After loss in Virginia, Democrats look to speed up their stalled $3 trillion spending agenda

A new sense of political urgency swept over restive Democrats from the White House to Capitol Hill on Wednesday, as they raced to resolve the final issues stalling President Biden’s roughly $3 trillion economic agenda in the aftermath of a stinging election defeat in Virginia.

With a loss in the state’s gubernatorial race — along with a slim win for the Democratic incumbent in New Jersey — party lawmakers found themselves anxious, exasperated and newly ready to try to advance two spending initiatives that have been bogged down in Congress for months.

“I think it’s going to send a signal that we’ve got to produce. You know, the American public gave us a majority of both houses for a reason,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.).

The poor election returns for Democrats incited a new burst of activity in the House, where lawmakers raced to fine-tune a $1.75 trillion proposal to overhaul the nation’s health care, education, climate and tax laws. Party leaders finalized a new version of the legislation on Wednesday, began a key procedural hearing and set in motion a plan to vote on it before the end of the week.