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President Joe Biden is ending his first year in office on a decidedly sour note. The coronavirus pandemic that he promised to crush is once again raging out of control; inflation is dampening the economic recovery; and the combination of the two has Biden's approval ratings upside down. To top it off, Senator Joe Manchin dumped a heaping of West Virginia coal in the president's Christmas stocking by coming out against his signature Build Back Better plan, dooming its chances of passing without a major rewrite.
Yet for all of Biden's recent struggles, he accomplished quite a lot in 2021. The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan sent $1,400 stimulus checks to millions, and its monthly payments to families have been hailed as a transformative anti-poverty program. Congress's enactment last month of the president's bipartisan infrastructure package represents the biggest investment in the nation's public works in a generation.
Here's a rundown of the president's first-year highs and lows.
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A $1.9 trillion COVID-19-relief package that helped families--and states and cities--weather the financial hardship caused by the pandemic
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A relatively smooth rollout of the major COVID-19 vaccines that offered protection to more than 200 million people and provided at least a brief return to normalcy
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A $1 trillion infrastructure law that won Republican support and made substantial progress on an issue that had vexed presidents of both parties
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The chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan that ceded the country to the Taliban, cost the lives of U.S. troops, and left many Afghan allies to fend for themselves
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The resurgence, first in summer and then in late fall, of the coronavirus pandemic, which--while largely out of Biden's control--made the president's springtime celebration seem sadly premature
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Failure to win Senate backing of his $1.75 trillion Build Back Better economic plan, which had already been cut in half from its original size
If Biden had a tough job this year, the stakes will be even higher in 2022, when his party's slim majorities will be on the line.
What to read if ... you or a loved one tested positive for a breakthrough COVID infection:
The science writer and editor Yasmin Tayag explains what to do next.
What to read if ... you're looking for fresh entertainment to close out the year:
Our culture team rounded up the best books, best TV, and best movies of 2021. Happy reading and watching.
Today's Atlantic-approved activity:
Swim with orcas (virtually, of course).
A break from the news:
The future of work is a 60-year career.
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