CLIMATE ACTION/ENVIRONMENT ECONOMY INFLATION REDUCTION ACT

The Inflation Reduction Act Allocates Nearly $20 Billion For Agricultural Programs Increasing Conservation And Lowering Carbon Emissions

As part of President Joe Biden’s massive signature Inflation Reduction Act, $20 Billion was allocated to various programs that protect family farms from the effects of climate change farmers are already experiencing, as well as reducing carbon emissions and creating more efficient uses of energy in farming. Among the programs receiving funding are projects that sequester carbon and reduce nitrous-oxide emissions.

ECONOMY EXECUTIVE ACTION INFRASTRUCTURE

Baltimore’s Port Reopens Less Than 90 Days After Massive Bridge Collapse With Major Effort From Biden Administration

Photo ABC News

In less than 90 days, the port of Baltimore, one of the busiest in the world, is again open for business. This was an effort lead and coordinated by Pete Buttigieg and the Department of Transportation, funded by they Federal Highway Administration, with participation from all stakeholders; the Federal Government (the Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers), state and local governments, shipping and trucking companies, agriculture producers, etc. Once again demonstrating that an active, effective government, working for the people can solve problems and improve the lives of the American people. Meanwhile, House Republicans are seeking to block funding for rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Buttigieg credited the establishment of the White House Supply Chains Disruption Task Force, created by President Joe Biden and previously discussed here, as a key to the quick recovery.

CHIPS AND SCIENCE ACT CLIMATE ACTION/ENVIRONMENT ECONOMY INFLATION REDUCTION ACT

Global Clean Energy Spending Projected To Exceed $2 Trillion This Year, In No Small Part Because Of The Inflation Reduction Act

Global spending on clean energy is projected to go to $2 Trillion this year. It is double the amount being spent on fossil fuels in the same time period. The US portion of that spending is set to increase by $300 Billion, in part because of Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act. A major chunk of that spending is on renewables.

ECONOMY EXECUTIVE ACTION HEALTH CARE

Biden Administration Bans Medical Debt From Credit Reports

President Joe Biden’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (created during the Obama administration) has issued rules that will prevent credit agencies from including data from medical debt in its credit reports. Biden understands that, among other fallout from our very flawed healthcare system, medical debt damages patients’ credit rating, impacting other areas of their lives, and he recognizes that medical debt is not an accurate predictor of a borrower’s likelihood of paying back a loan, The CFPB estimates over 20,000 more people per year will be able to obtain home loans, among other benefits.

BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW CLIMATE ACTION/ENVIRONMENT ECONOMY INFRASTRUCTURE JOBS

The Biden Administration Makes A Massive Investment In Infrastructure Through The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

As of the second anniversary of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (November, 2023), the amount of money spent and projects that have been initiated is unprecedented. As opposed to President Trump’s frequent announcements of “Infrastructure Week” when nothing actually happened, President Joe Biden has, as of last year, deployed nearly $400 Billion on over 40,000 projects in 4,500 communities around the country. A partial list of areas of projects is here. It includes roads and bridges, rail, ports and waterways, electricity, and transit rail, among other things.

ECONOMY JOBS

The May, 2024 Jobs Report Continues The Biden Administration’s Remarkable Run

The numbers are in for May, 2024, and President Joe Biden’s economy continues to hum along. The US added 272,000 non-farm jobs, far exceeding expectations of around 190,000. Forbes magazine puts it this way, “The Biden Administration’s robust and durable track record on jobs and unemployment is breaking records, putting up some of the best results we’ve seen in half a century.” The unemployment rate ticked up to 4%, breaking the streak of 27 straight months under 4%, but, continuing to 30 months the streak of 4% or lower unemployment rates, the longest such stretch in 50 years. Additionally, average hourly earnings went up again, 0.4%, for a total of 4.1% over the last 12 months.

ECONOMY

US Economic Growth Continues To Lead The World, Despite Perceptions To The Contrary

2024 first quarter figures are out, and. with President Joe Biden’s continued stewardship, the US economy continues to lead the world. The chart on this page shows that the US economic growth outstrips the EU, China, and all other major economies. The US recovery from Covid-19 also dramatically outpaces that of the rest of the major economic powers, many of which are showing negative growth over the last few years.

ECONOMY EXECUTIVE ACTION JOBS

With Help From The Biden Administration, Workers At Georgia School Bus Manufacturer Approve First Union Contract

With the help of President Joe Biden’s acting Labor Secretary Julie Su, union members approved a labor contract with Blue Bird Corp. From ABC News :”The union said the contract will provide all 1,500 covered workers with at least a 12% raise, with some of the lowest-paid workers getting raises of more than 40%. The union says the company will contribute to a retirement plan for workers, share profits, and improve health and safety.”

CLIMATE ACTION/ENVIRONMENT ECONOMY EXECUTIVE ACTION HEALTH CARE INFRASTRUCTURE LEGISLATION

Biden Provides Pennsylvania $16.7 Billion In Infrastructure, Clean Energy, and Affordable Housing, Among Many Other Initiatives

President Joe Biden has directed nearly $17b in funding to the Keystone State for energy conservation, clean water, more affordable medications, improved roads and bridges, better internet connectivity, and may more areas. “Infrastructure Week may have been a punchline but no more,” White House Deputy Chief of Staff Natalie Quillian said on a conference call with reporters.

