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Biden Lays Out Vision for Future, Battle to Save Democracy and Soul of Nation & Draws Contrasts to ‘My Predecessor” in Fiery State of the Union Address

Here is edited and highlighted transcript of President Biden’s fiery State of the Union Address, as delivered, ad libs and all, in which he trolled and baited Republicans, laid out the stakes of the 2024 election, and contrasted his record and his vision of the future with “my predecessor.” –Karen Rubin, [email protected]

President Biden delivers a fiery State of the Union Address in which he trolled and baited Republicans, laid out the stakes, and contrasted his vision of the future with “my predecessor.” © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com via c-span

9:26 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  (The President presents his prepared remarks to Speaker Johnson.)  Your bedtime reading. 

Tony!  (Applause.)  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Looking for Jill.  (Applause.)

Good evening.  (Applause.)  Good evening.  If I were smart, I’d go home now.  (Laughter and applause.)

Mr. Speaker, Madam Vice President, members of Congress, my fellow Americans.

In January 1941, Franklin Roosevelt came to this chamber to speak to the nation.  And he said, “I address you at a moment unprecedented in the history of the Union”.  Hitler was on the march.  War was raging in Europe.

President Roosevelt’s purpose was to wake up Congress and alert the American people that this was no ordinary time.  Freedom and democracy were under assault in the world.

Tonight, I come to the same chamber to address the nation.  Now it’s we who face an unprecedented moment in the history of the Union. 
 
And, yes, my purpose tonight is to wake up the Congress and alert the American people that this is no ordinary moment either.  Not since President Lincoln and the Civil War have freedom and democracy been under assault at home as they are today.
 
What makes our moment rare is that freedom and democracy are under attack at — both at home and overseas at the very same time. 
 
Overseas, Putin of Russia is on the march, invading Ukraine and sowing chaos throughout Europe and beyond.
 
If anybody in this room thinks Putin will stop at Ukraine, I assure you: He will not.  (Applause.) 

But Ukraine — Ukraine can stop Putin.  (Applause.)  Ukraine can stop Putin if we stand with Ukraine and provide the weapons that it needs to defend itself.  (Applause.) 

That is all — that is all Ukraine is asking.  They’re not asking for American soldiers.  In fact, there are no American soldiers at war in Ukraine, and I’m determined to keep it that way.  (Applause.) 

But now assistance to Ukraine is being blocked by those who want to walk away from our world leadership.

It wasn’t long ago when a Republican president named Ronald Reagan thundered, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”  (Applause.) 

Now — now my predecessor, a former Republican president, tells Putin, quote, “Do whatever the hell you want.” 
 

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s a quote.

A former president actually said that — bowing down to a Russian leader.  I think it’s outrageous, it’s dangerous, and it’s unacceptable.  (Applause.) 

America is a founding member of NATO, the military alliance of democratic nations created after World War Two prevent — to prevent war and keep the peace.

And today, we’ve made NATO stronger than ever.  We welcomed Finland to the Alliance last year.  (Applause.)  And just this morning, Sweden officially joined, and their minister is here tonight.  Stand up.  (Applause.)  Welcome.  Welcome, welcome, welcome.  (Applause.)  And they know how to fight.

Mr. Prime Minister, welcome to NATO, the strongest military alliance the world has ever seen.

I say this to Congress: We have to stand up to Putin.  (Applause.)  Send me a bipartisan national security bill.  History is literally watching.  History is watching.

If the United States walks away, it will put Ukraine at risk.  Europe is at risk.  The free world will be at risk, emboldening others to do what they wish to do us harm.

My message to President Putin, who I’ve known for a long time, is simple: We will not walk away.  (Applause.)  We will not bow down.  (Applause.)  I will not bow down.  (Applause.) 
 
In a literal sense, history is watching.  History is watching — just like history watched three years ago on January 6th — (applause) — when insurrectionists stormed this very Capitol and placed a dagger to the throat of American democracy.

