Swing State Democrats Seek More Bipartisan Bills

March 1, 2022 by Dan McCue
Swing State Democrats Seek More Bipartisan Bills

WASHINGTON — A memo being circulated on Capitol Hill by a group of swing state Democrats ahead of Tuesday night’s State of the Union address is calling for “a new agenda” that stresses bipartisanship over messaging bills and action over prolonged negotiation.

In some respects, the memo is said to be right in line with what the administration appears to be thinking — that now is not the time to push big, bold bills, but rather to unpack the provisions and get as many of them passed on a bipartisan basis as one can.

The shift was evident on Monday when an administration official was asked whether President Joe Biden would say the words “Build Back Better” during the State of the Union.

“It’s not about the name of the bill,” a senior administration official said. “It’s about the ideas. … [A]nd lowering costs for families.”

“The president will call on Congress to send him a bill that lowers costs and lowers the deficit without delay,” the official said.

Asked about the memo during a pen and pad session with reporters on Tuesday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer didn’t say whether he’d seen it or not. 

But he added, “We’ve had a number of bipartisan bills.

“For instance, we had the infrastructure bill, which, in the Senate at least, was very bipartisan,” he said. “It would have had more bipartisan support in the House, but unfortunately the Republican leadership opposed the bill, in my opinion, on the basis of it being perceived as a Biden victory.

“So I think that was a very bipartisan bill. The problem was people voting for or against [a political perception] rather than the substance of the bill,” he continued. 

“Now, do I think we ought to have more bipartisan bills? Yes, I do,” Hoyer said. “But in order to have more bipartisan bills, they have to be dealt with on their substances, not on their politics. … And in that regard, I frame my answer, in the sense that it takes two to tango. It takes two parties to be bipartisan, and unfortunately, I think we have a lot of opposition for opposition’s sake.

“I agree with the letter writers that it would be nice if we could pass more bipartisan legislation. And that is available to us, and very frankly, we do pass bipartisan legislation. For instance, on the continuing resolution, we had 43 or 45 Republicans join us on that, including [House Republican Leader Kevin] McCarthy, [R-Calif.], and [Minority Whip Steve] Scalise, [R-La.], and I would hope we have more instances of that, we’ll certainly work towards that.”

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and at https://twitter.com/DanMcCue

A+
a-
  • Bipartisanship
  • House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer
  • Steny Hoyer
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Congress

    March 27, 2024
    by TWN Staff
    Rep. Cleaver New Co-Chair of House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus

    WASHINGTON — Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Mo., is the new Democratic co-chair of the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Mo., is the new Democratic co-chair of the House Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus. He was invited to serve as co-chair by Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, the co-chairs of the Senate Renewable Energy and Energy... Read More

    March 27, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    New Dem Chair Kuster Announces Retirement Following 2024 Election

    CONCORD, N.H. — Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., who, among other things, is the current chair of the New Democrat Coalition... Read More

    CONCORD, N.H. — Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., who, among other things, is the current chair of the New Democrat Coalition in the House, revealed Wednesday that she will not seek reelection to Congress this year. In a lengthy statement released by her office, Kuster gives no... Read More

    March 25, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    CPAC Releases Ranking of Most Conservative Members of Congress

    WASHINGTON — The Conservative Political Action Conference, also known as CPAC, on Monday released its annual ranking of members of... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Conservative Political Action Conference, also known as CPAC, on Monday released its annual ranking of members of the House and Senate based on their conservative bona fides or lack thereof. To produce this year’s scorecard, the CPAC foundation’s Center for Legislative Accountability analyzed... Read More

    March 22, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    After a Decade on Capitol Hill, Brad Howard Steps Out on His Own

    WASHINGTON — After a decade on Capitol Hill, most recently as chief of staff for former Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla.,... Read More

    WASHINGTON — After a decade on Capitol Hill, most recently as chief of staff for former Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., and communications director of the Blue Dog Coalition, Brad Howard knew it was time for change. “It was time to move into the private sector,” he... Read More

    March 22, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Greene Files Motion to Vacate Speaker’s Chair

    WASHINGTON — For the second time in five months, a member of the Republican Conference in the House has filed... Read More

    WASHINGTON — For the second time in five months, a member of the Republican Conference in the House has filed a motion to vacate the chair of the party’s speaker. But this time, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., says the motion is intended merely as a... Read More

    March 22, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    Gallagher to Leave Congress April 19

    WASHINGTON — Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., who already announced he would not seek reelection, surprised many on Capitol Hill on... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., who already announced he would not seek reelection, surprised many on Capitol Hill on Friday by announcing he plans to leave April 19, several months before his current term is up. Gallagher’s impending departure will further shrink the razor-thin Republican... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top