Joe Biden and Democrats are struggling under weight of inflation

Inflation in the United States has risen to a four-decade high and the financial crunch on Americans has President Joe Biden's approval ratings plummeting. That could spell trouble for Democrats during midterm elections, journalists told Jim Braude on Greater Boston.

Jim Puzzanghera, national political reporter for the Boston Globe, noted that gas prices started to go down until Russian troops began organizing at the Ukrainian border, but ultimately, Biden will still shoulder the blame.

"People are going to blame the party in power for this, and inflation was a problem before the war in Ukraine, so the Democrats are in charge in Washington, and they're going to get the blame," Puzzanghera said.

Washington Post Opinion Columnist Jennifer Rubin said Democrats could lose dozens of seats and Biden is in a "no-win situation."

"The problem is made worse by the fact that Biden really doesn't control inflation at this point. That's largely a function of the Federal Reserve, but the president cannot, as a political matter, tell voters 'it's not my problem," Rubin said.

Another issue stacking onto Biden's shoulders is student loan debt. He has not yet fulfilled a campaign promise to alleviate some of the nation's crushing debt, but instead continues to extend a pause on payments.

"I think that there is a problem with him with younger voters on that issue. And I think that's why you've seen him extending the pause without pulling the trigger," said Puzzanghera.

Watch: Biden's approval ratings are dropping, what does this mean for midterm elections?