topics

politics-policy

epstein-files

donald-trump

2026-midterm-elections

immigration

behind-the-curtain

race-and-equity

technology

privacy-tech-regulation

automation-and-ai

tiktok-news

big-tech

social-media

cybersecurity

economy

social-security

inflation

tariffs

federal-reserve

jobs

transportation

business

stock-market-news

retail-news

crypto

media

elon-musk

dealmaking

health

rfk-jr

drug-prices

axios-explains-abortion

public-health

world

israel

axios-explains-ukraine

iran

russia

china

energy-climate

nuclear-energy

climate-energy-policy

climate-change

extreme-weather

alternative-energy

electric-vehicles

science

emerging-tech

biomedicine

newsletters

pittsburgh

atlanta

san-diego

charlotte

boulder

washington-dc

kansas-city

dallas

denver

detroit

des-moines

austin

boston

chicago

cleveland

columbus

houston

indianapolis

miami

nashville

new-orleans

nw-arkansas

philadelphia

phoenix

portland

richmond

salt-lake-city

san-antonio

san-francisco

seattle

tampa-bay

twin-cities

raleigh

huntsville

colorado-springs

axios-local

axios-pro

axios-live

the-axios-show

National

2028

Axios 2028

House Democrats have rejected the White House's months-long campaign to sell the term "Bidenomics."

Why it matters: Democrats are going into the 2024 election divided on how to communicate about the economy at a time when most voters are dissatisfied with it.

What's happening: House Democratic leadership stopped pushing the term months ago.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and House Majority PAC, two key fundraising arms, are also avoiding it on social media and press releases, as polling indicates the tagline is ineffective.

In a meeting this past summer to discuss economic messaging strategy, House Democrats decided to stick with "People Over Politics" rather than "Bidenomics," one senior Democratic leadership aide told Axios.

Zoom in: The "Bidenomics" catchphrase seemed to present a host of issues, according to Democratic sources. 

The term was seen as tone-deaf to voters still struggling economically and also invoked a president with lackluster polling numbers. 

One Democratic strategist said the biggest problem wasn't using "Biden," but that the term was too philosophical and required too much explanation.

Democrats across the board intend to keep many of the policies behind the "Bidenomics" tagline front and center heading into 2024.

What they're saying: "This week GDP growth was revised upward to 5.2% in the last quarter and this story's economic focus is on how many times the House Dems have uttered a single particular word," Michael Tyler, the Biden campaign's communications director, told Axios in a statement.

How we got here: The White House began touting the catchphrase "Bidenomics" this year in an effort to change the troubling polling on the president's economic record ahead of 2024.

Biden was initially ambivalent about the term, then embraced it — but "Bidenomics" has recently disappeared from his prepared speeches, as NBC News reported.

The White House and the Biden campaign have continued to use the term, and the president spoke at an event in Colorado this past week with "Bidenomics" signage. 

Some Democratic lawmakers have publicly expressed concern about the messaging tactic over the past few months, even as they plan to campaign on economic success.

"We have to do a better job framing this not so much for one person — for the office of the presidency — but for the people," Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) told Politico in September.

In a major NYT/Siena poll in battleground states last month, voters were far more likely to say they trust former President Trump over Biden on the economy.

By the numbers: The term "Bidenomics" does not appear in any of the DCCC's public press releases nor on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, according to analysis provided by a House Republican strategist and reviewed by Axios.

DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) hasn't used the term on her X or Facebook accounts.

The term is nowhere to be found in any of the House Majority PAC's public releases and posts except for a single press release on July 31.

House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) has avoided "Bidenomics" on his social media and press releases, except sharing one article on Facebook with the term featured in the headline. His team said he has invoked "Bidenomics" during press conferences.

Aguilar is quoted in one House Democratic press release using the term: "Call it Bidenomics, call it People Over Politics—just call it effective."

The big picture: It's not the first time there has been distance between the White House and House Democrats on economic messaging, and former President Obama similarly struggled with the issue ahead of 2012.

The Biden team is largely dismissive of critics within their own party — a confidence forged by proving such doubters wrong in the past.

In the months before the 2022 midterm elections, those critics included some members of Biden's own Cabinet who repeatedly appealed to senior Biden advisers Anita Dunn and Mike Donilon to change the economic messaging, according to two people familiar with the conversations.

In response, a WH official framed the conversations as constructive, telling Axios that the cabinet members "wanted to discuss and advise on messaging."

Democrats went on to have the best midterms in decades for a first-term president.

https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehousemajoritypac.com%2Fnews%2Fmemo-democrats-growing-the-economy-but-gop-extremism-threatens-progress-and-reproductive-freedoms&data=05%7C01%7Cwreinert%40NRCC.org%7C747676d0e6b642eaa

House Democrats ditch "Bidenomics" messaging

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is avoiding the term on social media and press releases.

