President Biden has an extremely strong belief in protecting democracy and has taken many steps to safeguard it at home and abroad. A few domestic examples: the Department of Justice has doubled the staff that enforces voting rights laws; the federal budget includes $5 billion to help states and local jurisdictions strengthen their election infrastructure; the President issued an Executive Order directing every agency to promote voting access; the Federal Election Commission has extended disclaimer requirements to political advertising in the digital world. On the foreign front, “Biden has modeled how diplomacy as well as force can support efforts to shore up democracy” according to a CNN oped by foreign correspondent David Andelman. He has so far been very effective at supporting Ukraine without creating a direct conflict between the U.S. and Russia; defending Israel while encouraging the Israelis to follow international norms with the Palestinians and keeping the conflict from expanding within the region; and protecting Taiwan’s independence.

President Biden and his Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, have worked tirelessly for weeks to pave the way to a successful pause in hostilities in Gaza, leading to multiple days of hostage/prisoner exchanges and a huge increase in relief trucks getting through to help the Palestinians. They are continuing to press for a two state solution, a “sustained mechanism for reconstruction” of Gaza, and other key elements for ending the hostilities permanently.

After being blocked by the courts from implementing a large student loan debt relief program, the Biden Administration has turned to other means of providing relief. They fixed administrative errors that were limiting the use of income-driven repayment plans plus the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, resulting in saving over 800,000 borrowers more than $39 billion. They have also provided relief of $45.7 billion for 662,000 public service workers, $10.5 billion for 491,000 disabled borrowers, and $22 billion for nearly 1.3 million borrowers cheated by their schools, had their schools close, or are covered by a related court settlement. On August 22, 2023, the administration rolled out the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan. It changes repayments from being loan balance-based to being based on income and family size, prevents the balance from growing due to unpaid interest, and eventually forgives the remaining balance.

New actions are being taken by the Biden Administration to strengthen supply chains that are critical to our economy and national security. President Biden has been on top of this issue since he first took office. A month after his inauguration, he created a task force to determine where supply chains were vulnerable. The task force issued a detailed report in June 2021. Now the President is following that up by creating the White House Council on Supply Chain Resilience and taking almost 30 other actions to protect our supply chains.

The U.S. has had the strongest post-pandemic recovery among major nations. As of June 2023, the USA has the highest post-pandemic growth plus the lowest inflation among the G7. Four million jobs have been added since February 2020 and unemployment continues to be low. President Biden deserves the credit for leading our economy to such a strong recovery. More on Bidenomics.

President Biden was able to negotiate an end to the debt ceiling standoff with House Republicans and passed a bill with large bipartisan support. The debt ceiling has been suspended until January 2025 (after the 2024 election) and some deficit reducing measures were included. President Biden has once again demonstrated his ability to compromise and appeal to the center of both major parties. True to a bill reflecting actual compromise, no one is happy with it, but large majorities voted Yes.

Unions led to the creation of our middle class. 40 years of “trickle down economics” led to weakening of unions, stagnant wages, and historic levels of transfers of wealth from the middle class to the upper one percent. Unions are now making a comeback, and President Biden is leading the way. From joining a picket line to strengthening the National Labor Relations Board, President Biden and his Administration are taking actions to strengthen unions, as detailed in this white paper. Vice President Harris leads the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment which works with agencies to use existing statutory authority to support worker organizing and bargaining. A Task Force recommendation to enhance communications to workers about their union rights has resulted in almost 80,000 workers joining a union.

The Biden administration worked behind the scenes to get freight railroad workers, covered by the IBEW union, paid sick leave after it was removed from the agreement imposed by Congress in December 2022 to avoid a freight rail strike. Talks are continuing for some smaller unions.

Part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda, the Inflation Reduction Act was passed entirely with Democratic votes in 2022. Reduces the deficit by raising the corporate minimum tax rate. Invests in domestic energy production and manufacturing and creates tax incentives for investing in clean energy appliances, vehicles, and home energy efficiency and electrification projects, lowering carbon emissions. Extends the expanded ACA program for 3 years, allowing millions to retain their health insurance. Allows Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices for certain drugs.

Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton's website has a page dedicated to helping you determine how IRA Clean Energy Tax Credits and rebates can help you: IRA tax credit/rebate info.

Part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda, the CHIPS and Science Act passed with bipartisan support in 2022. Boost domestic research and manufacturing of semiconductors. Will increase our competitiveness, inovation, national security, and jobs.

Part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021. Biden built consensus & compromise to pass this historic bill. Supports transportation, road, and rail improvements; broadband access; clean water; electrical grid renewal. 37,000 projects awarded funding to date. Virginia projects receiving funding include: $23mm for the Eastern Shore of VA Rail Trail; $14 mm for the Downtown Harrisburg Streetscape & Mobility Transformation Project; over $3mm for improved access & safety for Chesterfield's Meadowdale-Meadowbrook community; and $720k for Herndon's 2050 Comprehensive Plan.

Part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda, the American Rescue Plan was passed in 2021. To support working families because of the COVID-19 shutdown and widespread illnesses, this Act provided checks to individuals, increased key income tax credits (Child Tax Credit, Earned-Income Tax Credit, and Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit), extended unemployment insurance, small business support, lower health insurance premiums, and 100% federal COBRA subsidy.

The Biden Administration has been pushing back against MAGA attempts to whitewash our history. On the 2023 anniversary of the 1955 brutal slaying of Emmett Till, President Biden created a National Monument in his and his mother’s names and issued this Proclamation. The following day, on the 75th anniversary of the desegregation of our armed forces, President Biden issued this statement of remembrance.