by Lordo » Tue Sep 27, 2022 1:22 am
For the first 12 months, President Biden has been grappling with the unenviable task of curtailing the ongoing COVID pandemic, restoring a waning economy, and solving the country's entrenched and divisive social issues.
It has been a taxing year for the President, who has led his administration through a year of notable ups-and-downs. Nonetheless, the 46th resident of the White House has reason to be proud of his first year at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as despite the series of obstacles and challenges, Biden's administration has also achieved marked success.
1) $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package
One of Biden's flagship victories of the last year was the approval of a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package which drastically increased investment in the national network of bridges and roads, airports, public transport, national broadband internet, as well as waterways and energy systems.
2) The $1.9 trillion COVID relief deal
In March, the Biden administration passed a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package designed to help the country combat the ongoing COVID pandemic.
The package provided direct payments of up to $1,400 to many struggling U.S. citizens, temporarily extended unemployment support by $300 per week, channeled approximately $20 billion into the COVID vaccination program, as well as providing $25 billion in rental support and a further $350 billion into state, tribal and local relief efforts.
The legislation was also designed to tackle child poverty and nutritional issues across the country. The bill invested almost $30 billion in restaurants and hospitality and raised the maximum Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program support by 15 percent. Additionally, an extra $120 billion were invested into K-12 schools across the nation.
3) Highest appointment of federal judges since Reagan
Biden has appointed 41 federal judges in his opening year at the White House. This is more than double those appointed by his predecessor Donald Trump and is the most a president has appointed in their freshman year since Ronald Reagan in 1981.
The president has also been mindful of issues of representation in his appointments over the last year, as 80 percent of the new federal judges are women and 53 percent are people of color.
4) Halt on Federal Executions
President Biden is an opponent of the federal penalty and therefore reinstated a national freeze on federal executions, which had been in place for 17 years until former president Donald Trump ended the pause.
5) Commitment to Combating Climate Change
During his presidential campaign and since taking office, Biden has been a vocal supporter of the need for a greater effort to tackle the climate crisis.
Shortly after coming to power, Biden re-joined the international Paris Climate Accord, which Trump had parted ways with, allowing the U.S. to continue to work with global players in the worldwide drive to deter the climate's deterioration.
6) Support for Transgender Service Members
Within his first week at the White House, Biden issued an executive order to overturn Trump-era ban on openly transgender members of the U.S. military.
The original ban was first announced by Trump during his first year in power, as the former president tweeted that the U.S. military would cease to allow trangender Americans from serving in the military, claiming it imposed "tremendous medical costs and disruption".
7) Reduced unemployment
The Biden administration has also been faced with the challenge of restoring a semblance of normalcy to an economy burdened by the pandemic. In his freshman year, Biden has managed to reduce the rate of national unemployment.
In December, the national unemployment rate dropped to 3.9 percent while jobless claims sunk to their lowest levels since 1969. When Biden took office, the unemployment rate stood at 6.3 percent.
How's that for starters.