Biden's first major test

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VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE TUE, JAN 26, 2021 CNBC POLITICS EDITOR'S NOTE Hello,   President Biden won the White House, in part, because he promised a return to the good old days of bipartisan dealmaking.   Yet, as countless observers and pundits have already warned, today's Senate just isn't what it was when Biden spent his more than three decades there.   Partisan divisions are especially sharp these days, in the wake of the Trump presidency. Even moderate Republican senators such as Utah's Mitt Romney and Maine's Susan Collins are balking at Biden's proposed $1.9 trillion Covid relief package.   So Biden is facing long odds in the quest to 60 votes to break the legislative filibuster. Since Democrats have the majority in the Senate, albeit by just Vice President Harris' tiebreaking vote, they could "nuke" the filibuster to make sure only a simple majority is required to pass legislation.   But that is no gimme, even after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell backed off his demand to protect the filibuster. Two Democratic senators, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, are against ditching the filibuster.   With all that in mind, Biden and his fellow Democrats in Congress are seriously considering using a process called budget reconciliation to pass a major relief package with a simple majority. Even then, Biden could face resistance from Manchin, who prefers to send stimulus checks to a smaller, more targeted group of people.   All of this amounts to a complicated process that could take longer than hoped as the economy continues to struggle with new strains of Covid spread and the government attempts to ramp up vaccine distribution.   Biden on Monday said it could be a couple weeks before we see a relief bill come to fruition. Millions of Americans might not be able to wait that long.   Thoughts? Email Politics Editor Mike Calia at CNBCPolitics@nbcuni.com.   Have friends or colleagues who might like this newsletter? They can sign up here.    Subscribe to CNBC's daily new podcast The News with Shepard Smith, which provides deep, non-partisan coverage and perspective on the day's most important stories. Mike Calia @Michael_Calia KEY STORIES  Biden says Covid relief talks with Congress could take 'a couple of weeks' President Biden said he may not know for weeks whether he will be able to strike a coronavirus relief deal with Republicans. Janet Yellen gets Senate confirmation as first woman to lead the Treasury Department The vote made Yellen the first female to the lead the Department, a feat she matched as chair of the Federal Reserve. House delivers Trump impeachment article to Senate, setting stage for trial Former President Trump's Senate impeachment trial, where he faces a charge of incitement of insurrection, will start in about two weeks. President Joe Biden targets 1.5 million Covid vaccinations a day, up from 1 million Last week, President Joe Biden dismissed the idea that the goal of 100 million vaccinations in 100 days might be too low of a threshold. Biden to announce racial equity plan and sign executive actions Biden will deliver remarks on racial equity and sign the actions at 2 p.m., according to his press schedule. He will be joined by Vice President Kamala Harris. Republicans are worried about raising money for 2022 House races as corporations cut donations following riot Some GOP officials are privately expressing alarm about how they're going to make up for drops in big money donations in House races, sources say. Justice Department watchdog launches probe into whether officials tried to overturn election The top watchdog at the DOJ said that it will investigate allegations that an official sought to overturn President Joe Biden's victory in November's election. Biden's Treasury revives push to put Harriet Tubman on $20 bill after Trump shelved it "We're exploring ways to speed up that effort," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters. Apollo Global CEO Leon Black paid sex predator Jeffrey Epstein $158 million for financial advice after conviction Jeffrey Epstein, a former friend of Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, was paid for bona fide services to Apollo Global CEO Leon Black, the firm said. Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy to preside over Trump's second impeachment trial Leahy, the longest-serving active Democrat in the Senate, will preside over Trump's impeachment trial instead of Chief Justice John Roberts.     Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy   © 2021 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS