The government avoided a shutdown last week but there are still questions about how much of President Biden’s agenda Congress will pass. Democrats delayed a vote on a bipartisan infrastructure bill after progressives said they would not vote for it without an agreement on a separate social programs bill. That latter bill is still in flux, though: Senator Joe Manchin suggested a price tag that is $2 trillion less than other Democrats originally proposed.

In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew tries to unpack what’s driving Democrats’ decisions and who will have to compromise to get both bills passed. They also address a listener question that suggests Republicans achieve their policy goals more often than Democrats. They talk about if that is true, why partisans often feel the opposing party wins more, and how to measure victory in politics. Lastly, they preview next month’s gubernatorial election in Virginia to discuss whether it will tell us anything about the 2022 midterms.

You can listen to the episode by clicking the “play” button in the audio player above or by downloading it in iTunes, the ESPN App or your favorite podcast platform. If you are new to podcasts, learn how to listen.

The FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast is recorded Mondays and Thursdays. Help new listeners discover the show by leaving us a rating and review on iTunes. Have a comment, question or suggestion for “good polling vs. bad polling”? Get in touch by email, on Twitter or in the comments.