Midterm elections are just around the corner — less than two months away — and President Joe Biden is concerned about the outcome.
“If we lose the House and we lose the Senate it’s going to be a really difficult two years,” Biden said Monday at a reception for the Democratic National Committee. “I’ll be spending more time with the veto pen than getting anything done.”
Much is riding on this election for the Democrats, as they are currently in control of the House and barely ahead in the Senate, which is split 50-50 with Vice President Kamala Harris being the tie-breaking vote, according to The Associated Press. Republicans are favored to take control of the House after the midterm elections, Politico reports.
Biden stressed the urgency of the issues at stake, including the right to privacy, school safety, climate change and codifying Roe v. Wade, which was overturned in June. Losing the midterms will cost the Democratic Party chances to address these issues.
According to CNN, Biden mentioned at the reception what he believes to be his administration’s accomplishments: major legislative wins, lower gas prices and reducing inflation. Biden stated that extreme Republicans will take the Democrat accomplishments and goals a step backward.
Despite concern for the midterms, Biden is optimistic about the country and its prospects, according to The Hill. “I genuinely am more optimistic about the prospects for America, not because I’m president, because of the nature of where we are as a country,” he said at the reception.
The reception raised about $2 million and the Democratic National Committee says it has raised “more than $255 million this cycle and over $92 million this year,” per The Associated Press.