Earlier this week, President Biden urged Congress to pass legislation accepting the tentative agreement to avert a nationwide rail strike. The House voted to block the strike on Wednesday, along with voting for a separate bill to provide paid sick leave for rail workers – which was one of the primary wedge issues between rail employees and management. The latter bill faces a tougher path in the Senate.
As part of CivicScience’s immediate tracking of breaking news events, we gauged Americans’ sentiments on Biden’s initiative to fend off a strike. It’s largely positive, with just over two-thirds of U.S. adults approving of the move (n=2,469). Just over 85% of Democrats approve of his decision to some extent – with 48% of Republicans joining them. Independent voters fall closely in line with the Gen Pop.
President Biden’s rationale for halting the strike largely stems from concerns over economic blowback and impact on the national supply chain ahead of the holidays. But Americans who’ve claimed to be ‘not at all concerned’ about supply chain issues in the past 90 days are the most likely to strongly approve of his decision – while those with the greatest supply chain concerns overindex in disapproval. Whether you chalk it up to Republicans and Democrats having different levels of supply chain anxieties under a Democratic president, the issue isn’t breaking in expected ways across ideological lines.
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