Positivity for Joe Biden over his domestic agenda – but there is work still to be done

It will be an interesting run-up to Christmas in Congress, writes Chris Stevenson

Recent initiatives have proved more popular among voters than Biden’s performance overall (Getty)

The legislative agenda of Joe Biden appears finally to be gaining some momentum – with the president signing into law a $1.2 trillion (£893bn) infrastructure bill and Democrats in the House of Representatives pushing through a $1.75 trillion social care (plus a lot more) bill, which together form a big part of the administration’s economic policy. All in the space of a week.

But the politics around the two initiatives show the complexities that both Democrats and Republicans face in the current climate in Washington. First, the positives for the Democrats. No doubt the movement on these measures will come as a relief to both the White House and the leading Democrat in the house, Nancy Pelosi. Each can claim some success – with the initiatives proving more popular among voters than Biden’s performance overall, according to a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Sixty-three per cent of the public support the infrastructure bill (which was bipartisan) and 58 per cent support the social care package, the Build Back Better Act. That compares to the 41 per cent who approve of the president’s overall job performance. “We’ll be telling our children and grandchildren that we were here this day,” Pelosi said of the passage to the Senate of the social and climate bill, having finally managed to get both progressive and moderate Democrats on the same page.