End of the line for Biden's reform agenda?
Centrist Democratic Senator Joe Manchin has announced that he will not support the social and climate protection bill put forward by US President Joe Biden. Given the Democrats' razor-thin majority in the Senate, this could mean the end of the reforms that are the centrepiece of Biden's political agenda. European media insist that at least certain parts of the package must be saved.
Midterm elections just around the corner
Biden must say goodbye to idealism and return to realism, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung insists:
“With its internal squabbling, the party has diminished its own achievements with the economic stimulus package and the infrastructure bill. Biden can draw only one conclusion from this: he must scale down his ambitious plans to what is feasible and convince the left wing of the party that this is the right way to go. If he doesn't succeed quickly, the loss of both chambers of Congress next autumn - and with them the loss of his own ability to act - is as good as certain.”
Don't give up!
The legislative package is far too important to be dropped, Der Tagesspiegel stresses:
“On the one hand because of the promised improvements for millions of US citizens, from lower costs for childcare to tax relief for families and the expansion of health services. In addition, 500 billion dollars have been earmarked for the climate. Last but not least, Biden must fight for this because he urgently needs this success as president. With his popularity now below 50 percent and amid growing doubts about whether the 79-year-old didn't overestimate his own clout, it would be all the more disastrous if he were to be seen as someone who doesn't keep his word.”