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President Joe Biden will travel to Syracuse, New York, on Thursday to promote his economic agenda, reject Republican tax plans and support a House candidate.
Heading into Marine One, the president greeted a new report on the country’s gross domestic product, which showed the economy grew at an annualized rate of 2.6% in the third quarter. He suggested that this was proof that his economic plan is working.
“Great economic report, GDP report. It’s looking good,” Biden said.
In New York, the president will deliver a speech contrasting his view of the economy with that of congressional Republicans. He will attack the GOP because he wants to take away some of his programs and replace them with tax cuts for the rich.
Voters have labeled the economy as their number one concern ahead of the Nov. 8 election that will determine Congressional control. Inflation has pushed up the cost of living for Americans, including basic daily necessities such as food, gas and housing.
President Joe Biden praised a new report on the country’s gross domestic product, which showed the economy grew at an annualized rate of 2.6% in the third quarter; “Great economic report, GDP report. It looks good,” Biden said
President Joe Biden heads to Syracuse, New York, on Thursday to promote his economic agenda and support a house candidate
Republicans have criticized Biden for his stewardship of the economy. Voters are also giving him low marks on the issue.
The president is fighting back by highlighting his administration’s achievements, including the US bailout plan, its bipartisan infrastructure bill, the CHIPS production-stimulating act, and the Inflation Reduction Act.
Before leaving the White House, Biden released a statement suggesting that the new GDP report is “additional evidence that our economic recovery continues.”
Biden seemed to suggest Thursday’s report on the country’s gross domestic product showed his plan to pull the country out of its post-pandemic slump.
“For months, doomsayers have been saying that the US economy is in recession and that Congressional Republicans are crossing their fingers,” Biden said.
The trip has some personal connections for the president. Biden graduated from the University of Syracuse Law School in 1968. His first wife, Neilia Hunter, who died in a car accident, was an Auburn, NY, born and Syracuse University alumna.
In Syracuse, the president will highlight a commitment from Micron to invest $100 billion over the next 20 years to build semiconductor factories there.
He attacks Republicans for their ties to Donald Trump, calling them “MAGA Republicans.”
He has accused the GOP of wanting to roll back social programs. He said during a virtual fundraiser Wednesday night that “what happens in the next Congress in this bad year will determine the direction of our country for our long time.”
“I’m so sick of the trickle down economy,” he added, calling out Republicans for embracing “Mega-MAGA trickle down economics.”
He also said that “Republicans are fiscally reckless.”
Syracuse is in a district vacated by moderate Republican Rep. John Katko, who is retiring. It’s a crucial pick-me-up for Democrats. Biden won the district in 2020 by more than 7 points.
The president will be joined by New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who faces a tough reelection contest against Republican Lee Zeldin.
Katko will also be in attendance at the event, along with Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul (above), who faces a tough reelection contest against Republican Lee Zeldin, will join Biden in New York
Syracuse is in a district vacated by moderate Republican Rep. John Katko (above), who is retiring; Katko joins Biden in New York
With less than two weeks until the midterm elections, polls show Republicans have momentum to win the House, but Senate control is seen as a toss-up.
Even if Republicans win just one House of Congress, they could thwart Biden’s legislative agenda for the next two years and subject him to a flurry of congressional scrutiny. GOP lamakers promise to investigate all of his son Hunter’s business dealings.
Democrats are on the defensive, backing states and house districts that Biden won in the 2020 contest. The party is also nervously watching Senate races, especially in swing states.
The party is putting $6.3 million in ads in a trio of congressional districts in New York and New Jersey, where President Biden won by at least eight points, The Washington Post reported.
And Jill Biden was in Rhode Island on Wednesday to campaign for a House candidate in a district that won the president by nearly 14 points.