President Joe Biden’s DOT has promulgated new rules to airlines that checked bag fees, flight change fees, and (amazingly enough) to require airlines to show the full price of the ticket BEFORE consumers pay for the ticket!
President Joe Biden’s Department of Labor has released a rule that will increase the amount of salary a worker can earn and be eligible for overtime pay. Currently, if you earn more than $35,568 (less than $3,000 per month) as a salaried worker, you are not eligible for overtime pay. As of July 1, 2024, that number will be $43,888, and, as of January 1, 2025, the salary threshold below which you are entitled to overtime after 40 hours of work in a week will be $58,656. After that, starting January 1, 2027, the rate will be adjusted every 3 years. This new rule is expected to affect approximately 4 million workers.
The April jobs report is out, and it is what the Fed was hoping for. Job growth continues under President Joe Biden, but has slowed a bit more than expected. The economy added 175,000 jobs in April, keeping that number well over 15 million jobs added under the Biden Administration. The unemployment rate rose to 3.9%, making it 27 straight months of unemployment under 4%, the longest stretch of sub-4% unemployment in over 50 years. With unemployment low and wages rising faster than inflation, the benefits of the Biden economy are being felt across America. This was precisely the news the Fed is looking for to help keep inflation down as it looks for opportunities to cut rates.
True to his word, President Joe Biden is moving the DEA to take cannabis off of the most restricted drug list — Schedule 1 — and moving it to Schedule III. This move would make it easier to research the effects of cannabis, and would federally recognize and decriminalize its medical use. It will also clear federal resources to deal with actual serious drugs like fentanyl. Should cannabis be legal? Of course. But, this is the biggest federal step in that direction in over 50 years.
President Joe Biden has finalized a new rule for public land management that puts the concept of conservation on equal footing with those attempting to drill for oil or graze cattle, among other things, on public lands. The Bureau of Land Management currently has over 380,000 square miles under management. This rule changes the BLM from “industry friendly” to a more balanced approach to land management.
Today is May Day, also known as International Workers Day! On January 20, 2021, President Joe Biden asked for the resignation of Peter Robb. When Robb refused, he fired him. Robb was famously anti-union and was appointed by the previous president. His anti-union bonafides go all the way back to litigating against the Air Traffic Controllers under President Reagan, in what was the opening salvo in the war against unions that has gone on for since 1981. As already detailed here, the Biden Administration has made it a priority to reverse that trend.
Fulfilling a campaign promise, earlier this month, President Joe Biden reversed regulations implemented by the previous administration that had made it more difficult from victims to bring complaints for sexual assault. The new protections broaden the narrowed definition of what constitutes sexual harassment, and finally broaden Title IX to cover gay, transgender, and pregnant people.
President Joe Biden continues to forgive loans whose programs have taken advantage of borrowers by their unfair terms. The recipients of these forgiveness programs are lower income borrowers, people who have made at least 10 years of payments if they originally took out $12,000 or less in loans to pay for college, public servants like teachers and government employees, and over 65,000 people who met the terms of their loans, only to find themselves still in debt. After the Supreme Court blocked President Biden’s forgiveness of $400 billion in loans, the Biden administration continues to attack the problem piecemeal. Thus far, Biden has forgiven over 4.3 million student borrowers and a total debt of $153 billion, and counting.
On Wednesday March 20, 2024, President Joe Biden issued one of the most significant climate regulations in the nation’s history, a rule designed to ensure that the majority of new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the United States are all-electric or hybrids by 2032.
President Joe Biden has reached an agreement with Samsung to deploy $6.4 Billion to develop a chip manufacturing and research cluster in Texas. The project is projected to create 17,000 construction jobs and 4,500 manufacturing jobs.
As of today, April 24, 2024, 13 states have unemployment rates under 3%, and 37 states have unemployment rates under 4%. See the state by state rates here. In fact, 34 of the 50 states have hit their lowest unemployment rates during the administration of President Joe Biden.
On April 19, 2024, President Joe Biden struck a blow for conservation, Alaska’s indigenous populations, and endangered species in taking this action, which also included the rejection of an application for a 210 mile road through the Alaskan wilderness. In a statement, President Biden said that Alaska’s “majestic and rugged lands and waters are among the most remarkable and healthy landscapes in the world,” are critical to Alaska Native communities, and “demand our protection.” The Tanana Chiefs Conference, an Alaska Native nonprofit corporation, said the administration’s “choice to reject the Ambler Road Project is a monumental step forward in the fight for Indigenous rights and environmental justice.”
President Joe Biden hosted Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for a state dinner at the White House, part of his visit in which the US and Japan announced a number of important financial, technologicial, and military initiatives. The two nations will also welcome President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. for tri-lateral talks, strenghtening US presence in the Philippines, again, as part of an effort to offset China’s increasing presence in the area. Over 70 deals between the US and Japan were announced, including technology partnerships, and assistance from Japan on the development of high speed trains in the US. Manay of the initiatives are intended to address climate concerns, including a partnership in the development of fusion energy.
