Very often, while canvassing or just engaging in a discussion with friends and family, the question comes up: But what has this administration actually done? How am I benefiting from this? I thought I’d share some data points I collected after searching through the White House Fact Sheet and other sites including Politico’s Joe Biden's accomplishments you may have missed .
Disclaimer: This is by no means an exhaustive list of what has been achieved, or is in the pipeline to date.
Judicial nominations. Appointed a historic 251 judges, as of August 9, with a record number of women, racial and ethnic minorities. Sixty-four percent are women and 65% are people of color, including Kentanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court.
CHIPS and Sciences Act. Passed the CHIPS and Science Act, which offered more than $50 billion to subsidize the construction of new microchip facilities in the U.S. and boost research and development across a series of national research facilities.Â
Infrastructure deal. Passed the bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act to rebuild America’s roads, bridges and rails, expand access to clean drinking water, access to high-speed internet, improve ports and airports, lower prescription drug prices, tackle climate justice and invest in energy production while promoting clean energy.
Infrastructure. Announced $16.4 billion in funding for 25 passenger rail projects along Amtrak’s busy Northeast Corridor. This is the largest investment in public rail transportation since Amtrak’s founding.
Healthcare.
Capped the price of insulin at $35 for seniors on Medicare.
Provided the shingles vaccines — and now other adult vaccines — for free as a result of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).Â
Championed FDA-approved in March 2024 over-the-counter birth control pill, Opill. It is available through pharmacies and convenience and grocery stores as well as online through Amazon, CVS, Walgreens and the Opill website.
Announced $3 billion in funding and a new plan that would require ALL 9 million lead pipes be replaced within 10 years, the strictest standard on lead in drinking water ever. This will improve the lives of so many people now and for future generations.
Signed into law the most significant expansion of benefits and services for toxin-exposed veterans in more than 30 years. All veterans will be eligible to enroll in Veterans Administration healthcare without first applying for VA benefits. Additionally, veterans who were never deployed but were exposed to toxins/hazards while training or on active duty will be eligible to enroll.
Gun violence prevention. Established the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which is overseen by Vice President Kamala Harris. In 2023, schools were awarded $286 million in federal funding to support student wellness and school mental health professionals. Harris launched the Biden-Harris Administration’s Safer States Initiative to provide states with additional tools and the support they need to reduce gun violence and save lives.
Transportation. Introduced strong measures to hold airlines accountable to passengers. Passengers faced with airline delays and cancellations now much more protection.
Labor/wages. Finalized new Department of Labor overtime rule increasing the Fair Labor Standard Act salary threshold, which began July 1, 2024. As a result, about 4.3 million American workers who previously didn't qualify for overtime will do so now.
Consumer protection. Proposed a rule to cut overdraft fees from as high as $35 to between $3 and $14, in most cases. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau estimated the change would save customers $3.5 billion annually.
Marriage protection. Signed the Respect for Marriage Act to codify and protect same-sex and interracial marriages
Criminal reforms. Released a plan to provide a second chance for incarcerated people by supporting rehabilitation during incarceration and facilitating a successful reentry into society. Student loan. Announced $7.7 billion for student loan debt relief for 160,000 borrowers. Additionally, career training programs could lose federal funding if their graduates leave with a larger amount of student debt relative to their earnings.
Climate change. Championed the transition to green energy through landmark legislation enacted to reduce greenhouse gasses that drive climate change. Tax incentives and funding for new programs were incentivized adoption of technologies such as solar, wind and green hydrogen.
Data security/privacy. Established the Cyber Safety Review Board and released a national cybersecurity strategy (after last year’s SolarWinds hack by Russian government hackers) to reduce the threat of cyberattacks and provide a roadmap for response.
Energy.
Achieved an all-time high in U.S. oil production — more than 13 million barrels a day, and more than what was produced under former President Trump.
Brokered a pause in fighting in Congo to avoid a humanitarian crisis and avert any impact to U.S. ability to obtain cobalt, a key component of electric vehicle batteries. Congo has about 70 percent of the world’s cobalt reserves.
Defense. Unveiled the Pentagon’s Replicator program that leverages AI software to build thousands of relatively cheap and replaceable drones within two years, demonstrating American technological and industrial might.
Agriculture.
Authorized funding under the IRA to jump-start the transition of American agriculture toward less carbon-intensive practices and develop better standards for measuring, monitoring, reporting and verifying greenhouse gas emissions.
Signed an executive order for the agriculture sector: directing agencies across the government to promote competition and take on monopolies; providing $1 billion to help small and midsize meatpackers compete in a highly consolidated market; providing millions of dollars in debt relief for farmers who have faced discrimination; funding record increases in farm conservation efforts; boosting programs to help shorten supply chains; and directing food from local farms to nearby schools and food banks.
Environment. Helped broker a deal to save the Colorado River and also provided $4 billion for conservation efforts.
Native Americans. Improved health, education, safety and welfare across Indian Country through the American Rescue Plan particularly for Native women, children and families.
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