Biden's 'mission accomplished' moment


"We have a deal," President Joe Biden said on Thursday, announcing an agreement between a bipartisan group of senators working on infrastructure legislation. It might just be his "Mission Accomplished" moment.
There are still many moving parts to passing the bipartisan infrastructure bill, so it's easy to see how the process could go off the rails. Democratic leaders, including President Biden, have promised the only way they will pass the bipartisan bill is if Congress also passes a second bill for "human infrastructure" using the budget reconciliation process that requires only majority support in the Senate. This includes a lot of stuff — a variety of social welfare and family assistance programs — that was stripped out of Biden's original infrastructure proposal in order to get an agreement with the five Republicans. If all goes as planned, Democrats will get most of what they wanted in the first place.
But there's reason to believe it won't. Already, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has announced his opposition to the proposal. On the Senate side alone, getting the first bill done will take keeping all 50 Democrats together, plus (thanks to the filibuster) 10 Republicans. Just five Republicans were part of the bargaining process, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell implied the two-bill approach would risk Republican cooperation with either part.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Even if everything comes together, though, you have to wonder what has really been accomplished by this dragged-out dealmaking.
From a left-of-center point-of-view, the Democrats' plan sounds great: There are few things in politics better than having your cake and eating it too. But the effort reveals the essential hollowness of bipartisanship, at least as it is currently practiced. Two months of cross-party bargaining isn't going to change much about the intended end result, which suggests that all the haggling has been about apportioning credit: Both sides score points with the public for cooperation, Republicans get credit with their voters for supporting the parts of the infrastructure bill they like, and Democrats get credit from their supporters for passing the additional parts they want. Everybody gets to be for something.
The process, it turns out, was simply a branding exercise for all parties involved. Maybe there is some value in signaling to Americans that Republicans and Democrats can still work together in our polarized age. But it only works if everything passes, and right now that's far from certain.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
'The way AI is discussed makes it seem like this is a necessary outcome'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Measles cases surge to 33-year high
Speed Read The infection was declared eliminated from the US in 2000 but has seen a resurgence amid vaccine hesitancy
-
The New York Times plays defense after publishing leaked Mamdani college application details
IN THE SPOTLIGHT The decision to publish details of Zohran Mamdani's Columbia University application has reignited simmering questions about sourcing and editorial guidelines
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
How Zohran Mamdani's NYC mayoral run will change the Democratic Party
Talking Points The candidate poses a challenge to the party's 'dinosaur wing'
-
Is Trump's military parade 'just a parade'?
Talking Point Critics see an 'echo of authoritarianism'
-
Is Trump's LA troop deployment about order or authoritarianism?
Talking Points President: 'We're going to have troops everywhere.'
-
The Biden cover-up: a 'near-treasonous' conspiracy
Talking Point Using 'Trumpian' tactics, the former president's inner circle maintained a conspiracy of silence around his cognitive and physical decline
-
Democrats grapple with Biden cover-up fallout ahead of 2028
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Even before his cancer diagnosis, Dems have been grappling with whether the White House's alleged effort to hide Biden's failing health is worth relitigating
-
Biden diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer
speed read The diagnosis hits close to home, as the former president 'dedicated much of his later career to cancer research'
-
Is Trump trying to take over Congress?
Talking Points Separation of powers at stake in Library of Congress fight