On March 18, 2024, President Joe Biden signed an executive order significantly expanding women’s health care research, as well as 20 additional actions in various federal agencies targeting improvements in women’s health, including $200 million for research at the National Institute of Health.
The new regulations, issued by the EPA under the direction of President Joe Biden, will primarily affect people living near industrial sites. Those people are disproportionately poor and people of color. The new rule would, among other things, cut toxic pollutants by 6,200 tons annually and reduce emissions of ethylene oxide and chloroprene by 80 percent. Biden again demonstrates that he is making government work for all Americans, in that these regulations will largely benefit communities in Louisiana, Texas, other locations on the Gulf Coast, West Virginia, and the Ohio River Valley, predominantly red states Biden is aware will not be voting for him in November. A more detailed list of the regulations is in this EPA Press Release.
As of Result of President Joe Biden’s CHIPS and Science Act, South Korea’s SK Hynix has announced that it will build an advanced chip-packaging facility in West Lafayette, Indiana, and expects to create up to 1,000 jobs. This is just one example of private enterprise investments created by the CHIPS and Science Act.
In March, 2021, one of the first major pieces of legislationenacted by President Joe Biden was the American Rescue Plan. One of the major aspects of this mammoth stimulus package was its focus on public education. 3 years later, the Plan has had signficant positive impact on America’s public education system, K-12 and at the collegiate level. Here’s a list, courtesy of Wikipedia, of some of the education oriented provisions of the American Rescue Plan:
Happy Tax Day! While no one is ever excited to be calling the government regarding tax questions, sometimes, you need help from the IRS. The Inflation Reduction Act, signed by President Joe Biden in 2022, increased funding for key aspects of the IRS. As a result, the averge call wait time has been reduced from 27 minutes in 2022 to 4 minutes in 2023, and the percentage of people speaking to an actual human has increased from 15% to 87% over the same period. 2 million more calls were answered in 2023 than 2022. It may not be exciting, but there is something to be said for basic competence.
In August, 2022 President Joe Biden signed the PACT Act, which gives potential relief to service members who were exposed to toxins in the line of duty, and to their families. In its second year, the PACT Act has driven a 30 percent increase in VA healthcare enrollment. According to The Wounded Warrior Project, the PACT Act represents the largest expansion of benefits for veterans and their survivors in decades.
On April 10, 2024, the EPA, at the direction of President Joe Biden, has set stringent new standards regarding the presence of certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, in the US drinking water supply. This is the first time the US has ever regulated these toxic, cancer-causing chemicals. The Biden Administration is deploying funds allocated in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help fund states’ efforts to test and treat their local water supplies to attempt to eliminate PFAs.
President Joe Biden is taking a number of coordinated actions designed to prevent the supply chain problems that greeted him in 2021, create new efficiencies in the economy, and lower costs to families. Here’s a list of some of these actions.
President Joe Biden is putting an additional $225 million into funding repairs, upgrades, and replacements of manufacturing homes. It is also freeing up capital for FHA backed loans and restricting the right of landlords to add non-rent fees to beneficiaries of affordable housing programs.
March’s Jobs data is in, and it is, again, very good news. Thanks to President Joe Biden’s handling of the economy, including several major pieces of legislation like the CHIPS and Sciences Act, the economy added 303,000 non-farm jobs in the month of March. That brings to over 15 million the number of jobs added to the economy since Biden became president. Not only that, but the unemployment rate dropped to 3.8%, extending what was already the longest stretch of sub-4% unemployment since the 1960s.
In October, 2021, President Joe Biden reversed the previous administration’s elimination of protections on significant pieces of the sacred and spectacularly beautiful Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. These protections have been restored and the protected areas have been expanded. And, because competence matters as much as good intent, the executive actions were written well enough to survive the inevitable attack by the state of Utah. Aside from the unspoiled beauty of these monuments, they are also the birthplace of many Hopi and other indigenous peoples.
In President Biden’s first year, the economy added 6.6 million jobs , the greatest first year employment increase in the history of the U.S., beating previous records by over two million jobs.
PERSPECTIVE: In 45’s first year, the economy only added two million jobs.
Among the many pro-environment tax incentives included in the Inflation Reduction Act, President Joe Biden made sure to include a 15% minimum corporate tax on some of the largest corporations in the US, some of whom have previously found a way to pay no corporate taxes at all. Here’s an analysis of some of the most relevant provisions.
While the nation has been focused on the inflation rise, the facts are that, while inflation accelerated starting in June, 2020, prior to President Joe Biden assuming the office of presidency, wages began to jump in early 2021, By July, 2022, inflation began to plummet. By May, 2023, and continuing to today, wages have outpaced inflation. Here’s a chart covering both trends.