Many of you were here on that darkest of days.  We all saw with our own eyes the insurrectionists were not patriots.  They had come to stop the peaceful transfer of power, to overturn the will of the people.

January 6th lies about the 2020 election and the plots to steal the election posed a great — gravest threat to U.S. democracy since the Civil War. 
 
But they failed.  (Applause.)  America stood — (applause) — America stood strong and democracy prevailed.  We must be honest: The threat to democracy must be defended [defeated].

My predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth about January 6th.  I will not do that.
 
This is a moment to speak the truth and to bury the lies.  Here’s the simple truth: You can’t love your country only when you win. 
(Applause.)

As I’ve done ever since being elected to office, I ask all of you, without regard to party, to join together and defend democracy.  Remember your oath of office to defend against
all threats foreign and domestic.
  (Applause.) 

Respect — respect free and fair elections, restore trust in our institutions, and make clear political violence has absolutely no place — no place in America.  Zero place.  (Applause.)

Again, it’s not — it’s not hyperbole to suggest history is watching.  They’re watching.  Your children and grandchildren will read about this day and what we do. 

History is watching another assault on freedom.  Joining us tolight [tonight] is Latorya Beasley, a social worker from Birmingham, Alabama. 

Fourteen months ago — fourteen months ago, she and her husband welcomed a baby girl thanks to the miracle of IVF.  (Applause.)  She scheduled treatments to have that second child, but the Alabama Supreme Court shut down IVF treatments across the state, unleashed by a Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.  She was told her dream would have to wait.

What her family had gone through should never have happened.  Unless Congress acts, it could happen again. 

So, tonight, let’s stand up for families like hers.  To my friends across the aisle — (applause) — don’t keep this waiting any longer.  Guarantee the right to IVF.  (Applause.)  Guarantee it nationwide.

Like most Americans, I believe Roe v. Wade got it right.

I thank Vice President Harris for being an incredible leader defending reproductive freedom and so much more.  (Applause.)  Thank you.

My predecessor came to office determined to see Roe v. Wade overturned.  He’s the reason it was overturned, and he brags about it.  Look at the chaos that has resulted.

Joining us tonight is Kate Cox, a wife and mother from Dallas.  She’d become pregnant again and had a fetus with a fatal condition.  Her doctor told Kate that her own life and her ability to have future in the fil- — children in the future were at risk if she didn’t act.  Because Texas law banned her ability to act, Kate and her husband had to leave the state to get what she needed.

What her family had gone through should have never happened as well.  But it’s happening to too many others.

There are state laws banning the freedom to choose, criminalizing doctors, forcing survivors of rape and incest to leave their states to get the treatment they need.
 
Many of you in this chamber and my predecessor are promising to pass a national ban on reproductive freedom.

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE PRESIDENT:  My God, what freedom else would you take away?

Look, its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court majority wrote the following — and with all due respect, Justices — “Women are not without electoral — electoral power” — excuse me — “electoral or political power.”
 
You’re about to realize just how much you were right about that.  (Applause.)
 
Clearly — (applause) — clearly, those bragging about overturning Roe v. Wade have no clue about the power of women.
 
But they found out.  When reproductive freedom was on the ballot, we won in 2022 and 2023.  And we’ll win again in 2024.  (Applause.)

If you — if you, the American people, send me a Congress that supports the right to choose, I promise you I will restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land again.  (Applause.)
 
Folks, America cannot go back.
 
I am here to- — tonight to show what I believe is the way forward, because I know how far we’ve come. 
 
Four years ago next week, before I came to office, the country was hit by the worst pandemic and the worst economic crisis in a century. 
 
Remember the fear, record losses? 
 
Remember the spikes in crime and the murder rate?  A raging virus that took more than 1 million American lives of loved ones, millions left behind. 
 
A mental health crisis of isolation and loneliness. 
 
A president, my predecessor, failed in the most basic presidential duty that he owes to American people: the duty to care. 
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Lies!

