House liberals start asking Biden to sidestep Congress — months before the midterms

This year is the last chance for many Democrats who are retiring to see their priorities advance.

At this point in the cycle, executive order is probably where you're going to start seeing more things get done, according to Rep. Anthony Brown. Brown is one of the Democrats who is eyeing the congressional exits this year and he is running for attorney general of his state.

The legislative window is rapidly closing, which could send House Democrats back to the minority before they have achieved some of their campaign promises. While they still say the Senate could take up more of Biden's goals, the new focus on executive actions illustrates their intense anxiety that Congress may not deliver.

Senior Democrats say the shift is not a reflection of the party adopting a minority mindset, but rather an evolution toward what is more doable with a 50-50 Senate and margins in the House that are nearly as tight.

Some Democrats insist that they must focus on passing more party-line policies this year using the Senate's annual budget and notching bipartisan wins that can last a Republican in the White House.

Three months after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) torpedoed a House-passed social spending package that liberals packed with legislative dreams such as universal pre-K and paid leave, key factions of the House Democratic caucus have been scheming exactly what Biden can do while their

You have seen how easy that is, right?

Executive action is a last resort. There are other important issues that need to be discussed. If the Senate isn't going to vote, they won't vote.

It's also a reflection of how many of the liberal Democrats' aims required a change in the rules of the Senate to get done. Efforts to weaken the filibuster were defeated last year by resistance from Manchin and Sinema.

Other Democrats think that Biden can use his presidential pen to give the party a boost ahead of the elections. If more bills are passed, they wonder if the benefits will make a difference in their home.

The chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus wants the White House to act now to cut costs for Americans as gas prices are going up and other things are uncertain.

Some House Democratic groups are preparing lists of potential actions for the Biden administration to take on priorities that have been held up in Congress. The leaders of the Black Caucus, the Hispanic Caucus and the Asian Pacific American Caucus are talking with the White House about policy areas where they would like to see change.

Some of the Democrats brought their requests to Biden after the State of the Union. The Asian and Black Caucuses met with Biden and senior White House staff last week and raised concerns about everything from voting reform to the implementation of anti-hate crime legislation. The Hispanic Caucus, which is likely to meet with Biden soon, is drawing up executive orders to address immigration issues.

The White House did not offer a comment for this story, and it is not clear which executive orders Biden might consider.

I think voting rights should be something that we should not walk away from. She said in a brief interview that her group met Wednesday to discuss potential executive actions related to voting rights and criminal justice, among other issues.

The orders are not a substitute for legislation and could easily be undone by the next administration. Biden's executive powers are seen by some as their best chance to spur immediate action.

There is no substitute for legislation and passing bills that can become laws, but occasionally there will be needs to address this through executive action.

The Democrats shouldn't shift their focus away from Congress because they have all the levers of power, according to other Democrats.

If we are talking about long-term durable policy that helps people, Congress needs to act.

The House Democrats had a retreat in Philadelphia last week. Jim Clyburn, the House Majority Whip, endorsed the idea and noted that the Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order. Nancy Pelosi said that Congress needs to pass its own bills, though she acknowledged the role of presidential powers.

The pressure on Biden to take action has been building for months within a frustrated House Democratic caucus, where some more liberal lawmakers have privately described him as overly cautious in wielding presidential authority.

The call for the cancellation of student loan debt is important for younger voters. The White House recently told reporters that the president is waiting for Congress to send him a bill on the subject, as many Democrats want Biden to act on his own.

The failed push on student debt has House Democrats pointing to the Senate.

Emanuel Cleaver joked that one-third of House members would like to have legislation over here to do away with the Senate.

I was so worried about the inflation that I voted against it. Daylight saving time was fixed. God bless. My life has been made.