President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which accomplishes many things in many areas of the economy, some of which have already been discussed here. Among the provisions is the cap on prescription drug expenses for Medicare Part D enrollees at $2,000 a year, starting next year.
Prior to the Inflation Reduction Act providing massive funding for climate related matters, President Joe Biden had signed many executive orders battling climate change and stimulating the economy at the same time, including, among other actions:
Under President Biden, we are seeing the lowest Black unemployment rate on record and the fastest creation of Black-owned small businesses in over 25 years. Hispanics are nearing record low unemployment rates, as are Americans with disabilities.
In December, 2022, President Joe Biden signed into law the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022, which reforms the Electoral Count Act to remedy the loopholes the previous president exploited to create chaos on January 6, 2021. Among other things, the law clarifies that the Vice President’s role in the process is “solely ministerial,” it clarifies the process by which states deliver electoral votes, and guarantees an expedited review of any claims by an aggrieved candidate.
Under President Joe Biden, the US economy is outperforming the rest of the G7 both in 2023 and projected for 2024. Similarly for the rest of the industrialized world. This article details some of the reason that Biden’s economic policies are separating the US from the rest of the West and confounding pundits who have been predicting a recession.
Throughout his presidency, President Joe Biden, with the help of Vice President Kamala Harris, has been incredibly active through executive orders in battling the loss of Roe v. Wade and the statewide iniatives designed to deny women health care, including abortions, access to contraception, safeguarding patient privacy, and sensitive health information. Initiatives include protecting the right to travel, providing services to veterans, current service members, and emergency abortion care.
From NBC News, “The new fourth-quarter numbers showed a 13% decline in murder in 2023 from 2022, a 6% decline in reported violent crime, and a 4% decline in reported property crime. That’s based on data from around 13,000 law enforcement agencies, policing about 82% of the U.S. population, that provided the FBI with data through December.”
Last September, President Joe Biden joined United Auto Workers on the picket line in Michigan, the first for any US president. The strike was against the Big 3 auto manufacturers. Not only did that strike result in at least a 25% pay raise for striking auto workers, including an immediate 11% raise, it also “inspired” major global auto makers that weren’t targets of the strike, including Nissan, Hyundai, and Honda to raise wages to their American workers across the board.
Not only did President Joe Biden choose an indigenous woman to run a major governmental department and sit in the Cabinet, but the choice was the Department of Interior, which deals with our protected lands and natural resources, covers the Bureau of Indian Affairs, among other very important matters for all Americans, including our indigenous populations. Deb Haaland has been an environmental warrior, and an advocate of the rights of the indigenous peoples of the US.
Partially because of the CHIPS and Science Act, the economy has added 789,000 manufacturing jobs in the three years since President Joe Biden took office.
The manufacturing jobs comeback under Biden is the biggest since the early 1950s.
As part of the Inflation Reduction Act, President Joe Biden enables Medicare to negotiate certain prescription drug prices, picking ten of the most purchased drugs on the market, starting in 2026. More drugs are intended to be part of this program each year.
Among President Joe Biden’s campaign promises was to fight back against the monopolistic practices of the major power brokers in this country. He has delivered and continues to work towards fulfilling these promises. He has done so with executive actions, Federal litigation, and the NLRB. He has prepared an aggressive agenda for 2024, so let’s keep watching to see how that goes.
On day 1 of his presidency, January 20, 2021, President Joe Biden recommitted to the battle against climate change by rejoining the Paris Agreement, abandoned by his predecessor.
The national uninsured rate reached an all time low in 2023, as a result of the ACA and the Biden Administration efforts to reach out to uninsured people. The Inflation Reduction Act aided significantly in this program.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a stronger than expected addition of 275,000 jobs in February. While the unemployment rate ticked up to 3.9%, experts argue that this means more people are entering the job market. And, in staying under 4% for the 25th straight month, the economy hits its longest stretch under 4% in over 50 years. This was also the 38th consecutive month of job growth, the 5th longest on record.
President Joe Biden cancelled the permit for the contentious Keystone XL Pipeline on his first day in office, as a permit that does “not serve the U.S. national interest.”
President Joe Biden, through executive actions, has thus far cancelled $138 billion in student loan debt. This affects 3.7 million borrowers. Included are:
President Joe Biden signed the Violence Against Women Act of 2022, reauthorizing it until 2027. The previous administration had allowed the Act to lapse. This new version of VAWA provides unprecedented support for survivors of sexual violence in Native Alaskan and tribal communities, giving them jurisdiction to prosecute non-tribal offenders who sexually assault tribal members.
Under the Biden Administration, the economy has added 14 million jobs in 3 years. In case someone tells you that’s just about getting out of the pandemic, the economy is at plus 4.9 million jobs over pre-pandemic levels. For perspective, under Trump, the economy lost 2.9 million jobs.