US President Joe Biden speaks about Bidenomics at CS Wind, the largest wind turbine tower manufacturer in the world

 President Biden speaks about Bidenomics at CS Wind in Pueblo, Colo., last week. Photo: Michael Ciaglo via Getty Images

2024 elections

Politics & Policy

State Of The Union With Jake Tapper And Dana Bash-12 06 08 Pm - 12 08 36 Pm-2023-12-03

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Sunday he has lost confidence in Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin following his comments surrounding the Israel-Hamas war. 

Why it matters: Graham's sentiments come as Austin, whom Graham has previously supported, said Israel risks "strategic defeat" if the country does not do more to protect civilians in Gaza as its war against Hamas continues. 

What he's saying: "He's so naive, I mean, I've just lost all confidence in this guy," Graham said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday. 

"How about focusing on protecting our soldiers, men and women in Syria and Iraq? Strategic defeat would be inflaming the Palestinians? They're already inflamed," Graham said. 

Catch up quick: At the Reagan National Defense Forum in California, Austin said Saturday that "... in this kind of a fight, the center of gravity is the civilian population. And if you drive them into the arms of the enemy, you replace a tactical victory with a strategic defeat." 

"So I have repeatedly made clear to Israel's leaders that protecting Palestinian civilians in Gaza is both a moral responsibility and a strategic imperative," Austin said. 

Though the South Carolina Republican said he personally likes Austin, the war has shown him that Austin "doesn't understand" if the U.S. "... were attacked like this, which we were on 9/11, if somebody called for us within two months to have a ceasefire against Al Qaeda ... we'd have laughed them out of town, we'd have run them out of town." 

Graham added that Austin is "telling Israel things that are impossible to achieve" and told him to "quit criticizing Israel in public." 

Zoom out: Austin's remarks come as the rate of civilian deaths in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war is outpacing those of other conflict zones in the 21st century, Axios' Ivana Saric reports. 

Go deeper: U.S. pressing Israel to allow same levels of aid into Gaza as during ceasefire

U.S. pressing Israel to allow same levels of aid into Gaza as during ceasefire

Lindsey Graham says he's "lost all confidence" in Lloyd Austin

"He's so naive, I mean, I've just lost all confidence in this guy," Graham told CNN when asked about Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Lindsey Graham

For some, the American dream lies overseas. 

The big picture: As recent polling suggests a dwindling sense of confidence in the American dream, some U.S. citizens are flocking to foreign countries in search of more affordability and flexibility than they experienced in the U.S.

Catch up quick: Recent surveys have uncovered concerns about the American dream declining or even already being extinguished, Axios' Dave Lawler reports. 

Only 36% of respondents said the American dream — defined in this case that "if you work hard you'll get ahead" — still held true, per a WSJ/NORC poll from October. That's a steep drop from previous polling.

Meanwhile, younger Americans are struggling to get on the housing ladder, and Americans of all ages are increasingly pessimistic about the opportunities that will be available to the next generation, as one recent NBC poll found.

At the same time, opportunities presented by remote work and expat lifestyles reflected in social media posts have led some Americans to consider life overseas.

Since 2020, there has been a rise of the digital nomad visa, per the Europe-based law firm Lexidy.

Dozens of countries now offer a "visa pathway enabling remote workers to legally reside in the host country for a year plus under certain conditions," according to Lexidy.

Across social media sites, including TikTok, some Americans are documenting their new lives outside of the U.S. while expressing shifting attitudes about the American dream.

JP Stonestreet and Amelia Basista, two married American expats who left Colorado to move to Ecuador in 2017, now run a business for helping people to live abroad and earn online income.

What they're saying: "We grew up in a country of opportunity for everybody. If you were smart and worked hard, you could achieve the American dream, and that is not the case anymore," Stonestreet told Axios.  

"It just takes one unforeseen incident ... to completely change that and take the dream away from you," said Stonestreet, who cited high living costs in the U.S. as a major part of the couple's decision to leave. 

Stonestreet and Basista said they have seen a large increase in the number of people both thinking about and making the decision to move. 

Most of their online followers are people nearing or at retirement who realize they cannot afford to live in the U.S. anymore and are seeking a higher quality of life for a lower cost of living elsewhere.

Though the two became mired in medical, student loan and credit card debt prior to leaving the U.S., the pair is now debt free since moving to Ecuador.

Both in their 50s, the two said they are "aging in reverse," which they mostly attribute to reduced stress from living outside of the "toxic hamster wheel" they refer to as the U.S.

