President Biden will head to North Carolina on Tuesday to kick off a national tour touting his economic agenda, highlighting the impact of the major legislative accomplishments of his first term, the White House said Friday.
This “Investment in America” tour will begin in Durham, North Carolina, where Biden will visit a semiconductor manufacturer. Over the next three weeks, the president, Vice President Kamala Harris, first lady Jill Biden, second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, members of the president’s Cabinet and senior White House officials will visit over 20 states, according to the White House.
Biden officials will speak to how federal dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act, CHIPS and Science Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the American Rescue Plan are being spent to boost businesses, create jobs and make infrastructure improvements aligned with the president’s clean energy agenda. The White House will make the case that Biden has presided over “the strongest job growth in history.”
“The tour will reinforce what’s at stake for hardworking families across the country if Republicans in Congress get their way and repeal the Inflation Reduction Act and slash funding for manufacturing, research, and innovation,” a White House official said.
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The tour coincides with the two-week April Recess in Congress and several lawmakers who ushered Biden’s agenda through the legislature will join administration officials at stops along the tour.
The president or his officials will visit states or territories including Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Wisconsin and more.
The tour will be preceded by a Cabinet meeting on Monday, where the president’s top officials will discuss how their agencies are implementing various aspects of Biden’s economic agenda.
This campaign to promote Biden’s handling of the economy comes as the president’s approval rating sank to nearly its lowest point ever in March and the U.S. economy faces setbacks amid bank collapses and fears of a looming recession.
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Biden’s approval rating currently sits at just 38%, a significant drop from his 45% approval in February, according to a new poll from The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The drop comes amid the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in recent weeks, compounding existing fears of a recession.
Whether Biden will run for re-election remains an open question. While he and his office have long insisted that he “intends to run” in 2024, he has yet to make a formal campaign announcement. Many commentators expected him to formally enter the race shortly after his State of the Union address in February, but he has not done so.
Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.