President Joe Biden insists that it will just take time to get his agenda passed and address a series of crises facing his presidency.
During an event at the White House on Friday, NBC News’ Peter Alexander said, “You came into office on a message of competence and unity. We’ve witnessed what’s happened in the country over the last several months. We’ve seen the chaotic troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, the threat of a government shutdown right now, and Democrats, members of your own party are still divided over your agenda going forward.”
He asked, “So what do you say to Americans who say that you have not delivered on that promise?”
“Remember I said it’s going to take me a year to deliver on everything I’m looking at here, that’s number one,” Biden responded.
He continued, “Number two, take a look at what I inherited when I came into office, the state of affairs, and where we were. We had four million people vaccinated. We had no plan. I mean, I can go down the list. So part of it is dealing with the panoply of things that landed on my plate.”
“I’m not complaining. It’s just the reality,” he added.
Biden went on to say his economic plan is “overwhelmingly popular,” but “with everything happening, not everybody knows what’s in that plan.” He said he is confident that Congress will pass his economic agenda.
Watch the video below:
Biden responds to his administration's recent crises: "Take a look at what I inherited when I came into office, the state of affairs and where we were. We had 4 million people vaccinated, we had no plan — I could go down the list…I'm not complaining, it's just the reality." pic.twitter.com/xPT6TfOn4J
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 24, 2021
His comments come in the wake of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, which garnered bipartisan criticism for its execution.
Additionally, Democratic lawmakers are looking to pass a roughly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and a larger $3.5 trillion spending bill. Progressive Democrats in the House have threatened to block the bipartisan bill unless it is accompanied by the larger spending package, which could imperil much of Biden’s domestic agenda.
On top of that, Congress is facing a tight deadline to avoid a government shutdown and suspend the debt limit.
According to an analysis by Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, failure to suspend the debt ceiling would lead to an economic recession that could lead to a loss of up to 6 million jobs. Zandi also predicts such a scenario would lead to roughly $15 trillion in household wealth being wiped out.
House Democrats approved a bill on Tuesday to keep the government open and suspend the debt limit. However, its fate in the Senate is uncertain.
