Biden sees American credibility on the line as he races to lock down climate action ahead of Glasgow

I need people to see that the Democratic Party is working, that the country is working, that we can govern."

A week before he is set to depart for Europe and the COP26 summit, Biden and White House officials are scrambling to wrap up the slogging negotiations over his sweeping domestic agenda, which would include the largest-ever US investment to combat climate change.

But with or without a deal on the budget package, senior officials insist Biden won't be showing up to the global climate summit empty-handed.

Two senior administration officials pointed not only to executive actions and environmental regulations enacted by the administration since Biden took office, but also to steps taken by the private sector, state and local officials that demonstrate the American commitment to tackling climate change.

The gathering has assumed greater significance for its ability to show to the world the United States was recommitting to global efforts to combat climate change, a commitment that had languished under former President Donald Trump.

Biden declared earlier this year he would attend "with bells on," and even held his own virtual summit in April meant as a precursor to the Scotland conference, where nations came forward with carbon reduction commitments.

A follow-on to the Paris Climate Agreement, from which Trump withdrew early in his term and Biden reentered his first day in office, the Glasgow talks were seen as a moment to welcome the US back into the fold and for the new President to again proclaim "America is back." As a candidate, Biden vowed both to reenter the Paris deal and to aggressively tackle climate change.

In recent days, the American footprint at the summit has come into sharper focus, including Biden's plans to dispatch more than a dozen Cabinet members and senior administration officials to attend.

People familiar with Biden administration thinking said the durability of new laws, opposed to rules, had been a priority as the President looks to restore American credibility on the issue.

Yet getting those laws passed has proven difficult, even with Democrats in control of the White House, Senate and House -- an alignment Biden, Democrats and climate activists all know could end after next year's midterm elections.

Administration officials are increasingly optimistic about the prospects of reaching an agreement on the reconciliation package before Biden leaves for the G20 and Glasgow summits next week, but it's clear officials are prepared to ramp up executive actions to fill the gap if necessary.

"We take executive action on a very regular basis," a senior official said when asked if more executive and regulatory action is on the table should legislation not come together ahead of the President's trip.

When we see opportunity, we chase after it."

Worries about a Scottish disappointment

Biden administration officials have been looking ahead toward the Glasgow climate talks for months, framing the summit as a critical moment to galvanize the world's attention toward the crisis.

Johnson himself said in an interview with Bloomberg the talks would be "extremely tough." Even Queen Elizabeth II, who is expected to attend part of the summit alongside other senior members of the royal family, was overheard voicing irritation at leaders who "talk" but "don't do" anything to combat climate change -- remarks interpreted as frustration at the potential for the Scotland summit falling short of expectations.

John Kerry, who -- as Biden's global climate envoy -- spent the past months traveling the planet in search of climate commitments, acknowledged last week the Glasgow conference could end without meeting its target levels for emissions cuts.

"By the time Glasgow's over, we're going to know who is doing their fair share and who isn't," he told the Associated Press in an interview.