Kids could be the budget bill’s big winners — or losers

President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats are poised to channel historic investments into programs for kids — if they can navigate around competing demands, particularly from programs for seniors, as they slim down the massive public investment and social safety net bill now under intense negotiation on Capitol Hill. The […] Read more »

‘The president’s decline is alarming’: Biden trapped in coronavirus malaise

In a focus group last week, Pennsylvania Democrats one after another articulated the issue vexing top White House aides, party operatives in Virginia and voters in Georgia: Why isn’t President Joe Biden’s diminished job rating rebounding? All nine participants from Tuesday’s session gave Biden C- grades or lower. And their […] Read more »

‘Frustration is at an all-time high’: Behind Biden’s falling poll numbers

… After an initial burst of support, Biden has seen his approval ratings fall significantly in recent months. A Washington Post average of polls since the start of September shows 44 percent of Americans approve of Biden’s job approval, while 49 percent disapprove. And polls suggest support for Biden has […] Read more »

What’s in Democrats’ Build Back Better plan? A lot of Americans don’t know

While congressional Democrats negotiate within their ranks over the “Build Back Better” plan, the public is more likely to have heard about what it would cost than about the specific policies that would be in it. Despite the popularity, in principle, of these program ideas, some of the very popular […] Read more »

David Shor Is Telling Democrats What They Don’t Want to Hear

President Biden’s agenda is in peril. Democrats hold a bare 50 seats in the Senate, which gives any member of their caucus the power to block anything he or she chooses, at least in the absence of Republican support. And Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema are wielding that leverage […] Read more »