The next few months are critical to the Biden administration’s agenda, but it’s facing multiple challenges.

A divided Democratic Party continues working on a scaled down version of the president’s multi-trillion dollar “Build Back Better” plan. On Wednesday, Senate Republicans blocked debate on another bill that Democrats argue is urgently needed to secure American democracy. 

New York's U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand spoke with Capital Tonight about both the “Build Back Better Plan" and the “Freedom to Vote Act."

“This is really critical,” Gillibrand said of the voting bill. “It is a shame that the Republicans are unwilling to support basic protections of voting rights.”

Because Republicans in the Senate are voting as a block against the bill, there is enormous pressure on the two Democrats who are against filibuster reform. Gillibrand told Capital Tonight that she has spoken with both Sens. Joe Manchin, of West Virginia, and Kyrsten Sinema, of Arizona, and understands their perspective.

“They [have] legitimate concerns. When and if we ever do lose the majority, the issues we hold dear – women’s rights, LGBTQ equality, voting rights, civil rights – all of those will be attacked and undermined. We will have a very hard time preserving the America that we know and love,” she explained.

That said, Gillibrand told Capital Tonight that she disagrees with her two Democratic colleagues on the filibuster.

“Given that, despite our majority in the House and the Senate and the presidency, Republican legislators and Republican governors around the country are already doing that work, already undermining these basic values. I think we have to take action,” she explained. “And that is why I believe we should amend the filibuster.”

Capital Tonight also asked Gillibrand about current attempts to shrink the size of the $3.5 trillion Biden infrastructure package called the Build Back Better plan. 

The bill includes 12 weeks of paid family leave after adopting, fostering or giving birth, as well as a new tax credit for children under age 6, which could be a real boon for families. It’s a $3,600 benefit that would be sent directly to parents in the form of a monthly check so that they wouldn’t have to pay upfront costs for child care.

Gillibrand is a strong supporter of both provisions.

“It would be very hard to support a bill that is supposed to build our economy back better if it doesn’t do anything for working people and working women,” she said. "Leaving this tool out would be a mistake and unwise.”

According to the senator, in order to save these provisions from the being axed, she’s been working the phones and lobbying her own Democratic colleagues in the Senate.

“I sat down with Sen. Manchin today. I sat down with Sen. Sinema previously. I’ve sat down with the White House twice in the last two weeks. We are trying to find the common ground about creating economic growth at a time of great need,” Gillibrand said. 

In order to make her point, Gillibrand said she held up a mirror to her, generally, well-off colleagues. 

“How many parents are in the U.S. Senate that had to take their kids to a daycare? Or had to have a maternity or paternity leave? Congress tends to be wealthy,” Gillibrand said. “They tend to have a lot of support. So, I really needed to make the case on behalf of middle income and low income New Yorkers about what’s happening to their families. I’m not giving up. It’s something that’s essential.”

She continued.

“You can’t run an economy without affordable daycare.”