Biden plans tomorrow to travel to New York City and New Jersey, where flash flooding killed at least 40 people when remnants of Hurricane Ida hit the region.
The trip follows his visit Friday to Louisiana, where the storm wreaked havoc after making landfall, spotlighting progressive Democrats’ concerns about climate change and their demands the Biden administration do more to combat it.
This all sets the backdrop for a pivotal month for Biden’s economic agenda. Democratic leaders have been hoping to leverage their narrow margins in the House and Senate to pass key elements of the president’s $3.5 trillion tax and spending package.
But Senator Joe Manchin, a moderate Democrat from West Virginia whose vote is potentially decisive, dealt a blow to that effort last week when he demanded a “strategic pause” and argued for a smaller package of measures.
Manchin’s move fueled speculation that Biden’s agenda could be headed for defeat in Congress this fall.
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