Biden's $5.8 trillion budget proposal geared toward moderates in difficult year

More than a list of numbers, President Biden's budget documents what he'd most like to accomplish this year, and it offers a glimpse into how his administration plans to confront some of the bracing political realities he faces right now. 

His $5.8 trillion proposal is coming up against the headwinds of a divided Congress, high inflation, low presidential approval ratings and midterm elections that threaten Democratic majorities in the House and Senate later this year. 

"What he faces this particular year is very daunting" — since Democrats are the "odds-on favorite to lose the majority in at least the House, and quite possibly, the Senate," said Mark Harkins, a senior fellow at Georgetown University's Government Affairs Institute.