What to expect in US politics and policy in 2022

On the one-year anniversary of President Biden’s inauguration, experts from the United States Studies Centre (USSC) will give their take on what to expect in US politics and policy in 2022. President Biden’s supporters posit that, in passing the American Rescue Plan Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, he has already accomplished more first-year legislative wins than any president in generations. Yet amid questions of competence following the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal, inflation rates the highest in decades, the prospect of the most significant changes in abortion law in nearly half a century, and ever-worsening poll numbers potentially foreshadowing a GOP takeover in the midterms, President Biden and the Democrats are undeniably on the defensive. What are the issues likely to dominate US politics and the midterm elections in 2022? What comes of the Biden administration’s policy agenda if Republicans take back control of Congress? What issues should Australians keep an eye on? To discuss these issues, USSC hosted a webinar discussion with politics experts, Senior Lecturer in US Politics and Foreign Policy Dr Gorana Grgic, Non-Resident Senior Fellow Bruce Wolpe and Senior Research Fellow Jared Mondschein in conversation with CEO Professor Simon Jackman.