Shoes off, an almost-empty container of leftovers, an unfinished glass of wine —this was the exhausted portrait of one of the most powerful Democrats in Washington after Senate passage of President Joe Biden’s sweeping health, climate and economic package.
“This is the longest there’s ever been an evenly divided Senate, and it is a real tribute to leader Schumer that he has managed to corral all 50 Democrats behind a legislative agenda,” said Sen. Chris Coons, the Delaware Democrat.
Unlike previous highly productive sessions of Congress, Schumer does not enjoy the big majorities typically required to get work done. The filibuster tradition, with its 60-vote threshold to advance most measures, is a powerful tool wielded by McConnell and Republicans that can block almost any initiative.
That willingness by Schumer to take the political bad with the good — in Manchin’s case, the coal-state senator’s insistence on policies for the oil and gas industry that liberals deplore — infuriates liberals and somewhat threatens Schumer’s hold on power. “It’s easy to stop things, particularly in a Senate that’s designed to stop things. It’s hard to get things done.”