Biden says his hands are tied on abortion following midterms

President Biden on Monday set low expectations for Democrats’ ability to advance abortion legislation in the next Congress.

Speaking from Bali, Indonesia, Mr. Biden said with Republicans expected to control the House and Democrats holding only a slim majority in the Senate, he expects a stalemate over writing abortion protections into law.

“I don’t think [Americans] can expect much of anything other than we’re going to maintain our positions,” he told reporters. “I don’t think there’s enough votes to [approve legislation] unless something unusual happens in the House.”

Mr. Biden promised last month that the first bill he would send to Congress following the midterm elections would be one to write abortion protections into law.

On Monday, however, Mr. Biden conceded that the numbers are not in his favor.

Mr. Biden’s comments came after his first in-person meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping since taking office. 

Democrats sought to energize their base ahead of the midterms following the Supreme Court’s ruling last summer that overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion.

Republicans are on track to taking a slim majority in the House, despite expectations of larger gains in a “red wave” in the lead-up to the midterms.

Democrats secured control of the Senate over the weekend with Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto defeating Republican challenger Adam Laxalt to hold onto her seat in Nevada, but the chamber will remain closely divided.