From NBC News:

President Joe Biden‘s signature Build Back Better Act has stalled and his voting rights ambitions have fizzled. But Congress is suddenly racking up modest yet consequential victories, from protecting victims of sexual abuse and improving mail delivery to making the U.S. more competitive with China.

“We’re lawmakers, not law-suggesters,” said Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii. “And to the extent that people wanted to put Democrats in charge so they can achieve some sense of normalcy in their government — they’re seeing a functional legislative branch. And so I think that’s positive.”

The flurry of bipartisan activity comes as Democrats have hit a wall on many of Biden’s campaign promises that lack GOP support, from gun control to liberalizing immigration to overhauling police practices. Democratic leaders pivoted after a failed vote to curtail the Senate’s 60-vote threshold, which preserves the Republican minority’s power to shape — or veto — legislation.

“What the Democratic leaders seem to have finally realized is that in a 50-50 Senate, the only way you’re going to be able to produce any accomplishments that matter to the American people is to work across the aisle,” said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. “All of a sudden there is sincere Democratic participation.”

The Senate approved a bill by voice vote Thursday to end the employment practice of forcing women to resolve sexual assault allegations in closed-door arbitration settings, sending it to Biden’s desk after a lopsided House vote to pass it.

A day earlier, senators unveiled a compromise to renew the Violence Against Women Act, resolving a host of disputes, from coverage for LGBTQ survivors to jurisdiction on tribal lands. A large bipartisan group of senators was joined by the actor Angelina Jolie.

The same day, top appropriators announced a “framework” agreement for a full-year omnibus spending bill after negotiations had stalled out for months and set federal funding on autopilot.

And the House voted 342-92 on Tuesday to pass a bill to straighten out the finances of the Postal Service and improve mail delivery — which the Senate plans to take up next week.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., called the bill a “huge accomplishment” on a tangible issue that affects every American, particularly those who live in rural America. 

“It’s really important to the people in my state, where we have a lot of rural people who count on the mail for medications, for packages, for communication,” Shaheen said.