Biden to host congressional leaders on lame-duck sprint
President Joe Biden is hosting congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday to discuss his agenda for the remainder of the year, as he looks to ensure government funding and lock in more legislative wins before Democrats lose control of the House on Jan. 3.
The meeting comes as the government faces a Dec. 16 shutdown if lawmakers don’t agree on funding legislation to keep the lights on. Biden also wants that legislation to provide additional money for the COVID-19 response and to bolster U.S. support for Ukraine’s economy and defense against Russia’s invasion. Biden has also called on Congress to step in and impose a tentative agreement between railroads and workers to avert a potentially crippling freight rail strike on Dec. 9.
The White House, which did not immediately provide a list of attendees, said Biden would convene the meeting in the Roosevelt Room. After the Nov. 8 midterm elections, Biden said he planned to host bipartisan, bicameral leaders at the White House “to discuss how we can work together for the remainder of this year and into the next Congress to advance the economic and national security priorities of the United States.”
Congress is also taking up legislation to codify same-sex marriage, raise the debt limit and reform the Electoral Count Act in a bid to prevent another attempt like in 2020 when then-President Donald Trump and allied lawmakers tried to overturn the will of voters in the presidential election he lost to Biden.
One item up in the air is a ban on so-called assault weapons — an inexact term to describe a group of semi-automatic long rifles or long guns, like an AR-15, that can fire 30 rounds quickly without reloading. By comparison, New York Police Department officers carry a handgun that shoots about half that many.
The House passed legislation in July to revive a 1990s-era ban on the firearms with Biden’s vocal support. But the 60-vote threshold in the 50-50 Senate means some Republicans must be on board, and most are steadfastly opposed. One issue is the proliferation of weapons today; There are many more styles and types on the market than in the 1990s.
