As deadlines slip, Biden agenda faces crucial assessment

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan is hitting roadblocks. A policing overhaul after the killing of George Floyd is up in the air. Even a seemingly bipartisan effort to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol faces the blockade of Republican opposition in Congress.

It's a pivotal time for many aspects of Biden's ambitious agenda. Rounding the first quarter of his presidency, the White House and Congress have been unable to meet key Memorial Day deadlines set by the administration on crucial priorities.

While lawmakers quickly approved Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue package and senators confirmed the top ranks of the administration with Biden's nominees, the next legislative priorities on the White House's agenda will be a longer slog.

The sweeping infrastructure investment, in particular, faces a crucial moment: The White House is assessing whether the president can strike a bipartisan deal with Republicans on his American Jobs Plan, a top domestic priority, or try to go it alone with Democrats if no progress is made over the next week. Biden's allies in the House and Senate are preparing for all scenarios.

"This is going to feel like a tightrope walk all the way until it gets to Biden’s desk,” said Jim Kessler, executive vice president of Third Way, a centrist think tank.

Presidents are often judged not only by the goals they achieved, but whether their proposals were popular with the public and the leadership in trying to muscle the bills into law. The White House appears to be taking those factors to heart as Biden makes his case to the public and conducts extensive outreach for his agenda on Capitol Hill.

The administration is signaling that it’s important not just whether Biden can push his infrastructure and other...