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“We’ve seen the affirmation of the president’s agenda, vindication of his message, and rejection of so many election deniers. So yes, you could say the White House is in a pretty good mood.”
— White House adviser Anita Dunn, quoted by the New York Times.
$18 million
“President Joe Biden has directed the Democratic National Committee to immediately transfer an additional $10 million to the House and Senate Democratic campaign arms and offered an additional $8 million for the two groups through fundraising in the lead up to Election Day,” CNN reports.
$14 trillion
“In a statement, the Treasury Department said the annual deficit had plummeted from $2.8 trillion in 2021 to roughly $1.4 trillion in 2022 — a decline driven primarily by the expiration of trillions in pandemic-era emergency spending. The gap between revenue and spending also shrunk in part due to stronger-than-expected tax receipts, as a booming U.S. economy and large corporate profits helped bring in additional funds to federal coffers,” the Washington Post reports.
$33 billion
President Biden will ask Congress for $33 billion to help the Ukrainians fight Russia’s invasion, the Washington Post reports. “Biden’s funding request includes $20 billion in military assistance for Ukraine, $8.5 billion in economic assistance and $3 billion in humanitarian aid, among other pots of money, such as $500 million to support production of U.S. crops to address the global food shock caused by the war.”
“Other bribe suggestions: Forgive auto loans? Forgive credit card debt? Forgive mortgages? And put a wealth tax on the super-rich to pay for it all. What could possibly go wrong?”
— Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) said President Biden consideration of forgiving student loan debt is a sign of desperation.
$100 million
“The Biden administration Tuesday night pledged $100 million in defense aid for Ukraine to be used for Javelin anti-tank missiles,” NBC News reports.
“The Biden White House is famously leak-proof (in sharp contrast to Trump’s White House). This deprives the public of valuable information, such as who is pushing Biden into foolish stridency. But the worst effect is probably on the White House itself. For one thing, leaks of policy changes can be badly-needed trial balloons. … In general, if everybody knew who was pushing what policy—and who were the internal opponents—it would be easier for influential non-insiders to weigh in and steer policy in more sane directions.”
$32 billion
President Biden will propose more than $32 billion in new spending to fight crime, putting a price tag on his State of the Union call to fund — not defund — the police, Axios reports.
39%
A new Emerson College poll finds 83% of voters say they are experiencing some hardship due to increased prices on everyday items, with 40% reporting significant hardship, and another 43% reporting some hardship. When asked about who they blame for an increase in gas prices, 39% blame the Biden Administration, 21% blame the sanctions on Russia, and 18% blame gas and oil companies.
“In the end, the State of the Union is just a speech. The impact is often overstated and the politics over-analyzed. But the speech given by the President last night tells me he and his team understand the cause of their political problems and have a plan to address them.”
