President Joe Biden is free and clear of the race regardless of who wins November’s high-stakes election. He is uniquely positioned to pass his most unpopular legislation without consequences for his campaign.
Democratic lawmakers say that now that Biden’s time in office is almost up), he’s free from the work of running for reelection and doesn’t have to worry as much about political issues. This is something that many people didn’t expect to happen just a few weeks ago.
They hope that now that Biden is free from reelection worries, he’ll use his position to push for critical Democratic legislation. Since Congress is divided and might not agree on these policies, he is expected to use his executive powers to do it.
This is the first time in Biden’s 50-year political career that he doesn’t have another election to prepare for. He’s had seven Senate races, two terms as vice president under President Obama, and one term as president.
Biden is the second president in the last 60 years to choose not to run for reelection voluntarily. The last one to do this was former President Lyndon Johnson, who quit running in 1968 because of health problems and unpopularity due to the Vietnam War.
Biden has already been busy setting the stage for the last few months of his presidency. Last month, he suggested changes to the Supreme Court. He proposed giving justices 18-year terms, setting a code of conduct for judges, and changing the Constitution to make sure former presidents could be charged with federal crimes. This was in response to the Supreme Court’s decision that gave former President Trump some protection from his legal troubles.
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) said his priority is ensuring the government funds Ukraine. He noted that Ukraine and its allies are worried about what will happen in the future and if the U.S. will keep helping. Anything the president can do to show he’s committed to supporting Ukraine before he leaves office will be an “important part of his legacy.”
In April, Congress agreed to give Ukraine over $60 billion. Since Ukraine is still fighting against Russia, Connolly said that lawmakers are worried that support from Washington might decrease. These concerns grew stronger after Trump chose Sen. JD Vance, who has been critical of helping Ukraine, as his running mate.
But the Dem dreams for lame-duck Biden don’t end there. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) said he wants Biden to change the old policy towards Cuba, which he thinks is outdated from the Cold War days. He wants Biden to remove Cuba from the terrorist list and use his power to improve relations as much as possible. He notes that many Cubans come to the U.S. to escape American sanctions on Cuba.
And if Americans already thought the progressive climate change agenda was ridiculous, it’s only going to get worse. Last month, Rep. Nanette Díaz Barragán (D-CA), who leads the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, asked the president to “reduce ship pollution.” Over a dozen other House Democrats support this idea, including Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who leads the Progressive Caucus, and Mark Takano (D-CA), whose state has some of the worst air quality in the country.
There are limits to what Biden can do without help from Congress. Several Democrats pointed out that Biden has already done a lot with executive actions for things like paid family leave, child care, and other benefits. But he needs more money from Congress to do much more.
One Democratic aide said Biden has done everything he can without extra funding. He’s done all he can within the rules, but more money from Congress is needed.
Biden must also be careful about making significant changes right now, even though he’s not running for office. Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD) suggested that Biden should wait until after the November election before making any major moves to avoid affecting Kamala Harris’s chances.
Now that Biden is free of consequences, he can enact all the destructive policies that were off-limits before. Biden, the king of governmental overreach, can make the progressive dream a reality in the U.S.
And that should terrify us all.
