NEW YORK: US President Joe Biden's approval rating has fallen to the lowest point in his seven-month presidency amid the rise in Covid-19 cases and the chaotic military wí†hdráwal from Afghanistan, according to a new poll by broadcaster NBC.
The poll, conducted from August 14 to 17 and released on Sunday, found 49 percent of respondents approve of Biden's job performance - sliding below 50 percent for the first time while 48 percent disapprove.
An NBC poll in April found 53 percent of Americans approved of Biden's job performance. Other polls last week also found Biden's approval rating slipping with a CBS survey putting it at 50 percent, Ipsos, 46 percent and YouGov at 44 percent.
For his handling of the campaign against Covid-19, the mid-August NBC poll found 53 percent of Americans approve of his performance, a 16-point drop from the April poll.
Only 25 percent of the respondents this month said they approve of Biden's handling of the wí†hdráwal from Afghanistan, which was quickly taken over by the Taliban.
Biden's grade for the economy has also fallen as 47 percent approve of his handling of the economy, down from 52 percent in April, the poll showed.
Meanwhile, House Democratic leaders muscled Biden's multitrillion-dollar budget blueprint over a key hurdle on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila), ending a risky standoff and putting the party's domestic infrastructure agenda back on track.
The 220-212 vote was a first move toward drafting Biden's $3.5-trillion rebuilding plan this fall and the narrow outcome, in the face of unanimous Republican opposition, signaled the power a few voices have to alter the debate and the challenges ahead still threatening to upend the president's agenda.
From the White House, Biden praised the outcome as "a step closer to truly investing in the American people." He said at a news conference that he had called to congratulate House leaders for the work.
Tensions had flared during a turbulent 24 hours that brought the House to a standstill as a band of moderate lawmakers threatened to withhold their votes for the $3.5-trillion plan. They were demanding the House first approve a nearly $1-trillion bipartisan package of other public works projects that's already passed the Senate.
Backed by the White House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi huddled privately with lawmakers and leaders to engineer an off-ramp.
In brokering the compromise, Pelosi committed to voting on the bipartisan package no later than September 27, an attempt to assure lawmakers it won't be left on the sidelines.
It's also in keeping with Pelosi's insistence that the two bills move together as a more complete collection of Biden's priorities. Pelosi has set a goal of passing both by October 1.
Pelosi told her colleagues before the vote that the legislation would lead to a federal investment on par with the New Deal and the Great Society.
She brushed aside the delays. "That's just part of the legislative process," she said, according to an aide granted anonymity to discuss a closed-door caucus meeting.
"Not only are we building the physical infrastructure of America, we are building the human infrastructure of America," Pelosi said on the House floor.
The poll, conducted from August 14 to 17 and released on Sunday, found 49 percent of respondents approve of Biden's job performance - sliding below 50 percent for the first time while 48 percent disapprove.
An NBC poll in April found 53 percent of Americans approved of Biden's job performance. Other polls last week also found Biden's approval rating slipping with a CBS survey putting it at 50 percent, Ipsos, 46 percent and YouGov at 44 percent.
For his handling of the campaign against Covid-19, the mid-August NBC poll found 53 percent of Americans approve of his performance, a 16-point drop from the April poll.
Only 25 percent of the respondents this month said they approve of Biden's handling of the wí†hdráwal from Afghanistan, which was quickly taken over by the Taliban.
Biden's grade for the economy has also fallen as 47 percent approve of his handling of the economy, down from 52 percent in April, the poll showed.
Meanwhile, House Democratic leaders muscled Biden's multitrillion-dollar budget blueprint over a key hurdle on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila), ending a risky standoff and putting the party's domestic infrastructure agenda back on track.
The 220-212 vote was a first move toward drafting Biden's $3.5-trillion rebuilding plan this fall and the narrow outcome, in the face of unanimous Republican opposition, signaled the power a few voices have to alter the debate and the challenges ahead still threatening to upend the president's agenda.
From the White House, Biden praised the outcome as "a step closer to truly investing in the American people." He said at a news conference that he had called to congratulate House leaders for the work.
Tensions had flared during a turbulent 24 hours that brought the House to a standstill as a band of moderate lawmakers threatened to withhold their votes for the $3.5-trillion plan. They were demanding the House first approve a nearly $1-trillion bipartisan package of other public works projects that's already passed the Senate.
Backed by the White House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi huddled privately with lawmakers and leaders to engineer an off-ramp.
In brokering the compromise, Pelosi committed to voting on the bipartisan package no later than September 27, an attempt to assure lawmakers it won't be left on the sidelines.
It's also in keeping with Pelosi's insistence that the two bills move together as a more complete collection of Biden's priorities. Pelosi has set a goal of passing both by October 1.
Pelosi told her colleagues before the vote that the legislation would lead to a federal investment on par with the New Deal and the Great Society.
She brushed aside the delays. "That's just part of the legislative process," she said, according to an aide granted anonymity to discuss a closed-door caucus meeting.
"Not only are we building the physical infrastructure of America, we are building the human infrastructure of America," Pelosi said on the House floor.