Biden approval rating dips as his agenda faces moment of peril

President Joe Biden’s approval rating is on the decline as he faces a key moment in Congress for passing large parts of his agenda, according to a new poll. 

House Democratic leadership is seeking to pass a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package, but progressive lawmakers are pushing for the House to pass a $3.5 trillion social welfare spending bill first, although the latter has not yet been finalized and is still under negotiation within the caucus. As of Tuesday evening, the infrastructure bill lacked the votes to pass the House. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday signaled a willingness to delay the vote on the infrastructure bill planned for Thursday.

Amid the negotiations on Capitol Hill about the president’s agenda, an ABC News/Ipsos poll found that although a majority of adults still approve of Biden’s job performance on many issues since the poll was conducted last month, his approval rating has dropped.

Republicans and independents primarily drove the decline, but ABC noted that Biden’s “lackluster” approval rating from Democrats is lower than most presidents “typically enjoy” from members of their own party. 

The poll found that people approve of Biden’s infrastructure plan by 55% to 44%, but disapproval of the plan has jumped by 9 points since last month, when 62% approved of the plan and 35% disapproved.

Most people approve of Biden’s response to the coronavirus pandemic and economic recovery, but his support on those issues also dipped. Meanwhile, people disapprove of Biden’s response to gun violence, crime, Afghanistan, and immigration and the southern border. Each of those issues saw a jump in disapproval.

LATEST VIDEO