Of note: There is no data from a U.S. federal agency that explains the true extent of Americans leaving the states for life abroad.

As of 2020, the State Department estimated that 9 million U.S. citizens lived overseas, but according to a department spokesperson, the agency no longer provides these estimates. 

U.S. citizens are not required to register their travel with the department, and the spokesperson told Axios that the agency does not want to provide potentially inaccurate figures. 

Reality check: It remains the case that many more people are seeking to move to the U.S. than away from it. But for younger generations of Americans, the world beyond the U.S. has grown more easily accessible and perhaps more appealing. 

Go deeper: Americans think the American dream is dying

Americans think the American dream is dying

The American dream for some is leaving the U.S.

Since leaving the U.S., two married American expats told Axios they are "aging in reverse."

Illustration of the statue of liberty from behind carrying a suitcase

Travel

Top stories & latest news on the Federal Reserve, real-time data, plus the biggest shifts happening in the U.S. and global economy.

Economy

Meet The Press-10 42 19 Am - 10 43 32 Am-2023-12-03

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Sunday that the U.S. intelligence community indicated it did not have access to a document detailing Hamas' plan to attack Israel. 

Why it matters: Kirby's statement comes shortly after a New York Times report said Israeli officials had obtained Hamas' "battle plan" for the Oct. 7 attack on Israel over a year before it occurred. 

Catch up quick: The New York Times reported last week that Israeli officials had known about Hamas' plan to attack Israel "more than a year before it happened," via documents, emails and interviews.

Known as the "Jericho Wall," the roughly 40-page document, according to the Times, had outlined, "point by point," Hamas' deadly incursion on Israel.

The Times said that Israeli military officials had dismissed the report as "aspirational" and outside of Hamas' capabilities. 

What he's saying: "The intelligence community has ... indicated that they did not have access to this document," Kirby said on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday.

"Intelligence is a mosaic and sometimes, you can fashion things together and get a pretty good picture. Other times ... there's pieces of the puzzle that are missing," Kirby said. 

"As I said, our own intelligence community said that they've looked at this. They have no indications at this time that they had any advanced warning of this document or any knowledge of it," he added. 

Asked about whether the attack marked a failure on the part of U.S. intelligence and Israeli intelligence, Kirby declined to answer but said he thinks there will be a "time and a place for Israel to do that sort of forensic work."

"I mean, Prime Minister Netanyahu's already spoken pretty candidly about this and calling it a failure on their part. They'll take a look at this at the right time. They need to do that," Kirby said. 

Kirby said the current focus should be on "making sure that they can eliminate this truly genocidal threat to the Israeli people." 

Go deeper: How the Gaza ceasefire collapsed

Kirby: US intelligence had no knowledge of Hamas' attack plan documents

Kirby's statement comes shortly after the New York Times report said Israeli officials knew about Hamas' plan over a year prior.

Israel

Conflicts, policies and powers are intersecting and shaping the world. Breaking news and analysis of national security, foreign policy and global crises.

World

Finish Line

Axios Finish Line

Share of adults ages 75+ who can't afford daily in-home care, by metro area

Data: Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies; Map: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals

As America's population of seniors grows, affordable long-term care is increasingly hard to find.

Why it matters: Nearly 70% of older adults will need long-term care services, according to Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies.

Medicare doesn't cover these services, and Medicaid often has long wait lists for at-home support, said Samara Scheckler, a research associate.

"The cost of daily assistance at home is out of reach for most," Scheckler said, "and so is assisted living, which bundles housing and care together."

By the numbers: 13% of adults 75+ in U.S. metro areas living alone can afford assisted living without diving into assets, per the Center.

14% can afford a daily visit from a home health aide along with their housing costs.

For context, more than 40% of Americans 65 and older live alone. When considering seniors over 80, that share jumps to nearly 60%.

Zoom out: There's also a growing shortage of care providers. While most people prefer in-home care — and it's cheaper for states to fund — not everyone can receive care at home, said Priya Chidambaram of KFF.

Aging America faces a senior care crisis

"The cost of daily assistance at home is out of reach for most," a researcher said.

Axios

Sunday's top stories

House Democrats ditch "Bidenomics" messaging

Lindsey Graham says he's "lost all confidence" in Lloyd Austin

The American dream for some is leaving the U.S.

Kirby: US intelligence had no knowledge of Hamas' attack plan documents

Aging America faces a senior care crisis

An AI boost for developing new materials

Muslim Americans in swing states launch anti-Biden campaign

U.S. pressing Israel to allow same levels of aid into Gaza as during ceasefire

Scoop: Newsmax feuds with RNC over GOP debates

GOP tensions run high after House vote to expel George Santos

How the Gaza ceasefire collapsed