As President Joe Biden prepares to deliver his second State of the Union address, the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll shows that many Americans feel their finances are worsening. But Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is confident that the president can “make the case” that the economy is back on track. With a record-breaking 517,000 jobs added in January and an unemployment rate of 3.4%, the lowest since 1969, the Biden administration is touting its success in creating manufacturing jobs, lowering the cost of insulin for seniors, and projects that will soon be starting due to the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law.
But the poll also showed that 41% of Americans say they’re not as well off financially as they were when Biden took office, and only 16% say that they feel better off today than two years ago. Secretary Buttigieg recognizes that there are still challenges and headwinds facing the economy, but believes that the successful policies in place will lead to continued improvement. He also believes that Biden’s speech on Tuesday will be a reminder of the “successful approach” of the administration, which stands in stark contrast to the GOP’s focus on preserving tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires.
The House’s new Republican majority has accused Biden of being reckless and wasteful in his government spending, citing the national debt and historic inflation that only began to cool in recent months. The White House says that raising the debt limit, which is currently about $31.4 trillion, has long been done without preconditions, and Secretary Buttigieg says that the full faith and credit of the United States is not negotiable.
With the country approaching the deadline to increase the nation’s debt limit, the White House and GOP are in talks on spending and raising the debt limit. Secretary Buttigieg wouldn’t comment on the negotiations, but said that there are “always negotiations going on” when it comes to spending.
As President Biden approaches the 2024 election, the ABC News/Washington Post poll showed that less than a third of Democratic voters want to see him re-nominated. When asked if he wanted Biden to run in 2024, Secretary Buttigieg said he was “incredibly proud” to be part of the team and results that Biden has delivered.
As President Joe Biden’s second State of the Union address approaches, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is confident that the president can make the case for the economy being back on track. With an unemployment rate of 3.4%, the lowest since 1969, and a record-breaking 517,000 jobs added in January, the Biden administration is touting its success in creating manufacturing jobs, lowering the cost of insulin for seniors, and projects that will soon be starting due to the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law. However, the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll shows that 41% of Americans say they’re not as well off financially as they were when Biden took office, and the House’s new Republican majority has accused Biden of being reckless and wasteful in his government spending. As the White House and GOP are in talks on spending and raising the debt limit, Secretary Buttigieg believes that the successful policies in place will lead to continued improvement and that Biden’s speech on Tuesday will be a reminder of the administration’s “successful approach.” As the 2024 election approaches, Secretary Buttigieg is “incredibly proud” to be part of the team and results that Biden has delivered.
Source: abcnews.go.com