UAW won't endorse Biden until its electric vehicle concerns are met: Report

Haisten Willis

May 04, 12:13 PM May 04, 12:13 PM

President Joe Biden will have to do some work to secure an endorsement from one of his closest allies.

The United Auto Workers labor union said it will not back Biden for a second term unless its concerns over electric vehicle subsidies are addressed.

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“The federal government is pouring billions into the electric vehicle transition, with no strings attached and no commitment to workers,” UAW President Shawn Fain said in a message. “The EV transition is at serious risk of becoming a race to the bottom. We want to see national leadership have our back on this before we make any commitments.”

Biden frequently calls himself the most pro-union president in history, but he's also struggling to balance his labor ties with the concerns of foreign leaders. The auto industry is attempting a transition to fully electric vehicles, which includes a heavy dose of government subsidies through legislation such as the Inflation Reduction Act.

The Washington Examiner reached out to the Biden campaign for comment.

Fain claims he wants a "just transition" for the union's members and says that isn't happening at the moment.

President Joe Biden has worked hard to secure the votes of labor leaders and blue-collar workers in manufacturing-heavy states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, all of which he flipped from then-President Donald Trump in 2020. He frequently visits all three and makes stump speeches about bringing manufacturing back to life.

The union made clear it will not be backing Trump but that it's looking for more support from the incumbent.

The UAW is concerned that the electric vehicle transition could lead to thousands of job losses, according to a letter.

Electric vehicles require less traditional labor and parts than cars with internal combustion engines.

Democrats furious with Biden over DC crime bill won't pull support for reelection bid

Cami Mondeaux

March 04, 09:30 AM March 04, 09:30 AM

House Democrats from all corners of the party are rallying behind President Joe Biden ahead of his expected reelection bid, offering him support despite rising tensions stemming from Biden’s decision not to block a GOP-led resolution overturning and overhauling Washington’s century-old criminal code.

Party members in the House have expressed support for Biden’s likely reelection campaign, with many arguing he is the best chance for Democrats to maintain control of the White House in 2024.

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“I do think he should run; I think he will win,” Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA), the No. 3 House Democrat, said during a Punchbowl News event in Baltimore this week. “Time and time again, you know, he was able to deliver with House Democrats, with Senate Democrats, and so I think that he can and should run.”

Aguilar touted some of Biden’s accomplishments during his first two years in office, such as the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill passed in 2021, which has become a key tenet of the president’s legislative agenda. Should Biden launch a second White House bid, he would have the support of the House Democratic Caucus, Aguilar added.

Other Democrats pointed to Biden’s performance in the 2020 election, arguing the voter base he attracted would “come back even stronger in 2024.”

“In those 18 districts that are held by Biden Republicans, he’s the best in terms of his message and how he approaches this,” said Rep. Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH), according to the Hill.

It’s unclear when Biden plans to announce his reelection campaign, although it’s widely expected to happen sometime in April. However, some Democrats are pushing the president to do it sooner, including Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who leads the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Jayapal’s support comes even after she endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in the 2020 election when he ran against Biden for the nomination.

“Nobody’s surprised that Biden was not my choice in the first election for the primary,” Jayapal said during the Baltimore retreat this week. “But the [Progressive Caucus] and the president and his administration have formed an incredibly strong partnership.”

House Democrats are likely to stand firm in their support for the president even after Biden announced earlier this week he would not veto a Republican-led bill seeking to overturn Washington’s revised criminal code — a decision that blindsided and angered several party lawmakers who voted against the measure. The legislation is poised to pass the Senate next week, and without Biden’s veto, it sets the stage for Congress to override local legislation passed by the D.C. Council for the first time in 30 years.

Democrats accused Biden of walking back his previous stance on the issue, pointing to comments the White House made last month that the president opposed the resolution seeking to overturn the criminal code. Biden didn’t tell lawmakers he planned to sign the GOP-led measure until weeks after it passed the House.

“This ain’t it. DC has a right to govern itself, like any other state or municipality. If the President supports DC statehood, he should govern like it,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “Plenty of places pass laws the President may disagree with. He should respect the people’s gov of DC just as he does elsewhere.”

At least two Democratic senators, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Patty Murray of Washington, said they would vote to overturn the criminal code. That all but guarantees its passage in the upper chamber, where Democrats have temporarily lost their outright majority with the absences of Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). Both are currently out of office due to health problems.

Biden enlists team of top Democrats to boost reelection bid

Cami Mondeaux

March 03, 08:12 AM March 03, 08:12 AM

President Joe Biden is enlisting a team of top Democrats to travel nationwide and boost his standing as a way to unify the party ahead of his likely reelection bid, which he is expected to announce sometime in the coming months.

Biden has recruited a team of governors, senators, and other high-profile Democrats to travel across the country and tout the White House’s accomplishments during his first term, according to the Washington Post. As part of the effort, Biden’s hand-picked team members will be tasked with giving speeches, appearing on television, and performing other duties to breathe life into Biden’s campaign before he announces a reelection bid.

BIDEN WON’T VETO GOP-LED RESOLUTION OVERRIDING DC CRIME LAW, DEALING BLOW TO DEMOCRATS

The president is actively recruiting members to join the team, which will be headquartered at the Democratic National Committee and unveiled sometime this month, the outlet reported. Biden has already enlisted 20 members, including Govs. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), J.B. Pritzker (D-IL), Wes Moore (D-MD), Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), Phil Murphy (D-NJ), and Josh Shapiro (D-PA).

The team will also feature prominent Democratic lawmakers such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), as well as longtime Biden allies Sens. Christopher A. Coons (D-DE) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Reps. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and Veronica Escobar (D-TX), according to the outlet.

The national advisory board marks one of Biden’s earliest efforts to boost his national standing ahead of his expected reelection campaign and comes as Democrats face challenges to defend the White House and Senate in 2024. One of the main goals of the national team is to showcase unity within the party and give Democrats a chance to rally behind one candidate — an advantage they'll have over Republicans during the primary cycle.

Three Republican candidates have already thrown their hats in the ring for the GOP nomination, including former President Donald Trump, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. The field is expected to grow even more crowded over the coming months, setting the stage for Republicans to split on who they throw their support behind.

Biden is not expected to face a major primary challenge for the nomination, with only author Marianne Williamson announcing a bid against him so far. Williamson previously ran against Biden for the Democratic nomination in 2020 but failed to garner much support in the crowded field of 29 major candidates.

Meanwhile, it appears that Democrats will rally behind Biden should he choose to run for a second term. As a result, party members are considering ways to tout Biden’s accomplishments — which polling suggests goes largely unnoticed by most voters.

A majority of voters (62%) say Biden has accomplished “not very much” or “little or nothing” during his first two years compared to just 36% who say he has accomplished “a great deal” or “a good amount,” according to recent polling from ABC News and the Washington Post.

It’s not clear when Biden will launch his expected reelection campaign, although it’s expected to come sometime in April. When a reporter pressed Biden on when he plans to make the announcement, he responded, “When I announce it.”