Voters say they don’t know very much about President Joe Biden’s major domestic spending initiatives. They don’t think they’re working. And they don’t give him credit for their benefits, anyway.
Joe Biden is trying to Trump-proof his $1.6 trillion legacy. He’s got a long way to go before November.His messages aren’t landing — at least not beyond voters who don’t already identify as Democrats. Republicans are characteristically averse to crediting Biden, but so are self-identified independents, some of whom are the kinds of swing voters who could determine the result of the November election.
For example, 37 percent of Democratic voters said the Inflation Reduction Act has impacted them positively, compared with only 12 percent of Republicans and 15 percent of independents. And 44 percent of Democrats said the bipartisan infrastructure law has positively impacted their community — far more than the 15 percent of Republicans and 23 percent of independents who agreed.
Asked about the combined impact of federal spending on infrastructure in their community since Biden became president, 26 percent said it had a “major impact,” another 26 percent said it had a “minor impact” and 30 percent said it had “no impact.” Eighteen percent of respondents had no opinion. Unsurprisingly, party identification is the key driver on this question. About three-in-four Democrats, 74 percent, said Biden has done more to promote infrastructure improvements and jobs — but an almost identical number of Republicans, 70 percent, said it’s Trump who’s done more. Among independents, roughly the same number picked Biden and Trump .