Biden One Year
Metadata
- Biden One Year
- January 19, 2022
- Content Type Package
- Language English
- Transcript/Script Biden One Year HEADLINE: A Year in, Biden’s Legislative Agenda Is a Mixed Bag TEASER: The president ends his first 12 months in office with low approval ratings largely due to inflation and surging pandemic PUBLISHED: Tuesday, 01/18/2022 at 10:00 p.m. BYLINE: Patsy Widakuswara DATELINE: Washington PRODUCER: Barry Unger SCRIPT EDITORS: Reifenrath, Mia Bush, DJones VIDEO SOURCE (S): AP, AFP, Reuters, Skype PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO X TRT: 3:27 VID APPROVED BY: Reifenrath TYPE: TVPKG/RADIO EDITOR NOTES: Radio track included.)) ((INTRO)) [[President Joe Biden is ending his first year in office with low approval ratings largely due to an economic recovery dragged down by inflation and a pandemic that is surging yet again. This, despite reaching a bipartisan consensus to pass the $1.9 trillion stimulus plan and a $1 trillion infrastructure package. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this recap.]] ((Various businesses in New York, AFP V000_9LA6UC)) ((NARRATOR)) A 1.9 trillion-dollar COVID-19 relief package pushed through by the Biden administration in March has helped American businesses and families weather the financial impact of the pandemic. ((Dollar bills printed, AFP V000_VID1214795_EN)) ((NARRATOR)) The package sent $1,400 in stimulus funding to millions of Americans, and monthly payments that have proven successful in reducing poverty ((Telilia Scott pumping gas, AFP V000_9UE8QG, TC 0:11)) ((NARRATOR)) But for many, rising inflation has minimized the impact of that assistance. ((AFP V000_9UE8QG, TC 1:38)) ((Telilia Scott, US Consumer)) “Due to the COVID, people don’t have money. We’re just starting back to work, and stuff like this. This is outrageous, with the prices of the gas today.” ((Economic stock shots, AFP V000_9W2364)) ((NARRATOR)) Consumer prices in December were 7% higher than those of the year-ago period, marking the highest inflation rate in 40 years. Inflation has dampened economic recovery in a year that the administration says has shown the biggest job growth in American history. ((Radio track: White House press secretary Jen Psaki)) ((https://app.frame.io/projects/107d8a33-963a-48f0-9001-585725df7d34/7e742652-e2c0-4621-b3dc-fc3b7116e047 )) ((Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary)) “Look at the initial unemployment claims. They’re on average 800 — they were at 812,000 a year ago. They’re now at 210,000. Unemployment rate and obviously job creation, the year before the president took office and the last year. As it relates to COVID, if we look to a year ago, only 1% of adults were fully vaccinated. 74% of adults are fully vaccinated now.” ((Vaccination, Reuters Edit No: 3421)) ((NARRATOR)) A relatively smooth rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has offered protection to more than 200 million Americans, ((Various nightclub scene in DC, AFP V000_9BX3QX)) ((NARRATOR)) and even provided a brief return to normalcy last year. ((Various hospital scene, AFP V000_93R3W4)) ((NARRATOR)) That is, until omicron caused cases and hospitalizations to spike yet again. ((Economic stock shots, AFP V000_9W2364, Biden file, AP 4361751)) ((NARRATOR)) The pandemic and inflation have been two major factors in President Joe Biden’s sinking approval ratings at the end of his first year, around 45 percent, according to Ipsos, a market research firm. ((Radio track: Mallory Newall, vice president of public affairs at Ipsos, via Skype)) ((https://app.frame.io/player/6c1338c4-25b2-4b2b-bec8-4aba470a6e0e TC 1:13)) ((Mallory Newall, Ipsos)) ((Skype)) “The president campaigned on eradicating COVID and getting the economy, getting America back to normal. And the longer that the pandemic goes on, the more uncertainty Americans have, and frankly, the more frustration they feel about the fact that they’re still dealing with the pandemic.” ((American flag and construction, various construction sites, AFP V000_1J77B7)) ((NARRATOR)) Meanwhile, Biden’s legislative agenda is also a mixed bag. He pushed through a $1 trillion infrastructure law with Republican support — the biggest investment in the nation’s public works in a generation. ((Kids in classroom, AFP V000_9LB8TT, Melting glaciers in Antartica, AFP V000_1MH2YJ)) ((NARRATOR)) But he has yet to pass Build Back Better, his $1.75 trillion social spending and climate change plan, even though it has already been cut in half from its original size. ((Americans voting, AFP V000_9QG4UJ)) ((NARRATOR)) Other legislative agenda items remain stuck. Two voting rights bills that would greatly expand federal control over elections are stalled in the Senate due to Republican opposition. Some analysts say the administration and Democrats need to reset their agenda. ((https://app.frame.io/player/41f4c829-b918-48d8-929f-54de21432e9e TC 4:57)) ((Radio track: Kevin Kosar, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, via Skype)) ((Kevin Kosar, American Enterprise Institute)) ((Skype)) “They have to ask themselves, realizing that Republicans are going to have very little interest in playing ball ((cooperating)) on high salience issues, what are the smaller things that they could work on that might build up over time and kind of change the narrative from ‘hey, this guy came in and took big swings at the plate and whiffed’ to ‘hey, this guy showed up, and he hit a lot of singles’ ((Change the narrative from Biden came with two ambitious agendas and failed, to he tried and achieved many smaller victories)).” ((Biden inauguration, Jan 6 siege)) ((NARRATOR)) And despite Biden’s promise to heal a divided nation, Americans are still deeply polarized following the Capitol siege by supporters of Donald Trump on January 6, 2021. Polls suggest most Republicans still believe the baseless claim pushed by the former president, that the 2020 election was stolen. ((Patsy Widakuswara, VOA News, Washington.))
- NewsML Media Topics Politics
- Topic Tags Biden
- Network VOA
- Embargo Date January 19, 2022 14:47 EST
- Brand / Language Service US Agency for Global Media