Consumed with combating the most intensive crisis of Biden’s presidency over the last few weeks, White House officials are plotting a way forward that hinges tactically on Biden’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and passage of his sweeping economic agenda on Capitol Hill.

The cold political calculation is based on a belief inside the White House that Americans by and large will ultimately process the withdrawal from Afghanistan as a necessary, albeit difficult, act, even if they harbor lingering doubts about its execution…

But passing Biden’s infrastructure and $3.5 trillion social spending packages in the next month will be far from a cakewalk. One senior House Democratic source said there is concern among some lawmakers that “bad news on multiple fronts” for the White House could “complicate the legislative strategy.”

And moderate Democrats have made clear they want to see the size of Biden’s second economic package — which includes reforming prescription drug prices and funding child and elder care, among other major priorities — shrink.

“This is a very delicate moment,” said Cleaver. “People are wondering how are the Democrats going to handle this authority we gave them?”