Observing President Biden’s trip to Capitol Hill on Friday in an effort to reconcile warring factions of his party over the infrastructure bill and a massive spending package, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said it was clear candidate Biden is “officially dead and buried.”
“The guy who ran against the progressives, ran against Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, ran to be a uniter in this country, ran saying he was going to force compromise. And he went up to Capitol Hill, and he capitulated to the progressives, the liberals in his party,” Christie noted on ABC’s “This Week.”
“And why should we be surprised? He couldn't stand up to the Taliban. How could we expect him to stand up to AOC?” he added.
Biden’s failed effort on Friday means “the death of 2020 Joe Biden,” Christie said. “When he went to the Hill, 2020 Joe Biden is now officially dead and buried.”
House leadership failed to bring the bipartisan infrastructure bill for a vote last week. The progressive wing of the party refused to support the legislation unless there was agreement on the separate reconciliation package. Moderate Senate Democrats Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin have said the $3.5 trillion price tag for the reconciliation package is too high. Manchin gave his top-line number as $1.5 trillion, but progressive Rep. Pramila Jayapal said Sunday "that's not going to happen."
Sinema blasted the failure to bring a vote on infrastructure last week, calling it “inexcusable.”
"My vote belongs to Arizona, and I do not trade my vote for political favors -- I vote based only on what is best for my state and the country," she said. "I have never, and would never, agree to any bargain that would hold one piece of legislation hostage to another."