President Joe Biden’s address to Congress focused rather heavily on domestic matters, particularly his $2.3 trillion “infrastructure” package. We didn’t hear much about foreign affairs. That’s because he’s put them on the back-burner to press forward with his “transformative,” and unprecedentedly expensive, domestic agenda.
We’ve seen this approach to governing before – from Lyndon Johnson, arguably one of the nation’s least successful modern presidents.
It’s a path that doesn’t seem to be working out too well for Biden, either. As his first 100 days draw to an end, he is polling poorly with almost half the electorate, despite an obsequious press lauding his every move. If Biden wants to avoid the race for the bottom in presidential rankings, he will have to rethink his approach to both domestic and foreign challenges and, just as importantly, how he balances both.
Thus far, the White House has pressed an agenda to radically remake America. Federalizing elections, expanding the welfare state, and massively expanding the size, reach, and authority of the federal government are just the tip of the iceberg.
Meanwhile, major foreign policy problems have gotten short shrift. While the administration has been heavy on globalist rhetoric, its actions have been limited pretty much to reversing Trump policies on climate change and the Iran deal.