Player of the Week: Vice President Joe Biden

Vice President Biden has been put in charge of bringing Republicans and Democrats together to both cut spending and raise the nation’s debt ceiling.

That is no easy task, though both sides of the aisle believe Biden is up to it. 

{mosads}On Monday, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) lauded Biden, saying, “We have had some really significant and substantive discussions in these talks, and I think the success of these talks thus far is due to the vice president and the way he has conducted these meetings.”

Cantor acknowledged that Biden “does like to talk a lot,” but said he was “very impressed” with how Biden is running the bipartisan negotiations.

Biden connects better with members of Congress than his boss, President Obama. The vice president, who served 36 years in the upper chamber, knows how to lighten the mood and is adept at the art of legislating. 

The Obama administration has set an Aug. 2 deadline for striking a deal, though there is an urgency to pass a bill this month, especially with the economy teetering again. 

With the House and Senate in recess at the end of June, that goal might seem unlikely. But in order to get something done soon, substantial progress will have to be made this week. 

“We recognize it’s important to pick up the pace,” Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) told The Hill last week. Van Hollen and Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) represent House Democrats in the talks.

The Biden group is shifting into a higher gear. It is scheduled to meet on three consecutive days this week, starting on Tuesday.

It is especially noteworthy that few of the details of the Biden group’s discussions have been leaked. That is a testament to Biden, who knows that leaks would erode trust and significantly harm the chances of getting an agreement.