Democrats, Stung by Losses, Press Forward on Biden Agenda

WASHINGTON — Smarting from an off-year electoral rebuke, legislature Democrats pushed guardant connected Wednesday toward House votes arsenic soon arsenic Thursday connected astir $3 trillion worthy of societal policy, infrastructure and clime alteration programs — but with a heavy caller worry: Would a legislative triumph assistance oregon wounded their bruised governmental standing?

The time aft a decision successful the Virginia governor’s contention and an unexpectedly adjacent contention successful the Democratic stronghold of New Jersey, the Democrats successful Congress toiled to support recriminations to a minimum. But centrists grumbled that the party’s near flank had held backmost last transition of what they considered the astir fashionable portion of the agenda, a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill, portion liberals blamed mediocre campaigns and ineffectual candidates.

Senator Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat who campaigned hard for Terry McAuliffe lone to spot him lose, said, “What I heard erstwhile I was retired campaigning for the summons was, ‘Hey, you guys got the White House, the Senate, the House. When are you going to get much things done?’ I mean, lone successful Washington could radical deliberation that it is simply a astute strategy to instrumentality a once-in-a-generation concern successful infrastructure and forestall your president from signing that measure into law.”

Liberal lawmakers pointed the digit backmost astatine holdout moderates who person been the main impediments to transition of a abstracted $1.85 trillion societal information nett and clime alteration bill, which progressives reason indispensable beryllium approved earlier they proviso their votes for the nationalist works measure.

“Candidates matter,” added Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, 1 of the Democrats who blockaded the infrastructure measure. But virtually each Democrats came distant from the sweeping defeats successful Virginia and a constrictive flight for New Jersey’s Democratic governor, Philip D. Murphy, agreeing that the imperative present was to walk some bills arsenic rapidly arsenic imaginable to beryllium their enactment could govern.

Hanging implicit the endeavor was a deep consciousness of dread among Democrats — reinforced by the results connected Tuesday — that their prospects for keeping power of Congress successful the midterm elections adjacent twelvemonth were dwindling by the day, amid President Biden’s sagging support standing and wide discontent with the absorption of the country. Puffed up by his party’s successes, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the House Republican leader, predicted that Democrats would suffer much than 60 seats adjacent year.

That fig whitethorn beryllium exaggerated, but with power of the enclosure resting connected less than a half-dozen seats, galore Democrats understood the threat.

“The No. 1 interest voters person raised with maine implicit the past respective weeks has been inability of Congress and authorities successful wide to get things done astatine a clip of large request for the country,” Representative Tom Malinowski, a Democrat successful a plaything territory successful New Jersey, said. “So the champion happening we tin bash successful Congress is to walk these damned bills, immediately.”

And Ms. Pelosi added a fewer twists that indicated that Democrats were successful nary temper to propulsion backmost connected their ambitious docket successful effect to the disappointing predetermination results.

She asked the committee to adhd backmost successful 4 weeks of paid household and aesculapian leave that had been removed astatine the insistence of Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, though it was each but guaranteed to beryllium stripped retired successful the Senate, wherever Mr. Manchin’s ballot is indispensable to walk the bill.

House Democrats were besides adding a compromise measure, demanded by Northeastern lawmakers, to rise the headdress connected the magnitude of authorities and section taxation that tin beryllium deducted from national taxes, from $10,000 to $72,500, done 2031.

That provision, too, was apt to beryllium changed by the Senate, wherever 2 cardinal players, Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Robert Menendez of New Jersey, announced an statement successful rule to destruct the headdress — which affects taxpayers successful higher-income states — for families making nether $400,000 and to enforce it permanently for higher-earning homeowners.

And the House was adding a proviso — besides apt to beryllium dropped by the Senate — that would assistance impermanent protected presumption and enactment permits to undocumented immigrants who person lived successful the United States for a decade.

Some moderates who had implored Ms. Pelosi not to inquire them to ballot for politically tricky measures that were destined to dice successful the Senate were disquieted astir that language.

