under Roe v. Wade. Wade — marking the latest attempt by Senate Democrats to shine a spotlight on reproductive rights before the election.
An aide to Senate Democratic leadership told The Hill that the upper chamber is prepared to vote on the legislation later this week.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) held a vote on the legislation — titled the Women’s Reproductive Freedom Act — last month, setting the stage for the third vote this summer on protecting reproductive rights of the women.
Schumer, in preparing the vote, took aim at Republicans for their stances on women’s reproductive rights, a common form of messaging from Democrats on Capitol Hill and on the campaign train after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade.
“Republicans cannot escape a simple reality: their record on women’s health care is dangerously out of step with the views of the majority of Americans,” Schumer said on the Senate floor.
The action on the Women’s Reproductive Freedom Act follows votes in the Senate last month on two bills that would create a federal right to birth control and establish a national right to in vitro fertilization (IVF), both of which were rejected by House Republicans.
Chamber will vote on electoral law
The House is scheduled to vote this week on a bill that would ban noncitizens from voting in federal elections, which is already illegal.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) introduced the measure — titled the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act — after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) met with Trump and talked about the idea in April, when the top Republican faced dismissal. threat from a small group of Republican Party lawmakers.
Johnson previously told reporters that, based on intuition, non-US citizens were voting in US elections. Since 1996, however, federal law has prohibited noncitizens from voting in federal elections.
In a Sunday night watchdog, the office of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) stated that while noncitizens are barred from voting in federal elections, some “continue to illegally register to vote, diluting the votes of American citizens and potentially allowing foreign interference in our elections.”
For this reason, they argued, the legislation in question is necessary.
“House Republicans are bringing legislation to require proof of citizenship when registering to vote, as well as allowing states to remove noncitizens from voter rolls, to keep foreign interference out of our elections, maintain election integrity, and increase American citizens’ trust in our federal government. elections”, says the watchman.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
