The Hill does a piece on moderate lawmakers in the new Congress that belong to BOTH parties…
They go by several names….
But their goal is to empower politics of the middle something that IS where Joe Biden is gonna try stay…
He’ll need the help….
Moderates in both chambers are hoping to grow their influence and cut deals under the Biden administration.
Staring down at least two years of a narrow Democratic majority in a 50-50 Senate where Vice President Harris will be the tie-breaking vote, centrist lawmakers are eager to help break Washington’s most well-known habit: a penchant for gridlock.
In the Senate, 16 lawmakers, many of whom were involved in last year’s coronavirus negotiations, have formed a bipartisan gang with an eye on looking for potential areas where they could cut a deal….
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In the House, the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus added 16 new members, bringing its total to 56 members.
“With Congress now narrowly divided in both chambers, bipartisanship will be key to enacting meaningful legislation,” said Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), a caucus co-chair.
The groups could be a potent force in a closely divided Washington, particularly in the Senate where Democrats need the support of at least 10 Republicans to pass most legislation unless they get rid of the legislative filibuster.
And they are hoping they’ll have an ally in President Biden, a former longtime senator who is known for cutting deals and who came up through the party’s center lane….
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Both members of theCongressional moderates, Politics, Congress, Biden admin, and many senators involved in the bipartisan gang, tentatively named the Common Sense Coalition, were a part of the group credited by leadership in both parties for breaking the stalemate late last year on another round of coronavirus relief.
That’s building hope that they could be a viable path for cutting deals between the Biden administration and an increasingly partisan Congress.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), a close ally of Biden’s, isn’t in the group, but he pointed to last year’s work on coronavirus legislation as reflecting the potential for moderates to be a force in deal-making.
“After eight months in which there was no movement in the Senate on a COVID relief package, a bipartisan group … actually pulled together the deal that was actually able to overcome Majority Leader McConnell’s obstruction,” Coons said. “I do think this is a moment where constructive working relationships both within our own caucuses and across the aisle are going to be more important than ever.” …