WASHINGTON — Democratic negotiations over a multi-trillion-dollar spending proposal represent the most serious test yet of President Joe Biden’s relationship with his party’s liberal wing, threatening to damage a once-strong bond between the two sides that has lasted since the 2020 general election.
Progressive leaders warn that if Biden isn’t able to pull an acceptable form of the legislation across the finish line, he risks opening up a rift within the party that would take considerable effort to close.
“If at the end of the day he delivers something that is milquetoast for a lot of people, it will feel and be perceived as, ‘When the going got tough, you rolled. You didn’t take on the toughest fights,’” said Faiz Shakir, who managed Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign.
