President Joe Biden's net approval rating among registered voters has hit a new low, according to the latest poll from Morning Consult.
The survey, released Thursday, found 45 percent of registered voters approved of Biden's job performance, while 52 percent of respondents disapproved. The president's poll numbers have been in gradual decline since the chaotic military withdrawal from Afghanistan in August.
The findings show little movement among voters even as Biden is on the road promoting his domestic agenda and recent legislative victories.
Last month, Congress passed a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill after months of negotiation. The legislation includes $550 billion of new investments in roads, bridges, mass transportation, airports, trains and more over the next five years. Billions of dollars will also be delivered to improve broadband internet, the electric grid and water systems.
In November, the House of Representatives passed Biden's Build Back Better bill—a sweeping, $1.75 trillion package to expand the social safety net and combat climate change.
The legislation is now in the hands of the evenly divided Senate, where Democrats hope to use the reconciliation process to bypass the need for Republican support. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said his goal is to get the package to the president's desk before the Christmas holiday.
Polling has shown both pieces of legislation are supported by the public. A Monmouth University survey last month found that the two plans were more popular than the president himself, with more than 60 percent of adults backing the bipartisan infrastructure measure and Build Back Better.
Biden will be traveling the country to promote the new infrastructure law and make his pitch for the Build Back Better bill. He kicked off the promotion in Minnesota on Tuesday, calling the new infrastructure law "historic."
"We know about our infrastructure problems; we've known for a long time," he said in a speech at Dakota County Technical College. "Now we're finally doing something about it. No more talking. Time for action."
On Build Back Better, Biden told the crowd, "Folks, lowering the cost of child care, elder care, housing, health care, prescription drugs, and meeting the moment on climate change—that's what this plan does."
Despite Biden's underwater approval rating, he is slightly more popular than Donald Trump was at this point in his presidency. Ten months into his term, just 42 percent of voters approved of Trump's job performance, while 53 percent disapproved.
The Morning Consult presidential approval rating tracker surveys at least 6,226 registered voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percentage point.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Alexandra Hutzler is currently a staff writer on Newsweek's politics team. Prior to joining Newsweek in summer 2018, she was ... Read more
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