Biden Concedes Covid-19 Frustrations, Sees Path for Stalled Legislation

“It’s been a year of challenges, but it’s also been a year of enormous progress,” said Mr. Biden, citing millions of Americans getting vaccinated in 2021 and passage of a nearly $1 trillion infrastructure bill. “Still for all this progress, I know there’s a lot of frustration and fatigue in this country. We know why—Covid-19.”

During his first formal news conference of 2022, Mr. Biden said he probably will have to split up the roughly $2 trillion Build Back Better proposal, which has stalled after Sen.

Joe Manchin

(D., W.Va.) rejected the proposal late last year, but the president maintained he wasn’t relenting on its ambition.

“I think we can break the package up, get as much as we can now and come back and fight for the rest later,” he said, adding that he thinks he can win enough support for the legislation’s provisions on climate, energy and early-childhood education. Mr. Biden acknowledged that proposals to expand the child tax credit and provide tuition assistance for people attending community colleges may not make it into the package, but he said he would continue pushing to pass those measures.

He reiterated his intent to unleash punishing sanctions against Russia should it invade Ukraine. President

Vladimir Putin,

Mr. Biden said, faces a stark choice and will regret choosing conflict. Mr. Biden appeared to initially suggest that he thinks Mr. Putin will invade Ukraine. “My guess is he will move in,” he said. But he later walked back that statement: “I don’t think he’s made up his mind yet.”

Mr. Biden also articulated a possible diplomatic resolution over Ukraine. He offered to negotiate on the positioning of strategic weapons. He also said that Ukraine’s prospective membership in NATO in the near term isn’t likely, though he said the decision ultimately was the alliance’s. Both issues have been among the demands Moscow has issued over Ukraine.

While he touted progress in fighting the pandemic, the president faces ongoing scrutiny of his handling of the virus, including difficulty obtaining Covid-19 tests for many people. “Should we have done more testing earlier? Yes,” he said. The administration this week started a website allowing people to request free tests through the mail.

“Some people may call what’s happening now the new normal. I call it a job not yet finished,” Mr. Biden said of his pandemic response. “We’re not there yet, but we will get there.” He said the U.S. wouldn’t go back to the lockdowns and closed schools that were common in earlier stages of the pandemic.

The administration has sought to convey in appearances by the president and briefings with top officials that many Americans will be infected with Covid-19, but that those who are vaccinated have no reason to panic.

On inflation, Mr. Biden said the “critical job in making sure that the elevated prices don’t become entrenched rests with the Federal Reserve” and indicated he agreed with anticipated interest rate increases.

He also highlighted steps by the administration to ease supply-chain bottlenecks and said he would work to increase competition in certain sectors, such as meat processing. Those steps have had limited impact, however, experts say. The Fed is facing pressure to tame inflation, and Mr. Biden is confronting the prospect of lingering high prices as the midterm elections approach later this year.

Some business groups have called for lifting tariffs on Chinese imports as a way to moderate prices. Mr. Biden said he wasn’t ready to make that call, indicating he wanted to see Beijing make progress on commitments to purchase U.S. goods under the trade deal worked out by former President Donald Trump.

The forum Wednesday opened a year in which Mr. Biden will try to rally a Democratic base that has been frustrated by his record on climate change and voting legislation despite high hopes when he took office

Democrats had hoped to have already passed the legislative package known as Build Back Better. Last week, Mr. Manchin and

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema

(D., Ariz.) handed the president another setback by reiterating their opposition to changing Senate filibuster rules to allow passage of voting legislation opposed by Senate Republicans.

Mr. Biden said he would continue to push for passage of Democratic-backed elections bills, arguing that a failure to pass the legislation could raise the likelihood that the coming midterms would be illegitimate. Of Republicans who plan to vote against the legislation, Mr. Biden said: “This will stick with you for the rest of your career and long after you’re gone.”

The administration’s challenges have frustrated many Democrats and contributed to Mr. Biden’s low public approval rating, which stood at 42% Tuesday, according to FiveThirtyEight’s aggregation of public polls, down from 53% when he took office.

A Wall Street Journal poll released in December found troubling signs for Democrats on the economy and other key issues. Voters said they believe Republicans have the better economic policy, 43% to 34%, and the GOP is viewed as better able to control inflation, secure the border, fix the immigration system and reduce crime. Some 46% of voters expect the economy to get worse in 2022, compared with 30% who expect it to get better.

The Senate is now split 50-50 with Vice President

Kamala Harris

providing tiebreaking votes, and Democrats have a small majority in the House. Should the party lose either chamber, Mr. Biden will face even tougher odds enacting his plans.

Foreign-policy challenges also have dogged Mr. Biden’s administration. He launched a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and has sought to maintain a tough stance on China. Now, his most pressing concern is with Russia.

Asked what he would do differently in his second year, Mr. Biden indicated he wasn’t preparing to shake up his team but said he would get out of Washington more to pitch his agenda directly to Americans. He said he would bring in more outside experts, including those from think tanks, and invite constructive criticism.

He indicated he plans to run for re-election and said Ms. Harris would be his running mate.

Write to Alex Leary at alex.leary@wsj.com, Ken Thomas at ken.thomas@wsj.com and Andrew Restuccia at andrew.restuccia@wsj.com