When US president Joe Biden unveiled his $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan in February, Republicans accused the new president of profligacy. Though the infrastructure plan has yet to be approved in Congress, together the three spending packages represent one of the biggest investments in the US economy in years. But on Friday, Biden’s economic agenda confronted its first serious hurdle with the publication of disappointing jobs figures. For critics of the Biden plan, Friday’s unemployment figures appeared to bear this warning out. This week, the president will host senior Democrats and Republicans for talks at the White House to garner support for his infrastructure plan.

Source: The Irish Times May 09, 2021 18:11 UTC