Biden criticizes GOP resistance to his agenda: 'What are Republicans for? Name me one thing they're for'

John Haltiwanger
Updated ·2 min read
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  • Biden during his first solo news conference in 2022 ripped into Republicans for stalling his agenda.

  • The president questioned whether the GOP has any goals beyond obstructing him.

  • "What are Republicans for? What are they for? Name me one thing they're for," Biden said.

President Joe Biden on Wednesday excoriated Republicans for working to derail his agenda while also questioning what the GOP actually stands for.

"What are Republicans for? What are they for? Name me one thing they're for," Biden said at his first solo news conference of 2022, which occurred on the eve of his one-year anniversary in the White House.

The president effectively accused Republicans of having no other goals other than obstructing him, and of placing politics ahead of the health of the country.

Biden's signature legislation, the Build Back Better Act, is stalled in Congress. He's faced widespread opposition from Republicans and moderate Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.

As he starts off his second year in the White House, the president is facing historically low approval ratings as the country contends with inflation and a massive spike in COVID-19 cases.

Biden during Wednesday's press conference blamed Republicans for many of the country's problems. He pointed the finger at Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in particular.

"I actually like Mitch McConnell," he said. "We like one another. But he has one straightforward objective: Make sure there's nothing I do that make me look good with the public at large. That's OK. I'm a big boy. I've been here before."

"The fundamental question is: what's Mitch for?" he added.

Biden also suggested that former President Donald Trump's ongoing influence on the GOP was pushing the party to derail his agenda.

"Did you ever think that one man out of office could intimidate an entire party where they're unwilling to take any vote contrary to what he thinks should be taken for fear of being defeated in a primary?" Biden said.

Read the original article on Business Insider