THE PRESIDENT:  I think that’s unforgivable.

I came to office determined to get us through one of the toughest periods in the nation’s history.  We have.

It doesn’t make new, but in a — news — in a thousand cities and towns, the American people are writing the greatest comeback story never told.  (Applause.) 

So, let’s tell the story here — tell it here and now.

America’s comeback is building a future of American possibilities; building an economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down; investing in all of America, in all Americans to make every- — sure everyone has a fair shot and we leave no one — no one behind.

The pandemic no longer controls our lives.  The vaccine that saved us from COVID is — are now being used to beat cancer.

Turning setback into comeback.  That’s what America does.  That’s what America does.  (Applause.)

Folks, I inherited an economy that was on the brink.  Now, our economy is literally the envy of the world. 
 
Fifteen million new jobs in just three years.  A record.
  A record.  (Applause.)

Unemployment at 50-year lows.  (Applause.)

A record 16 million Americans are starting small businesses, and each one is a literal act of hope, with historic job growth and small-business growth for Black and Hispanics and Asian Americans.Eight hundred thousand new manufacturing jobs in America and counting.  (Applause.)

Where is it written we can’t be the manufacturing capital of the world?  We are and we will.  (Applause.)

More people have health insurance today — more people have health insurance today than ever before.

The racial wealth gap is the smallest it’s been in 20 years.

Wages keep going up.  Inflation keeps coming down.  Inflation has dropped from 9 percent to 3 percent — the lowest in the world and tending [trending] lower.  (Applause.)

The landing is and will be soft.  And now, instead of aporting — importing foreign products and exporting American jobs, we’re exporting American products and creating American jobs — (applause) — right here in America, where they belong. 

And it takes time, but the American people are beginning to feel it.  Consumer studies show consumer confidence is soaring.  

“Buy America” has been the law of the land since the 1930s.  Past administrations, including my predecessor — including some Democrats, as well, in the past — failed to buy American.  Not anymore. 

On my watch, federal projects that you fund — like helping build American roads, bridges, and highways — will be made with American products and built by American workers — (applause) — creating good-paying American jobs.  (Applause.) 

And thanks to our CHIPS and Science Act — (applause) — the United States is investing more inresearch and development than ever before.  During the pandemic, a shortage of semiconductors, chips that drove up the price of everything from cell phones to automobiles — and, by the way, we invented those chips right here in America.

Well, instead of having to import them, instead of — private companies are now investing billions of dollars to build new chip factories here in America — (applause) — creating tens of thousands of jobs, many of those jobs paying $100,000 a year and don’t require a college degree.  (Applause.)

In fact, my policies have attracted$650 billion in private-sector investment in clean energy, advanced manufacturing, creating tens of thousands of jobs here in America.  (Applause.)

And thanks — and thanks to our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, 46,000 new projects have been announced all across your communities. 

And, by the way, I noticed some of you who’ve strongly voted against it are there cheering on that money coming in.  (Laughter and applause.)  And I like it.  I’m with you.  I’m with you.

And if any of you don’t want that money in your district, just let me know.  (Laughter.)

Modernizing our roads and bridges, ports and airports, public transit systems.  Removing poi- — poisonous lead pipes so every child can drink clean water without risk of brain damage.  (Applause.) 

Providing affordable — affordable high-speed Internet for every American, no matter where you live — urban, suburban, or rural communities in red states and blue states. 

Record investments in Tribal communities. 
 
Because of my investment in family farms — (applause) — because I invested in family farms — led by my Secretary of Agriculture, who knows more about this anybody I know — we’re better able to stay in the family for the — those farms so their — and their children and grandchildren won’t have to leave — leave home to make a living.  It’s transformative. 

The great comeback story is Belvidere, Illinois.  Home to an auto plant for nearly 60 years.  Before I came to office, the plant was on its way to shutting down.  Thousands of workers feared for their livelihoods.  Hope was fading. 

