Joe Biden accuses stubborn Republicans of forcing him to scale back his agenda

Rozina Sabur
·4 min read
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. Biden said it's the Federal Reserve's job to rein in the fastest pace of inflation in decades, and backed the central bank's plans to scale back monetary stimulus. - Oliver Contreras/Bloomberg
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Joe Biden admitted he would not get his key domestic legislation passed by Congress on Wednesday night as he said he had not realised it would be so hard to work with Republicans.

Despite boasting of his ability to reach across the aisle to pass major legislation during his presidential campaign, the US President excoriated Republicans as he admitted they had forced him to scale down his agenda.

In his first major press conference in months, Mr Biden candidly admitted his first year in office could be described as a "year of challenges" as well as one of "enormous progress".

US Vice President Kamala Harris delivers a brief statement to members of the news media after a procedural vote on voting rights legislation failed in the Senate, on Capitiol Hill in Washington, DC, USA, 19 January 2022. Democratic Sentators Sinema and Manchin have drawn criticism from members of their own party for their opposition to changing the filibuster rule, effectively dooming the voting rights legislation in it's current form. The United States Senate procedural vote on voting rights legislation, Washington, Usa - 19 Jan 2022 - Michael Reynolds/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The 79-year-old also committed to sticking with his struggling vice president, Kamala Harris, in his 2024 re-election bid.
Mr Biden said he was "satisfied" with Ms Harris' work, despite the 57-year-old's sharp decline in the polls and rumours of a rift between the president and his second-in-command.

Asked why polling indicates some Americans think he is mentally unfit for the role, the president replied: "I have no idea".
Mr Biden also said he did not "believe" polls suggesting he has a terrible approval rating.

In a separate development on Wednesday, Mr Biden finally confirmed his ambassador to London after a year in office.
Jane Hartley, a 71-year-old former television executive and veteran Democratic supporter, was among a batch of top-level diplomats announced as the White House planned a new communication strategy in an attempt to reset Mr Biden’s floundering presidency.

FILE - In this Dec. 9, 2015, file photo U.S. Ambassador to France Jane D. Hartley, poses for the photographers prior to a dinner at the US Ambassador's residence in Paris. President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced his intention to nominate prominent Democratic fundraiser Jane Hartley to serve as ambassador to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu, File) - AP

As he conceded he had failed to end the gridlock in Washington, Mr Biden said he intends to spend less time trying to persuade Congress to back his proposals, and more time "on the road" to sell his achievements directly to Americans.

“I did not anticipate that there would be such a stalwart effort to make sure that the most important thing was that President Biden didn’t get anything done," he said, echoing his predecessor Barack Obama's frustrations over a gridlocked congress.

A visibly frustrated Mr Biden singled out Mitch McConnell, the Republican senate leader, saying: "I think that the fundamental question is: what’s Mitch for... What's (the Republicans'} agenda?"

Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell walks to the Senate floor in the US Capitol in Washington, DC, USA, 18 January 2022. The Senate continues work this week on a pair of voting rights bills. Senate continues work on voting rights bills, Washington, Usa - - Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell walks to the Senate floor in the US Capitol in Washington, DC, USA, 18 January 2022. The Senate continues work this week on a pair of voting rights bills. Senate continues work on voting rights bills, Washington, Usa - - Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The president acknowledged his failure to get the necessary support in Congress for his signature "Build Back Better" agenda from Republicans and even some senators within his own party.

Mr Biden indicated he would now scale down the sprawling package of spending on welfare and climate change in an attempt to get "big chunks" of it passed into law.

In the nearly two-hour press conference, Mr Biden appeared to rely heavily on his notes but offered a robust defence of his biggest achievements in office.

They included, he said, a successful coronavirus vaccination programme, reopening schools, and promising not to return to lockdowns.

He added that the bottom line on the pandemic was that the US was “in a better place than we've been and have been thus far”.