President Joe Biden appears determined to pass his ambitious agenda, which includes $ 3.5 trillion in spending and massive infrastructure investments.
At the same time, Biden remains committed to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan by August 31, despite criticism from members of the press and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle.
According to some Washington insiders, Biden’s moves have allowed the Republican Party to regroup and unite ahead of the 2022 midterm elections and may cost Democrats their control of the U.S. Congress.
Gifts For GOP
Several Republican strategists told The Hill that the GOP stands to profit from Democratic infighting and Biden’s adamant refusal to keep troops in Afghanistan.
"Both of these happening at the same time, it gives two opportunities for Republicans to make sure they’re all on the same page," strategist Doug Heye explained.
With Donald Trump out of the White House, the GOP has struggled to unite. Thanks to Biden, that will no longer be an issue, according to Heye.
All Republicans voted against the $ 3.5 trillion spending bill and the vast majority have slammed Biden for exiting Afghanistan.
Political Crises
Biden’s approval rating held remarkably steady for months, but began to slip as soon as soon as American troops moved to leave Afghanistan.
According to a Republican involved in Senate races, "the president has been sliding for probably like the last month," but the Afghanistan mess has "accelerated that decline."
"Kind of taken on the whole, I think you could make the argument that this month was really the month that the wheels started to come off of the Biden administration. Maybe they get it together here, but this is a real political crisis."
2022 Midterms
Several key Republicans told The Hill that Biden’s moves will help the GOP win both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the 2022 midterm elections.
According to National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Torunn Sinclair, Democrats "can kiss their majority goodbye" because voters will hold them "accountable."
T.W. Arrighi of the National Republican Senatorial Committee described Democratic infighting as one of "the very reasons that Republicans will take back both chambers of Congress in 2022."
Republican House leadership, meanwhile, formally condemned Biden for exiting Afghanistan.
Polls
Polls indicate that Biden is in trouble.
In the latest USA Today/Suffolk University survey, 41 percent of respondents said they approve of the job Biden is doing as president, while 55 percent said they do not.
Just 26 percent said they approve of Biden’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal, while 39 percent approved of his handling of the economy.
According to CNBC, Biden’s average approval rating has fallen to 47 percent.
Passage of two big spending bills could salvage the president, but it remains unclear if progressives and right-wing Democrats will be able to come to an agreement.
