Biden prepares for State of the Union amid China balloon feud – US Politics Live | american politics

A good thing for the president is that Americans are generally unhappy with all of their political leaders. THE ABC News/Washington Post investigation contains clear warning signs for House Republicans, who have recently taken control of the chamber.

More than 7 in 10 Americans have little or no confidence in the leadership of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. And the public largely disapproves of Republican policy on the federal debt ceiling, according to the poll.

Only about a quarter of Americans agree with House Republicans’ threat to block Congress from raising the nation’s borrowing limit, triggering a default, as a way to secure deep cuts in federal spending. Two-thirds of Americans, by contrast, support the White House’s position that the issues should be dealt with separately. The poll found that Americans are very concerned about the consequences of default, which economists say would be catastrophic.

Americans are also skeptical of Republicans’ desire to investigate anti-conservative bias in government, the survey found. Despite a surprisingly weak performance midway through November, House Republicans are pushing ahead with a slew of politically charged inquiries, wielding their slim majority in the House to lash out at the president, his family and his administration.

The opinions expressed in the poll are a cautionary tale for a party that has so far shown more interest in investigating the president’s son than in governing.

The state of the union is sour, at least according to a handful of new polls released on the eve of the president’s annual address to Congress.

Although the Democrats defied expectations — and history — with their November midterm performance, Americans are largely unhappy with the president or his party. Facing low jobs approval ratings, Biden is receiving little credit for his legislative achievements, massive federal investments aimed at rebuilding the country’s infrastructure, boosting the domestic semiconductor industry and lowering the costs of health care for the elderly and veterans.

Discontent is particularly high on the economy, despite signs that the outlook is improving. Inflation is receding, the unemployment rate is at its lowest in decades and job growth remains strong.

Yet more than two-thirds of Americans express just some confidence in Biden to make the right decisions for the country’s future, according to a new ABC News/Washington Post investigation.

He also revealed that more than four in 10 Americans think their financial situation is worse since Biden took office, a peak in the polls dating back nearly four decades.

Meanwhile, the country remains suspicious of Biden’s desire to run for a second term, even within his own party. Only 37% of Democrats say they hope he will run for re-election, down from 52% in the weeks leading up to November’s midterm elections, according to a new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Public Affairs Research Center find.

Biden has publicly stated he intends to run, and his team is laying the groundwork for a second campaign, but the 80-year-old president has yet to formally announce his decision, expected in the spring.

Asked previously about the lack of enthusiasm, particularly among his own constituents, around a potential re-election bid, Biden countered, “Look at me.”

Biden offered his condolences after the catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake and its powerful aftershock killed more than 1,700 people in Turkey and Syria.

In a report, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the United States was “deeply concerned” by the devastating reports of mass casualties.

We are ready to provide all necessary assistance. President Biden has asked USAID and other federal government partners to assess U.S. response options to help those most affected. We will continue to closely monitor the situation in coordination with the Turkish government. »

For more on the destructive earthquake, follow our live blog.

Hello, readers of the American political blog.

Joe Biden is finalizing his state of the union address after a weekend spent working on remarks at Camp David. It will be his first address to a divided Congress and comes amid heavy criticism from Republicans during the week-long wait to shoot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon. Military officials determined that dropping the balloon above the ground from such a high altitude could pose an unnecessary risk to people and property below and advised that it was safer to fire it. above water.

The Biden administration has said the alleged surveillance balloon entered the United States three times while Donald Trump was president, although officials have did not provide further details on how or when these incidents were discovered. According to Politico, the intelligence community has offered to brief Trump administration officials on newly uncovered intelligence, which they said they were unaware of while in office.

Meanwhile, we have a series of new “State of the Union” polls, each containing a bit of pessimism about the direction of the country and confidence in Biden and his party.

Here’s what else we can expect today:

Press Officer Karine Jean-Pierre will inform journalists with National Economic Council Director Brian Deese at 2:15 p.m. ET.

Vice President Kamala Harris host a meeting focused on the root causes of the Northern Triangle migration at 2 p.m. ET.

THE Accommodation has votes scheduled for later tonight, while the Senate is outside. It’s worth noting that despite the fervor of the new House Republican majority in launching its attacks on Biden, Congress generally gets off to a slow start this year.