The reason Democrats in Washington are increasingly frustrated is because their legislative ambitions far outstrip their congressional majorities. They have no majority at all in the U.S. Senate — it is evenly divided, 50-50, between Republicans and Democrats — and depend on Vice President Kamala Harris to break ties. They have a tiny majority in the House. That makes passing bills hard and gives extraordinary power to any Democrat, like Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who can threaten to abandon the party and sink Democratic hopes on any particular issue.
