The US President Joe Biden set to spend several days in Europe to attend a gathering of the Group of 20 leaders in Rome, followed by the United Nations climate summit in Scotland. Prior to starting his trip, Mr Biden will “deliver remarks” at the White House late Thursday morning before leaving for Italy.
According to the presidential schedule, the Capitol visit was not on the schedule. The meeting with Democrats will take place just hours before Biden departs for summits in Europe. The US leader will brief House Democrats on his economic agenda as a congressional deal to approve it remains elusive, according to two people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg News reported.
The Capitol visit wasn’t in the schedule because on Wednesday, Democrats in the House and Senate were unable to reach agreement to resolve disputes over how to pay for the massive spending bill. While a separate infrastructure project has already been passed by the Senate, House progressives have demanded that the spending package be enacted first.
Biden waits for an agreement in Senate
As the disagreements over various tax plans continued, Democrats seemed set to jettison paid family leave from the proposal. Providing workers with as much as 12 weeks of family leave was a key component of Biden’s plan and one that among the central goals of progressive Democrats. However, Senator D Joe Manchin opposed it, and his vote in the evenly divided Senate is essential to total approval.
President Biden’s struggle to deliver on his legislative agenda has prompted doubt that the US can lead the world in fighting climate change, the post-pandemic economic recovery or other priorities.
In fact, initial optimism that he would undo President Trump’s go-it-alone approach has faded after a calamitous Afghanistan withdrawal and a nuclear submarine deal with the UK and Australia that angered France. Joe Biden will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in Rome on Friday.