Then, I was elected to office, and we raised Belvidere repeatedly with auto companies, knowing unions would make all the difference.  The UAW worked like hell to keep the plant open and get these jobs back.  And together, we succeeded. 

Instead of auto factories shutting down, auto factories are reopening and a new state-of-the-art battery factory is being built to power those cars there at the same.  (Applause.)   

To the folks — to the folks of Belvidere, I’d say: Instead of your town being left behind, your community is moving forward again.  Because instead of watching auto ja- — jobs of the future go overseas, 4,000 union jobs with higher wages are building a future in Belvidere right here in America.  (Applause.)

Here tonight is UAW President Shawn Fain, a great friend and a great labor leader.  Shawn, where are you?  (Applause.)  Stand up. 

And — and Dawn — and Dawn Simms, a third-generation worker — UAW worker at Belvidere. 

Shawn, I was proud to be the first President to stand in the picket line.  And today, Dawn has a good job in her hometown, providing stability for her family and pride and dignity as well. 

Showing once again Wall Street didn’t build America.  They’re not bad guys.  They didn’t build it, though.  The middle class built the country, and unions built the middle class.  (Applause.)

I say to the American people: When America gets knocked down, we get back up.  (Applause.)  We keep going.  That’s America.  (Applause.)  That’s you, the American people. 

It’s because of you America is coming back.  It’s because of you our future is brighter.  It’s because of you that tonight we can proudly say the state of our Union is strong and getting stronger.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT:  Tonight — tonight, I want to talk about the future of possibilities that we can build together — a future where the days of trickle-down economics are over and the wealthy and the biggest corporations no longer get the — all the tax breaks. 

And, by the way, I understand corporations.  I come from a state that has more corporations invested than every one of your states in the state — the United States combined.  And I represented it for 36 years.  I’m not anti-corporation.

But I grew up in a home where trickle-down economics didn’t put much on my dad’s kitchen table.  That’s why I’m determined to turn things around so the middle class does well. When they do well, the poor have a way up and the wealthy still do very well.  We all do well. 

And there’s more to do to make sure you’re feeling the benefits of all we’re doing. 

Americans pay more for prescription drugs than anywhere in the world.  It’s wrong, and I’m ending it.  (Applause.)
 
With a law that I proposed and signed — and not one of your Republican buddies work- — voted for it — we finally beat Big Pharma. 
 
Instead of paying $400 a month or thereabouts for insulin with diabetes — and it only costs 10 bucks to make — they only get paid $35 a month now and still make a healthy profit.  (Applause.)

And I want to — and what to do next, I want to cap the cost of insulin at $35 a month for every American who needs it — everyone.  (Applause.) 

For years, people have talked about it.  But finally, we got it done and gave Medicare the power to negotiate lower prices on prescription drugs, just like the VA is able to do for veterans.  (Applause.)

That’s not just saving seniors money.  It’s saving taxpayers money.  We cut the federal deficit by $160 billion — (applause) — because Medicare will no longer have to pay those exorbitant prices to Big Pharma. 

This year, Medicare is negotiating lower prices for some of the costliest drugs on the market that treat everything from heart disease to arthritis.  It’s now time to go further and give Medicare the power to negotiate lower prices for 500 different drugs over the next decade.  (Applause.) 

They’re making a lot of money, guys.  And they’ll still be extremely profitable.  It will not only save lives; it will save taxpayers another $200 billion.  (Applause.)

Starting next year, the same law caps total prescription drug costs for seniors on Medicare at $200 — at $2,000 a year, even for expensive cancer drugs that cost $10-, $12-, $15,000.  Now I want to cap prescription drug costs at $2,000 a year for everyone.  (Applause.)

Folks, I’m going to get in trouble for saying that, but any of you want to get in Air Force One with me and fly to Toronto, Berlin, Moscow — I mean, excuse me.  (Laughter.)  Well, even Moscow, probably.  (Laughter.)  And bring your prescription with you, and I promise you, I’ll get it for you for 40 percent the cost you’re paying now.  Same company, same drug, same place.

Folks, the Affordable Care Act — the old “Obamacare” — (applause) — is still a very big deal.  (Laughter and applause.) 

Over 100 million of you can no longer be denied health insurance because of a preexisting condition.  But my predecessor and many in this chamber want to take the — that prescription drug away by repealing Affordable Care Act.

AUDIENCE:  Booo —  

THE PRESIDENT:  I’m not going to let that happen.  (Applause.)  We stopped you 50 times before, and we’ll stop you again.  (Applause.) 

In fact, I’m not only protecting it, I’m expanding it.  The — we enacted tax credits of $800 per person per year [to] reduce healthcare costs for millions of working families. That tax credit expires next year.  I want to make that savings permanent.  (Applause.)

To state the obvious: Women are more than half of our population, but research on women’s health has always been underfunded. 

That’s why we’re launching the first-ever White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, led by Jill — (applause) — doing an incredible job as First Lady — (applause) — to pa- — to pass my plan for $12 billion to transform women’s health research and benefit millions of lives all across America.

I know the cost of housing is so important to you.  Inflation keeps coming down.  Mortgage rates will come down as well, and the Fed acknowledges that. 

But I’m not waiting.  I want to provide an annual tax credit that will give Americans $400 a month for the next two years as mortgage rates come down to put toward their mortgages when they buy their first home or trade up for a little more space.  (Applause.)  That’s for two years.  

And my administration is also eliminating title insurance [fees] on federally backed mortgages.  (Applause.)  When you refinance your home, you can save $1,000 or more as a consequence.  (Applause.)  

For millions of renters, we’re cracking down on big landlords who use antitrust law — using antitrust — who break antitrust laws — (applause) — by price-fixing and driving up rents.  (Applause.) 

We’ve cut red tape so builders can get federally financing, which is already helping build a record 1.7 million new house u- — housing units nationwide.

Now pass — now pass [my plan] and build and renovate 2 million affordable homes and bring those rents down.  (Applause.)

To remain the strongest economy in the world, we need to have the best education system in the world.  (Applause.)  And I, like I suspect all of you, want to give a child — every child a good start by providing access to preschool for three- and four-years-old.  (Applause.) 

You know, I think I pointed out last year — (applause) — I think I pointed out last year that children coming from broken homes where there’s no books, they’re not read to, they’re not spoken to very often start school — kindergarten or first grade hearing — having heard a million fewer words spoken. 

Well, studies show that children who go to preschool are nearly 50 percent more likely to finish high school and go on to earn a two- and four-year degree no matter what their background is.  (Applause.)

I met a year and a half ago with the leaders of the Business Roundtable.  They were mad that I was ever — angry — I — well, they were discussing — (laughter) — why I wanted to spend money on education. 

I pointed out to them: As Vice President, I met with over 8- — I think it was 182 of those folks — don’t hold me to the exact number — and I asked them what they need most — the CEOs.  And you’ve had the same experience on both sides of the aisle.  They say, “A better-educated workforce,” right? 

So, I looked at them.  And I say, “I come from Delaware.  DuPont used to be the eighth-largest corporation in the world.  And every new enter- — enterprise they bought, they educated the workforce to that enterprise.  But none of you do that anymore.  Why are you angry with me providing you the opportunity for the best-educated workforce in the world?” 

And they all looked at me and said, “I think you’re right.”  (Applause.)

I want to expand high-quality tutoring and summer learning to see that every child learns to read by third grade.  (Applause.) 

I’m also connecting local businesses and high schools so students get hands-on experience and a path to a good-paying job whether or not they go to college.  (Applause.)

And I want to make sure that college is more affordable.  Let’s continue increasing the Pell Grants to working- and middle-class families and increase record investments in HBCUs and minority-serving institutions, including Hispanic institutions.  (Applause.)

When I was told I couldn’t universally just change the way in which we did — dealt with student loans, I fixed two student loan programs that already existed to reduce the burden of student debt for nearly 4 million Americans, including nurses, firefighters — (applause) — and others in public service.