ECONOMY JOBS

Stock Markets Hit All Time Highs Again May 15, 2024

Despite GOP predictions of recession and other economic disasters, all three major indices, the Dow 30, NASDAQ, and the S&P hit all-time highs this week. While it is true that the stock market is not the true measure of the economy, first of all, it’s certainly better for it to be up than down, and, second, much of the boost in the last few days is on the news of the cooling inflation. With unemployment under 4% nationally for the last 27 months, and wages rising faster than inflation for the last year, the economy is strong across the board.

BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW CLIMATE ACTION/ENVIRONMENT ECONOMY EXECUTIVE ACTION INFRASTRUCTURE JOBS

Biden Brings Nevada and California $3 Billion In Funding For The Rail Line Connecting The Los Angeles Area With Las Vegas

President Joe Biden secured $3 Billion in funding for the high-speed rail connecting Los Angeles with Las Vegas. It will be a 2 hour ride from Rancho Cucamonga in the Inland Empire to Las Vegas. He also announced $3 Billion in funding for the rail line that could ultimately connect Los Angeles and San Francisco, currently being built in the California Central Valley. The train to Las Vegas will alleviate frequent traffic problems and reduce carbon emissions, increasing access to Vegas.

CHIPS AND SCIENCE ACT ECONOMY JOBS

Biden Announces $8.5 Billion Investment In Chip Manufacturing, Heavily Weighted Towards Arizona

President Joe Biden announced his $8.5 billion investment in Intel chip manufacturing plants, courtesy of the CHIPS and Science Act. This investment, along with many others like it, will create high paying jobs (many without the need of a college education) in Arizona and elsewhere. It is also part of the long term solution to the supply chain problems the US suffered at the beginning of Biden’s presidency.

BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW CHIPS AND SCIENCE ACT ECONOMY JOBS

Biden Celebrates $3.3 Billion Investment By Microsoft In AI Data Center In Wisconsin

President Joe Biden took a moment to announce the investment by Microsoft for a facility to be built on the failed FoxConn site the previous president promised would be the 8th wonder of the world, but never materialized. Microsoft president Brad Smith told the crowd that Biden’s policies, especially the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and CHIPS and Science Act, helped make this investment possible. It is expected to create thousands of jobs and train 100,000 Wisconsonites in AI technologies for future job opportunities.

ECONOMY EXECUTIVE ACTION JOBS

MIllions Of Workers Will Qualify For Overtime Starting July 1, 2024, And Millions More On January 1, 2025

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.

ECONOMY JOBS

Job Growth Continues, While Slowing, As Hoped For By The Federal Reserve

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.

ECONOMY EXECUTIVE ACTION JOBS SOCIAL JUSTICE

President Biden Fires Anti-Labor General Counsel Of The NLRB On Day 1 Of His Administration

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.

ECONOMY EXECUTIVE ACTION SOCIAL JUSTICE STUDENT LOANS

The Biden Administration Forgives An Additional $7.4 Billion In Student Loan Debt, Targeting Unfair Loan Programs

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.

ECONOMY JOBS

State By State Unemployment Rates Are Historically Low

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.

CLIMATE ACTION/ENVIRONMENT ECONOMY EXECUTIVE ACTION FOREIGN POLICY

Biden Administration Cements Closer Ties With Japan, Countering Increasing Chinese Presence In The Indo-Pacific

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.

ECONOMY INFLATION REDUCTION ACT LEGISLATION

New Funding To The IRS Massively Increases Responsiveness Of IRS To Taxpayers

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.

CHIPS AND SCIENCE ACT ECONOMY JOBS LEGISLATION

March’s Blockbuster Jobs Report Exceeds Wall Street’s Expectations

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.

ECONOMY INFLATION REDUCTION ACT LEGISLATION SOCIAL JUSTICE

The Inflation Reduction Act Imposes A 15% Minimum Corporate Tax On Some Of The Largest US Corporations

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.

ECONOMY JOBS SOCIAL JUSTICE

Biden Is The First Sitting President To Stand On A Picket Line

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.

ECONOMY EXECUTIVE ACTION JOBS SOCIAL JUSTICE

Biden Is Cracking Down On Monopolies Unlike Previous Administrations, Both Republican And Democrat

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.

ECONOMY JOBS

Biden Continues Historic Jobs Run With Strong February, 2024 Jobs Report

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.

CHIPS AND SCIENCE ACT ECONOMY JOBS LEGISLATION

The CHIPS and Science Act Jumpstarts The Tech And Manufacturing Sectors

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:

ECONOMY JOBS

Biden Achieves Record Employment

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!

ECONOMY JOBS

Biden’s Record On Jobs Is Historic — In A Good Way

There are going to be a bunch of jobs posts. Here’s the first.
  • When President Joe Biden took over the presidency from 45, the unemployment rate was 6.4%.
  • By the end of 2021, the rate fell to 3.9%, was 4% in January, 2022, and has been below 4% for the last 24 months.
  • This is a historically low sustained unemployment rate.

And it’s still going. The January, 2024 jobs report was very encouraging, as employment is surging.

ECONOMY

The U.S. Economy Leads the World

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.

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