A difficult week awaits Joe Biden’s presidency

The US president wanted to reach the international climate summit with two programs, thanks to which he intends to rebuild and transform America.

First, a plan to restore the country’s dilapidated roads, bridges and transportation. The envelope of $1.2 trillion – the equivalent of Spain’s GDP – is backed by Democrats and some Republicans.

Its future has been tied to a second plan, a gigantic social and climate component, called “Building Back Better” and over which negotiations are continuing. This program’s bill was halved to rally more moderate Democrats, including Mining State Senator Joe Manchin.

But the latter once again dampened hopes of a swift passage of these projects on Monday by refusing to say whether he would support them, expressing concerns about their impact on US public debt and inflation.

Senator Manchin says he is ready to support a “Build Back Better” plan that fights inflation, is fiscally responsible and will create jobs. The plan that the Chamber is finalizing meets these criteria,” stated US Executive Management spokesperson, Jen Psaki.

This particular project includes $555 billion to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which the White House called “the largest investment ever to address the climate crisis.”

Joe Biden had hoped he could come to the Glasgow rostrum with this check in hand, as a guarantee of America’s “return” to the international scene after four years of Trump’s presidency, which raised eyebrows with his withdrawal from the Paris climate accords.

But the plan will not be put to a vote until Tuesday at the earliest.

These intense negotiations, which do not excite the public, also deny Camp Biden a major political victory, in time for a crucial election in Virginia on Tuesday.

general repetition

Voters in that state, which borders Washington, DC, have been called to the polls to nominate their new governor, a ballot that looks like a rehearsal nearly a year before the US midterm legislative elections.

The election pitted Terry McAuliffe, 64, a Democratic president-backed politician, against Republican pro-Trump Glenn Yongkin, who is 10 years his junior.

Indicating the importance of the poll, Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, and even Joe Biden personally have taken turns in recent days in the state of 8.5 million people.

Four of its five governors have been Democrats, and Joe Biden has largely won the state over Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

But in recent weeks, the lead of the presidential-backed candidate against his rival has largely faded, and the contenders are now neck and neck.

Eager to rally Democratic voters, Terry McAuliffe on Monday painted a grim picture of a possible victory for his rival.

He cautioned that “if Yongkin wins, Trumpism will gain ground and we can expect Yongkins to appear in every election race across the country next year,” when all of America is required to vote in the middle of the election.

The Republican candidate is capitalizing on the popularity of former President Donald Trump, who maintains tremendous influence over this party and its voters, nearly a year after the day after the 2020 election.

“Thank you for voting for Glenn Youngkin on Tuesday, he won’t let you down!” The billionaire Republican urged in a statement Monday.

But it is disagreements with the former White House tenant that could allow this candidate to win.

“Yongkin’s paternal side is talking to undecided voters,” Mark Baer, ​​who has served in Congress for more than 20 years, told AFP. And this is “despite the fact that its conservative ideology is deeply republican.”