Why Joe Biden Needs Bernie Sanders Now More Than Ever – By Alana Abramson (TIME) / Feb 8 2021
In the heat of the 2020 Democratic primary a year ago, Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders represented starkly different visions for their party. When Biden finished a dismal fifth in the New Hampshire primary and Sanders soared to victory, many moderate Democrats were fearful that Sanders would run away with the nomination, and predicted that disagreements between progressives and centrists would undermine a Democratic victory, not only in the general election, but for years to come.
Those doomsday fears have yet to come to fruition. With Democrats now in unified control of Washington, the newly-minted President Biden is relying closely on his former progressive rival to push a $1.9 trillion COVID relief package through Congress. “Senator Sanders, along with Senate Majority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer, will be driving the process in the Senate,” says Bill Dauster, the budget committees’ incoming chief legal counsel. (Aides say Sanders and Schumer are working closely together).
While it’s hardly unusual for a new President to work hand in hand with a former adversary, the moderate and progressive Democrats’ current alignment is notable—in comparison not only to the grim predictions during the primary, but also to Republican lawmakers’ ongoing feud over their own party’s future. The robust cooperation is partially born of political necessity: Sanders, who is now chair of the Budget Committee, is key to passing any sweeping legislation this year. While Democrats narrowly control a 50-50 split Senate, with Vice President Kamala Harris wielding the tie-breaking vote, they are unlikely to garner the 60 votes required to pass any ambitious legislation under regular order. Instead, Democrats’ best bet is to utilize a wonky budgetary procedure known as reconciliation that allows lawmakers to pass budget-related bills with a simple majority.
This is how they intend to pass Biden’s $1.9 trillion dollar COVID-19 relief bill. On Feb. 5, the Senate passed a budget resolution, authored by Sanders’ committee, that paved the way for the legislation to progress. The White House recognizes Sanders’ crucial role in advancing the legislation. “The President and Vice President have been clear we have to work with our allies on the hill and that includes Senator Sanders,” says one Senior White House official, noting that both men have prioritized addressing income inequality, which has worsened during the pandemic.
CONTINUE > https://time.com/5936837/covid-relief-reconciliation-biden-sanders/