Like Keenan Jones, a public educator in Minnesota, who’s here with us tonight.  Keenan, where are you?  (Applause.)  Keenan, thank you.

He’s educated hundreds of students so they can go to college.  Now he’s able to help, after debt forgiveness, get his own daughter to college.  (Applause.)

And, folks, look, such relief is good for the economy because folks are now able to buy a home, start a business, start a family.  

And while we’re at it, I want to give public school teachers a raise.  (Applause.)

And, by the way, the first couple of years, we cut the deficit.

Now let me speak to the question of fundamental fairness for all Americans.  I’ve been delivering real results in fiscally responsible ways.  We’ve already cut the federal deficit — we’ve already cut the federal deficit by over $1 trillion.  (Applause.) 

I signed a bipartisan deal to cut another trillion dollars in the next decade.  (Applause.) 

It’s my goal to cut the federal deficit another $3 trillion by making big corporations and the very wealthy finally beginning to pay their fair share.  (Applause.)

Look, I’m a capitalist.  If you want to make or can make a million or millions of bucks, that’s great.  Just pay your fair share in taxes.  (Applause.) 

A fair tax code is how we invest in things that make this country great: healthcare, education, defense, and so much more. 
 
But here’s the deal.  The last administration enacted a $2 trillion tax cut overwhelmingly benefit the top 1 percent — the very wealthy —

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE PRESIDENT:  — and the biggest corporations — and exploded the federal deficit.  (Applause.) 

They added more to the national debt than any presidential term in American history.  Check the numbers.
 
Folks at home, does anybody really think the tax code is fair? 

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  Do you really think the wealthy and big corporations need another $2 trillion tax break? 

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  I sure don’t.  I’m going to keep fighting like hell to make it fair.  Under my plan, nobody earning less than $400,000 a year will pay an additional penny in federal taxes — (applause) — nobody — not one penny.  And they haven’t yet.

In fact, the Child Tax Credit I passed during the pandemic cut taxes for millions of working families and cut child poverty in half.  (Applause.)

Restore that Child Tax Credit.  No child should go hungry in this country.  (Applause.)

The way to make the tax code fair is to make big corporations and the very wealthy begin to pay their share.  Remember in 2020, 55 of the biggest companies in America made $40 billion and paid zero in federal income tax.  Zero. 
 

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE PRESIDENT:  Not anymore.

Thanks to the law I wrote and we signed, big companies now have to pay a minimum of 15 percent.  But that’s still less than working people pay in federal taxes.
 
It’s time to raise the corporate minimum tax to at least 21 percent — (applause) — so every big corporation finally begins to pay their fair share.

I also want to end tax breaks for Big Pharma, Big Oil, private jets, massive executive pay when it was only supposed to be a million bal- — a million dollars that could be deducted.  They can pay them $20 million if they want, but deduct a million.

End it now.

 You know, there are 1,000 billionaires in America.  You know what the average federal tax is for those billionaires?

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Zero!

THE PRESIDENT:  No.  (Laughter.) 

They’re making great sacrifices — 8.2 percent. 
 
AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s far less than the vast majority of Americans pay.

No billionaire should pay a lower federal tax rate than a teacher, a sanitation worker, or a nurse.  (Applause.)

I proposed a minimum tax for billionaires of 25 percent — just 25 percent.  You know what that would raise?  That would raise $500 billion over the next 10 years.  (Applause.)
 
And imagine what that could do for America.  Imagine a future with affordable childcare, millions of families can get what they need to go to work to help grow the economy.  (Applause.)
 
Imagine a future with paid leave, because no one should have to choose between working and taking care of their sick family member.  (Applause.)
 
Imagine — imagine a future with home care and eldercare, and people living with disabilities so they can stay in their homes and family caregivers can finally get the pay they deserve
.

Tonight, let’s all agree once again to stand up for seniors.  (Applause.)

