With setbacks to voting rights, infrastructure, and coronavirus mandates, President Biden is poised to reach the one-year anniversary of his inauguration with the lowest approval rating of all but one president. According to FiveThirtyEight’s presidential approval tracker, Biden’s approval rating has sat near the low 40s for almost three months.
The latest blow came from Mother Nature.
“Due to the circumstances regarding covid and another potentially hazardous winter storm approaching the D.C. area this weekend, the Senate will adjourn tonight,” Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced on the Senate Floor Thursday night. “However, we will be postponing recess so the Senate can vote on voting rights. We will return Tuesday to take up the House-passed message containing voting rights legislation.”
Along with the weather, Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) has a breakthrough case of covid-19. The Senate does not allow proxy voting, so without Schatz present, Schumer would be down a vote.
During a trip to Capitol Hill Thursday, Biden announced he isn’t sure, even with every senator voting, that voting rights legislation will happen.
“I hope we can get this done. The honest to God answer is I don’t know if we can get this done,” Biden said to reporters.
Biden isn’t giving up. According to Politico, he has put former president Bill Clinton to work, asking Clinton to try to sell voting rights and his social safety net Build Back Better bill to centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV).