It is time to give President Joe Biden his due.
While Biden's approval rating doesn't fully reflect it, Uncle Joe is on a roll. After some bumpy months, gas prices are dropping, unemployment is at record lows, the job market is booming, incomes are rising, a top al-Qaida leader was taken out, the first Black female Supreme Court justice was seated, NATO has expanded and Biden unified European support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
Even better, Biden's policies are helping average Americans and not special interests. Last week, Biden announced a plan to cancel up to $10,000 in student debt for middle-income families and up to $20,000 for lower-income families — a big help for many households and young workers struggling to get ahead.
An expanded child tax credit briefly reduced poverty and hunger for many kids — until the program wrongly ended due to a lack of Senate support. Meanwhile, a record number of Americans now have health insurance thanks to the expansion of Medicaid and COVID-19 relief measures.
Perhaps Biden's most impactful accomplishment was the passage earlier this month of a sweeping $370 billion bill designed to combat climate change, lower prescription-drug prices, fight inflation, reduce the deficit and impose a minimum tax on large corporations. The historic measure contains many lasting benefits, yet not one Republican voted for it.
Biden has endured withering criticism, even from some Democrats, but he has stayed focused on the job. After four years of what often felt like a daily presidential circus, the Biden administration has provided some welcome calm and competence.
In a deeply divided Washington, Biden has even forged bipartisan support on major bills surrounding infrastructure, gun safety and a landmark investment in chip manufacturing. Given the 50-50 split in the Senate, passing anything of substance is impressive, let alone three major measures.
Democrats often do a lousy job explaining their accomplishments. For example, the infrastructure bill provides $1.6 billion to repair and replace up to 15,000 bridges just in Pennsylvania, including the MLK Drive bridge in Philadelphia.