Many of my friends on the other side of the aisle want to put Social Security on the chopping block.

If anyone here tries to cut Social Security or Medicare or raise the retirement age, I will stop you.  (Applause.)

The working people — the working people who built this country pay more into Social Security than millionaires and billionaires do.  It’s not fair.

We have two ways to go.  Republicans can cut Social Security and give more tax breaks to the wealthy.  I will —

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  (Inaudible.)

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s the proposal.  Oh, no?  You guys don’t want another $2 trillion tax cut?

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Liar!

THE PRESIDENT:  I kind of thought that’s what your plan was.  (Laughter.)  Well, that’s good to hear.  You’re not going to cut another $2 trillion for the super-wealthy?  That’s good to hear.

I’ll protect and strengthen Social Security and make the wealthy pay their fair share.  (Applause.)

Look, too many corporations raise prices to pad their profits, charging more and more for less and less.

That’s why we’re cracking down on corporations that engage in price gouging and deceptive pricing, from food to healthcare to housing.

In fact, the snack companies think you won’t notice if they change the size of the bag and put a hell of a lot fewer — (laughter) — same — same size bag — put fewer chips in it.  No, I’m not joking.  It’s called “shrink-flation.”

Pass Bobby Casey’s bill and stop this.  (Applause.)  I really mean it.

You probably all saw that commercial on Snickers bars.  (Laughter.)  And you get — you get charged the same amount, and you got about, I don’t know, 10 percent fewer Snickers in it.  (Laughter.)

Look, I’m also getting rid of junk fees — those hidden fees — (applause) — at the end of your bill that are there without your knowledge.  My administration announced we’re cutting credit card late fees from $32 to $8.  (Applause.)

Banks and credit card companies are allowed to charge what it costs them to in- — to instigate the collection.  And that’s more — a hell of a lot like $8 than 30-some dollars.

 But they don’t like it.  The credit card companies don’t like it, but I’m saving American families $20 billion a year with all of the junk fees I’m eliminating.  (Applause.)

Folks at home, that’s why the banks are so mad.  It’s $20 billion in profit.
 
I’m not stopping there.

My administration has proposed rules to make cable, travel,utilities, and online ticket sellers tell you the total price up front so there are no surprises.  (Applause.)

It matters.  It matters.

And so does this.  In November, my team began serious negotiations with a bipartisan group of senators.  The result was a bipartisan bill with the toughest set of border security reforms we’ve ever seen.
 
AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE PRESIDENT:  Oh, you don’t think so?

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE PRESIDENT:  Oh, you don’t like that bill — huh? — that conservatives got together and said was a good bill?  I’ll be darned.  That’s amazing.

That bipartisan bill would hire 1,500 more security agents and officers, 100 more immigration judges to help tackle the backload of 2 million cases, 4,300 more asylum officers, and new policies so they can resolve cases in six months instead of six years now.  (Applause.)  What are you against?
 
One hundred more high-tech drug detection machines to significantly increase the ability to screen and stop vehicles smuggling fentanyl into America that’s killing thousands of children.  (Applause.)
 
This bill would save lives and bring order to the border.  (Applause.)
 
It would also give me and any new president new emergency authority to temporarily shut down the border when the number of migrants at the border is overwhelming. 

The Border Patrol union has endorsed this bill.

(Cross-talk.)

The federal Chamber of Commerce has — yeah, yeah.  You’re saying “no.”  Look at the facts.  (Laughter and applause.)  I know — I know you know how to read. 

I believe that given the opportunity — for — a majority in the House and Senate would endorse the bill as well — a majority right now.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Yes!

THE PRESIDENT:  But unfortunately, politics have derailed this bill so far.

I’m told my predecessor called members of Congress in the Senate to demand they block the bill.  He feels political win — he viewed it as a — it would be a political win for me and a political loser for him.  It’s not about him.  It’s not about me.  I’d be a winner — not really.  I

REPRESENTATIVE GREENE:  What about Laken Riley?

