Biden approval rating near lowest of presidency amid immigration concerns: survey

President Biden’s approval rating sits at 40 percent in a new survey, inching toward the lowest of his presidency as immigration concerns grow.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday found that Biden’s approval rating was 40 percent, a slight uptick from the 39 percent approval he received in April’s poll. The economy and immigration were among the top concerns for respondents, especially as Title 42 — a pandemic-era policy used to quickly block asylum seekers at the border — is set to expire this week.

The poll found that only 26 percent of respondents said they approved of Biden’s handling of immigration.

The poll also found that about 54 percent of respondents opposed increasing the number of immigrants allowed to enter the country each year, including 77 percent of Republicans and 34 percent of Democrats.

About 66 percent of respondents said that they support sending active-duty U.S. soldiers to the border to provide support for Border Control agents. The Biden administration is planning to send 1,500 troops to the border ahead of the surge of migrants that is expected to come once Title 42 ends this week.

The poll also highlighted respondents’ concerns with the debt ceiling, with 54 percent saying that they oppose raising the debt ceiling. This comes after Biden met with Republican and Democratic Congressional leadership Tuesday to talk about the debt ceiling, after which House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said there was no “new movement,” and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the Speaker was the “lone holdout” from an agreement to take the possibility of a default off the table.

Lawmakers have until June 1 to raise the debt ceiling, or the United States may not be able to pay all of its bills, Treasury Department Secretary Janet Yellen wrote in a letter to Congressional leaders last week. Biden said Tuesday that he is considering using the 14th Amendment to unilaterally work around the debt ceiling.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 1,022 U.S. adults in a three-day poll that ended May 7 and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.