“Are we going to springiness benefits to illegals?” asked Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas, informing that Republicans would mention the ballot successful onslaught ads successful midterm campaigns. “Because, automatically, that’s a 30-second spot against Democrats.”

In the aftermath of the elections, Republicans hunted for fissures successful the Democratic caucus that could descend the societal argumentation bill.

“Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi did not get the connection from what happened past night,” Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the No. 2 Republican, said. “Now possibly much of their members volition look successful the reflector and say, ‘I don’t privation to beryllium the adjacent Terry McAuliffe.’”

They besides honed their lines of onslaught disconnected the palmy run of Glenn Youngkin, the backstage equity enforcement and governmental neophyte who captured the governorship of Virginia by focusing heavy connected acquisition and the grievances of parents unhappy with however schoolhouse districts person responded to the pandemic.

Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, who is successful complaint of House Republican messaging, convened a circular array connected acquisition connected Wednesday to effort to instrumentality Mr. Youngkin’s connection national. Republicans made wide they would spell aft 2 of the biggest and astir fashionable provisions successful the societal argumentation measure — cosmopolitan prekindergarten and generous kid attraction enactment — by saying they were schemes to nationalize aboriginal puerility acquisition and force-feed left-wing pedagogy to youngsters.

Takeaways From the 2021 Elections

Ms. Stefanik said children had been “forced to stay masked and distanced from their peers,” and exposed to “inappropriate material” connected contention and gender.

“Virginians spoke large and wide past nighttime that parental rights is an contented we tin tally connected and triumph on,” she said. “Glenn Youngkin ran connected education, and helium won connected education.”

Democrats, though, appeared assured they could upwind that enactment of onslaught by emphasizing the benefits of the programs created by their legislation, against which Republicans are agreed successful opposition.

“Oh, I invited that fight,” said Senator Bob Casey, Democrat of Pennsylvania. “They’re saying that we shouldn’t assistance families wage for kid attraction and person much three- and four-year olds spell to pre-K? Please accidental that, Republicans. Please accidental that.”

Mr. Warner was much circumspect. Democrats, helium said, had been close to ablution schoolhouse districts with coronavirus pandemic alleviation implicit the past 18 months, but they present request to see however that has fed into Republican accusations of the national authorities centralizing power implicit however schools handled the pandemic and what they thatch children.

“I person not met a Virginia pedagogue oregon genitor anyplace that doesn’t deliberation that benignant of alleviation was due arsenic we travel retired of Covid,” helium said. But, helium added that Mr. Youngkin had “touched a nerve, and I deliberation those of america connected the Democratic broadside request to beryllium backmost and deliberation astir however we code that.”

Representative Dean Phillips, Democrat of Minnesota, called the predetermination results a “wake-up call” for members of his enactment pushing overly ideological positions that failed connected Tuesday, similar a ballot inaugural successful his authorities to abolish constabulary departments. But, helium said, his medicine was to perceive to voters more, not to hold oregon standard backmost the ambitious societal argumentation bill.

“Truth beryllium told,” helium said, “it’s specified transformative argumentation for the state that astir of america should beryllium consenting to suffer our jobs implicit it.”

Still, the nonaccomplishment to seizure the imaginativeness of voters was intolerable for Democrats to deny. Some lawmakers said Americans would announcement erstwhile they delivered connected Mr. Biden’s agenda, but Senator Mazie K. Hirono, Democrat of Hawaii, said Democrats needed to get amended astatine touting their accomplishments.

“I deliberation we should bash a overmuch amended occupation of talking astir the things that we did that truly assistance our families,” she said. “What are the Republicans doing? Nothing. Zero, zilch.”

Before they tin beforehand their achievements, however, Democrats request to walk immoderate bills. Some moderates connected Wednesday were demanding much clip to work the 2,135-page bill, and wanted an authoritative outgo investigation by Congress’s nonpartisan scorekeepers.

Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the House bulk leader, was having nary of it.

“Members person had good implicit 72 hours to work it,” helium said.

Catie Edmondson contributed reporting.