By Nandita Bose
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden is making his first trip to the Pacific Northwest since taking office on Thursday to tout progress he has made on his agenda, particularly on infrastructure, ahead of the November midterm elections.
Biden’s visits to the cities of Portland and Seattle – part of a growing travel schedule ahead of the elections – will also see him participate in a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee.
White House officials have said in recent weeks that they hope to shift their outreach strategy to voters by visiting more states to talk about the administration’s accomplishments rather than describing the need for legislation that remains stalled.
Biden will talk about new spending made possible by the passage of the $1 trillion infrastructure law that includes investments in highways and broadband, as well as about the jobs that it will create, the White House said. The bill allocates $1.2 billion for Oregon and $8.6 billion for Washington state.
He will visit Portland’s airport on Thursday to talk about investing in a runway that can withstand earthquakes and will spend Thursday night and Friday in Seattle, where he will observe Earth Day and talk about his administration’s plans to tame inflation, the White House has said.
Biden’s public approval rating stands at 43%, according to a two-day Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll completed on Tuesday. The two-day national poll found 51% of Americans disapprove of Biden’s job performance as the country struggles with high inflation and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
That compares with approval ratings hovering above 50% at the start of his term.
Biden last visited Seattle in November 2019 while campaigning in the Democratic presidential primaries.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Mary Milliken and Edwina Gibbs)