The Inflation Reduction Act authorized an $80 Billion boost in the IRS budget. Fortune reports that the IRS now estimates that this boost will result in recovery of $560 Billion in unpaid taxes from wealthy tax cheats. All the while, the Republican Congress seeks to strip that funding out of the legislation.
Finally, a president takes executive action relating to the failed drug war. President Joe Biden does it twice. Thousands of people are affected by the order. Also, Biden has been lobbying state governors and his regulators are making noises about reviewing cannabis’ Schedule 1 classification, with an eye toward rescheduling it as a Schedule 3 drug. Baby steps, to be sure, but finally a move in the right direction.
President Joe Biden’s foreign policy initiatives start with repairing the damage done to NATO and the US involvement in NATO by Trump. The coalition Biden built around defending Ukraine has strengthened and expanded NATO, and has pushed back on Putin’s imperialist desires. The US took the lead in sanctions against Putin that have interfered with his war against Ukraine and helped change the balance of power. This, in spite of the stunning support for Putin the the Republican led House. This week, Hungary finally consented to allow Sweden to join NATO, making it official.
In August, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act, designed to strengthen American manufacturing and innovation. The act invests $280 billion to bolster US semiconductor capacity, catalyze R&D, and create regional high-tech hubs and a bigger, more inclusive STEM workforce. Almost immediately after Biden signed it, the private sector promised investment of over $200 billion in tech and manufacturing. The economy has gained manufacturing jobs at a pace not seen since the 1950s.
Update:
In the brutal Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, not only did the Supreme Court overrule Roe v. Wade, Justice Thomas’ concurring opinion stated his willingness to review previous cases protecting same sex and interracial marriage! Because of this, Congress passed, and President Joe Biden signed the Respect For Marriage Act, which enshrines rights for same sex and interracial marriages into law, and requires all 50 states and territories to recognize such marriages as valid.
Within 60 days of taking office, President Joe Biden signed into law The American Rescue Plan.
Among the many important provisions it contains are:
The Biden White House has prioritized judiciary reform. President Joe Biden may outpace the three previous administrations, while placing more than 100 new judges, many of whom are women and/or people of color, on the bench at the appellate level and, Biden has placed Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first black female on the Supreme Court.
President Joe Biden ended a 30-year streak of federal inaction on gun violence by signing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
The act created enhanced background checks, closed the “boyfriend” loophole, and provided funds for youth mental health.
See an article on the subject here.
Yes, we need to do more, but getting any kind of meaningful gun legislation in this political climate seemed impossible, and Biden did it.
Ripped from today’s (well, now yesterday’s) headlines. President Joe Biden has been pushing the elimination of lead pipes from our nation’s infrastructure since he took office, and continues that effort today, with the allocation of an additional $5.8 billion for this effort. This funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
When President Joe Biden became president, the unemployment rate was 6.4%. By the end of his first year in office, the rate had fallen to 3.9%.
After going back up to 4.0 in January, 2022, the unemployment rate has been below 4% every month since.
That’s two straight years. That is a historically-long stretch of great unemployment numbers.
For you numbers people, check this out.
Also, in January, 2023, the unemployment rate dropped to its lowest level since the 1960s!
As part of the Inflation Reduction Act, out-of-pocket costs for insulin are capped at $35 per month prescription for enrollees of Medicare Part B and Part D.
Although President Joe Biden wasn’t able to extend that cap to people not on Medicare in the IRA, the political pressure he has brought to this fight has caused major drug manufacturers to cap the cost of prescriptions for insulin to $35 per month for millions of people not on Medicare.
In November, 2021 President Joe Biden succeeded in convincing a reluctant Senate to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
This legislation was a $1.2 trillion bipartisan package to increase investment in the national network of bridges and roads, airports, public transport, and national broadband internet, as well as waterways and energy systems.
The Dow Jones and S& P 500 are at all-time highs. NASDAQ hit an all time high in November, 2021, and is nearing that number again.
The S&P 500 just topped 5,000 for the first time on solid economic news, including positive inflation news.
As part of the Inflation Reduction Act, the US has made a $369 billion investment in battling climate change, the largest such investment in U.S. history.
Included in the investments are:
For a deeper dive, here’s an article on the subject.
And it’s still going. The January, 2024 jobs report was very encouraging, as employment is surging.
President Joe Biden’s approval ratings on the economy are disastrous. There is a deep disconnect between sentiment and reality. I’ll be hitting this issue pretty regularly, between the economy in general and the jobs market, among other aspects.
The Pandemic hit the world economy pretty hard. How nations responded have determined where they are now. Under Biden, the U.S. has led the world in the recovery. And it’s not close. Here are the numbers.
The U.S. economy has, at least in part, steered the global economy away from a recession.
