President Biden was blasted for "quiet quitting" and failing to lead his fellow Democrats amid the ongoing fiscal battle in Congress that could lead to a government shutdown just days before Christmas.
Text of the 1,500-page funding bill needed to keep the government operating as usual was released Tuesday evening, just three days before the current funding cycle ends. However, President-elect Trump threw a wrench in lawmakers' plans after he demanded Republicans renegotiate the bill to include an increase in the debt ceiling and a reduction in certain Democratic spending initiatives, which Trump described as "Democrat giveaways."
Biden was home in Wilmington, Delaware, attending a memorial service for his late ex-wife and baby daughter, when news of Trump's demands came down. He will return to the nation's capital later this afternoon.
Thus far, the lame-duck president has not commented on the ongoing spending battle in Congress, but on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre released a statement deriding Trump for "playing politics."
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House to inquire whether Biden expects to speak about the legislative battle, but did not receive a response.
"Presidents are elected to four-year terms, but Joe Biden long ago ceded the mantle of leadership and the responsibilities of governing. While the rest of the country is busy at work in the last week before Christmas, the president is on vacation in Delaware and the country he ostensibly still oversees is careening toward a fiscal cliff," GOP strategist Colin Reed said.
Reed added that it was "not surprising" to him that Biden's administration "is seemingly content to slink away before their term even ends." Reed said it wasn't surprising either that Americans "voted for a new direction last month."
Meanwhile, in addition to Republicans, former aides for former President Barack Obama, a cohort known as the "Obama bros" who run a popular liberal-leaning podcast, also slammed Biden for his absence, telling listeners of their podcast this week that it is becoming "easier and easier to forget" that Trump isn't in the White House yet. A recent report from The New York Times also noted that Biden has been "a little older and a little slower" in the final days of his presidency.
"I can’t quite figure it out. He seems to be doing some sort of ‘quiet quitting,’" GOP campaign expert David Kochel said.
Kochel pointed out that in addition to being absent amid the government spending fight, Biden was also absent at the reopening ceremony for Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, which dozens of heads of state attended.
"For the country’s second Catholic president to skip the reopening of Notre Dame, while Trump and Jill Biden attended, one has to wonder if he’s just basically given up," Kochel questioned. "That said, does he even possess the leadership skills and acuity at this point to have any real impact on the government funding issue? I doubt it."
Biden's Cabinet officials seemingly feel different, however. Several of them reiterated their faith in Biden's ability to fulfill his duties for the remainder of his lame-duck presidency this week, despite concerns over his old age and apparent diminished cognitive functioning.
"Maybe it’s for the best he just fades into the woodwork. It is truly bizarre, though, how much he has disappeared. I think even Democrats are scratching their heads," Kochel said.
Michael Chamberlain, director of ethics watchdog Protect the Public’s Trust, said a lack of leadership from Biden "has essentially been the Biden-Harris administration's MO from nearly the beginning."
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"This vacuum has been evident on ethics and transparency, as well as scientific integrity, and other areas. The administration that was supposed to be a ‘return to normalcy,’ promising to be the most ethical and transparent in history, has proven to be anything but," Chamberlain said. "Sadly, the abdication of leadership in these spaces seems to have expanded to encompass every aspect of the presidency."
Earlier this month, White House chief of staff Jeff Zients sent a memo to staff outlining the final priorities for the Biden administration during its last days before Trump takes over. "Let’s finish strong," he said.
