Naomi Lim of the Washington Examiner projects the year ahead for President Biden.
President Joe Biden’s life is about to become more difficult when Democrats relinquish control of the House next year.
But regardless of the possible political pitfalls, Biden still has the opportunity to notch some wins in case he announces a reelection campaign.
Ronald Reagan biographer Craig Shirley predicted “things will be pretty rough for Biden” next year, with the Republican-controlled House. House GOP lawmakers are preparing to examine Biden’s 2021 Afghanistan war withdrawal, son Hunter Biden’s laptop scandal, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ handling of the southern border, Attorney General Merrick Garland’s management of the Justice Department, and Dr. Anthony Fauci’s work during the pandemic.
“No more spending, and lots of painful and expensive investigations,” Shirley told the Washington Examiner. “Having to watch his son testify,” the Republican consulting firm Shirley and McVicker Public Affairs chairman and CEO added of Hunter Biden.
Democratic strategists, such as Sandy Maisel, are skeptical Joe Biden will make inroads regarding his legislative agenda, including the reported priority of immigration reform, given a divided Congress and the looming 2024 election. But Republican strategist Cesar Conda contended the president could still enact policy change through executive action.
“Joe Biden will stick with his liberal base in 2023,” Sen. Marc Rubio’s (R-FL) former chief of staff and Navigators Global’s founding partner said.
Maisel, a Colby College visiting politics instructor and one-time candidate, also pointed to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) ability to confirm “a string” of Biden’s federal judicial nominees.
“However, because much of what was in the two recovery packages is just now being implemented, I think he will seek and be given credit over the next two years for much of what he actually did over the last two,” he said. “All of this, of course, is health dependent. No new pandemic, no new wars, and all of the other things we did not predict.”
