On May 22, the president and congressional leaders met to discuss infrastructure — one of the American people’s highest priorities for their elected representatives. Within 10 minutes, however, the meeting was called off. Nothing was accomplished.
The exact circumstances of what happened on May 22 aren’t as important as what it tells us about the broad failure of our leaders to meaningfully address the nation’s priorities. The episode stands as an exemplar of the reasons so many Americans are frustrated with government. The American people watch their government struggle and fail to make progress on issues where there is public consensus, and as a result the people’s faith in their government remains well below historical norms. CONT.
Frank Newport, Gallup