White House Rushes To Douse Afghanistan Evacuation Flames

White House

Fissures flared up in the US after the cowardly attack on its evacuation efforts. President Biden, already under pressure to retain Democratic control over Congress, appears to have slipped further after the attack on Thursday. The White House has already got into attack mode with Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker, overcoming conflicts within the Democratic Party to move ahead with the massive investments necessary to prop up America’s crumbling infrastructure.

But the urgency of the situation could also act the other way, spurring Biden and his party to leverage the situation and regain control of the congress.

Support for families still struggling with the aftereffects of the pandemic and the havoc wrought by climate change are other issues that have been dealt with by the White House.

White House Already Weighed Down By Domestic Issues

The pandemic has set the economy of the US back by several years and pushed millions below the poverty line. But both the White House and the companies are together committed in their fight to set things right.

The $3.5T human infrastructure file was pushed through on Democratic support alone. Earlier, the $1.2T package to set right the physical infrastructure had gone through bipartisan support. But the future challenges for the White House appear to be even more daunting.

Progress over both fronts is the only way for President Biden and his team in the White House to stave off giving control to Republicans a year later.

Midterm elections are an unpalatable prospect for the party in power in the White House. The control of just 5 seats will give the Republicans to take over from Pelosi. And just 1 seat in the Senate will give Mitch McConnell control as majority leader.

President Biden’s team has been dismissive of past mid-term trends, saying that the present situation has been unique and unprecedented. The pandemic was followed by the worst economic downturn of the century and an uprising led by an outgoing President.

Swift action on several fronts including the passage of pandemic relief measures, quick vaccination measures, and continual growth in the economy has kept Biden above the 50% approval mark. It was something that Trump had never been able to achieve even once in his tenure at the White House.

A predicted economic growth rate of 7% is still on the cards for 2021. And Trump’s antics have further helped to galvanize Democratic voters. But the withdrawal from Afghanistan is an added worry for the President. The killing of 13 troops will further heighten tensions in the White House.

To the Democratic leaders and the White House, acting decisively and acting fast remains the priority on both the domestic and foreign fronts. It is more about what has been done and not what remains to be done.