Biden says “tremendous progress” in his first year in office Joe Biden News

U.S. President Joe Biden said his administration has made “tremendous progress” in its first year in office, but stressed that it will continue to face key challenges, including COVID-19 and rising prices.

Speaking a day before the end of his presidency, Biden on Wednesday highlighted the achievements of his administration, including vaccinating millions of people in the United States, fighting unemployment and signing a massive infrastructure bill.

“It’s been a challenging year, but it’s also been a tremendous step forward,” he told reporters at a White House press conference.

But the Democratic leader’s approval rating has dropped to 40 percent in recent weeks as two U.S. Conservative senators from the Biden party are blocking his agenda on Capitol Hill.

His administration has also criticized the shortage of COVID-19 test kits and the long queues at test sites across the country over the past month, which coincided with the rapid expansion. a highly contagious variant of the coronavirus Omicron.

Biden promised on Wednesday that he would end the post-pandemic economic recovery in the United States, and also spoke about his administration’s efforts to combat coronavirus, including recent free donation initiatives. home testing and N95 masks for people across the country.

“Should we do more testing sooner? Yes, “Biden said.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data show that 67 percent of eligible Americans over the age of five are currently fully vaccinated, and nearly 80 percent have received at least one dose.

But the vaccination effort lasted months in the Biden administration, hitting a wall of vaccine doubt. against the vaccine misinformation-driven attitudes. As of mid-December, 15% of all American adults did not receive a single job, according to the government data.

On Wednesday, Biden renewed his own plea Americans get their jabs for eligible candidates, including booster shots. “We will continue with our vaccination efforts because the vaccine works. So get vaccinated, please, and get a booster, ”he said.

The president also ruled out a return to blockades and schools, saying the virus “will not be a crisis, but a protection and a threat.”

Roadblocks in Congress

Republicans quickly criticized Biden’s remarks, blaming government spending on inflation and blaming Russia for weakening the president.

The U.S. has been working on it for weeks diplomatic efforts to calm tensions With regard to Russia’s army close to its border with Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has warned that if President Putin decides to invade, he will impose tough economic measures.

“Everything I hear from President Biden right now is an excuse,” Republican Congressman Fred Keller wrote on Twitter. “Excuses for One Year’s Pure Leadership.”

Progressive observers, who are disappointed with Biden’s failure to deliver on his election promises, have also criticized the president for his speech on Wednesday.

“GOPers are backward – the Dems have repeatedly pursued neoliberalism since the 1970s – Biden projected a dramatic change, but he has not fought and promoted the struggle among his countrymen,” said Harvey Kaye, an emeritus professor of democracy and justice at the University of Wisconsin. -Green Bay, he wrote on Twitter.

While Biden won the most votes for the U.S. presidential candidate in history He defeated Donald Trump In 2020, he had an ambitious plan to expand the social security network and reverse some of its predecessors. tough policies he has had setbacks on Capitol Hill.

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin struck a blow to the administration when he announced he would not side with Biden. Build Better Again a huge spending bill aimed at boosting legislation, social programs and investment in green energy.

Senators Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have also expressed opposition in an effort to pass legislation that would support Democrats, as opposed to efforts to repeal the Senate rule known as the opposition. US voting rights.

In order to pass a bill on voting rights, Democrats had to repeal or at least weaken the filibuster, which would allow a 100-member Senate minority party to block major legislation, requiring a 60-vote threshold to pass bills.

On Wednesday, Biden pledged to continue working with senators to move his agenda forward.

“I didn’t promise too much,” he said, adding that it would be “difficult” to accept the protection of voting rights among Republican opposition, acknowledging that the door is open. “It simply came to our notice then. We haven’t run out of options, yet. We’ll see how it goes, “Biden said.