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- At the end of a rough week for Democrats, President Joe Biden's message was simple.
- Repeating a heavily used quote from his father, Biden said Americans need "a little breathing room."
- The remedy for economic anxieties, Biden said, is for Congress to pass his BBB and BIF bills.
President Joe Biden made brief remarks from the White House on Friday urging Congress to pass his pair of infrastructure and social spending bills, acknowledging that the pandemic still has Americans feeling down on the economy.
"The pandemic is not yet behind us," Biden said. "But within this week's announcements – vaccines for kids, more adults getting vaccinated, potential treatment for those who get sick – we're accelerating our path out of this pandemic. The second way to make sure recovery is fully felt is to pass my bipartisan infrastructure agreement [BIF] and my Build Back Better Plan [BBB], which are being debated now."
-Andrew Bates (@AndrewJBates46) November 5, 2021
On Tuesday, the CDC green-lit the Pfizer vaccine for kids, which will involve a smaller dose and smaller needle. Unlike Biden's vaccine requirements for large employers, Republicans and conservative media pundits have not been as laser-focused in criticizing this specific move. Since the announcement came during a highly anticipated election week, they focused their critiques on areas such as the economy and Democrats' shellacking at the ballots.
After predicting that Democrat Terry McAuliffe would prevail on Tuesday in Virginia's gubernatorial race – a state Biden won by 10 percentage points in 2020 – a statewide GOP sweep revealed weaknesses in Democratic messaging and a sign that Biden's historically low approval rating is having an impact on his party's efforts down ballot.
Biden's sagging approval numbers have largely been driven by a parallel decline in the public's assessment of his handling of the pandemic.
Inflation has also become a major issue for Democrats, with consumer sentiment falling to levels not seen since the Great Recession as supply chain woes and excess demand continue to disrupt the flow of goods and services.
Biden addressed rising costs toward the end of his speech, tying it to his pitch for Congress to pass both of his bills.
"I wanna say very clearly: If your number one issue is the cost of living, the number one priority should be seeing Congress pass these bills," Biden said, citing a joint letter from 15 Nobel Prize winning economists praising the bills.
-Andrew Bates (@AndrewJBates46) November 5, 2021
Biden has repeatedly cited the letter, but as Glenn Kessler of The Washington Post noted in a fact check, the economists specified that the long-term spending in the bills will reduce the pressure of inflation over time, not in the short term, as Biden implied previously and again on Friday.
"Right now, we stand on the cusp of historic economic progress," Biden said.
He added: "And passing these bills will say clearly to the American people: We hear your voices, we're going to invest in your hopes, help you secure a brighter future for yourself and for your families, and make sure that America wins the future in the process.