Biden steps out of the room and finds legacy-defining wins
By SEUNG MIN KIM and ZEKE MILLER
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Over five decades in Washington, Joe Biden knew that the way to influence was to be in the room where it happens. But in the second year of his presidency, some of Biden’s most striking, legacy-defining legislative victories have come about by staying out of it. It’s a counterintuitive turn for Biden, who’s long promoted his decades of Capitol Hill experience. Biden’s aides chalk up his victories to the fact that he’s playing the role of cheerleader rather than legislative quarterback. Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana says that in Biden’s heart, he’s a U.S. senator. And because of that, Tester says Biden “understands allowing this to work is how you get it done.”