WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden is putting his foot on the gas pedal and moving ahead with his plans to sell an expansive infrastructure proposal this week as he faces mounting pressure to act on other legislative priorities that have become increasingly difficult to ignore.
The president, who will outline the contours of his multitrillion dollar economic plan at an event in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, has signaled a continued laser focus on defeating the coronavirus pandemic and boosting economic growth while also confronting intractable problems like gun control and immigration following two mass shootings that unfolded within days of each other, and an increase of migrants at the southern border.
Though juggling multiple priorities is part of the job, Biden has refused to let outside challenges usurp his scripted plans for the second phase of his “Build Back Better” agenda, a political balancing act that frustrates some supporters but could have consequential implications on the success of his presidency.
“There are so many crises, so consistently. It never stops,” said Paulette Aniskoff, former deputy assistant to President Barack Obama and director of the Office of Public Engagement. “One of the big lessons from Obama was that the things he got done that were big and meaningful and had hugely high approval ratings were the things he really stuck to and focused on.”
As the head of public engagement, Aniskoff served as the White House gatekeeper for…