(Cross-talk.)

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

REPRESENTATIVE GREENE:  Say her name!

THE PRESIDENT:  (The President holds up a pin reading “Say Her Name, Laken Riley.”)  Lanken — Lanken [Laken] Riley, an innocent young woman who was killed.

REPRESENTATIVE GREENE:  By an illegal!

THE PRESIDENT:  By an illegal.  That’s right.  But how many of thousands of people are being killed by legals?

(Cross-talk.)

To her parents, I say: My heart goes out to you.  Having lost children myself, I understand.

But, look, if we change the dynamic at the border — people pay people — people pay these smugglers 8,000 bucks to get across the border because they know if they get by — if they get by and let into the country, it’s six to eight years before they have a hearing.  And it’s worth the — taking the chance of the $8,000.

(Cross-talk.)

But — but if it’s only six mon- — six weeks, the idea is it’s highly unlikely that people will pay that money and come all that way knowing that they’ll be — able to be kicked out quickly.  (Applause.)

Folks, I would respectfully su- — suggest to my friend in — my Republican friends owe it to the American people.  Get this bill done.  We need to act now.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE:  Get it done!  Get it done!  Get it done!

THE PRESIDENT:  And if my predecessor is watching: Instead of paying [playing] politics and pressuring members of Congress to block the bill, join me in telling the Congress to pass it.
 
We can do it together.
 
But that’s what he apparently — here’s what he will not do.
 
I will not demonize immigrants, saying they are “poison in the blood of our country.”  (Applause.)
 
I will not separate families.  (Applause.)
 
I will not ban people because of their faith.
 
Unlike my predecessor, on my first day in office, I introduced a comprehensive bill to fix our immigration system.  Take a look at it.  It has all these and more: secure the border, provide a pathway to citizenship for DREAMers, and so much more.  (Applause.)

But unlike my predecessor, I know who we are as Americans.  We’re the only nation in the world with a heart and soul that draws from old and new. 
 
Home to Native Americans whose ancestors have been here for thousands of years.  Home to people of every pla- — from every place on Earth. 

They came freely.  Some came in chains.  Some came when famine struck, like my ancestral family in Ireland.  Some to flee persecution, to chase dreams that are impossible anywhere but here in America.
 
That’s America.  (Applause.)  And we all come from somewhere, but we’re all Americans.
 
Look, folks, we have a simple choice: We can fight about fixing the border or we can fix it.  (Applause.)  I’m ready to fix it.  Send me the border bill now.
 

AUDIENCE:  Fix it!  Fix it!  Fix it!

THE PRESIDENT:  A transformational his- — moment in history happened 58 — 59 years ago today in Selma, Alabama.  Hundreds of foot soldiers for justice marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, named after the Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan, to claim their fundamental right to vote.

They were beaten.  They were bloodied and left for dead.  Our late friend and former colleague John Lewis was on that march.  We miss him.  (Applause.) 

But joining us tonight are other marchers, both in the gallery and on the floor, including Bettie Mae Fikes, known as the “Voice of Selma.” 

The daughter of gospel singers and preachers, she sang songs of prayer and protest on that Bloody Sunday to help shake the nation’s conscience. 

Five months later, the Voting Rights Act passed and was signed into law.  (Applause.)

Thank you.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  (Applause.)

But 59 years later, there are forces taking us back in time: voter suppression, election subversion, unlimited dark money, extreme gerrymandering.
 
John Lewis was a great friend to many of us here.  But if you truly want to honor him and all the heroes who marched with him, then it’s time to do more than talk.  (Applause.)

Pass the Freedom to Vote Act, the John Lewis Voting Right[s] Act.  (Applause.) 

And stop — stop denying another core value of America: our diversity across American life.  Banning books is wrong.  Instead of erasing history, let’s make history.  (Applause.) 
 
I want to protect fundamental rights. 
 
Pass the Equality Act.  (Applause.) 

And my message to transgender Americans: I have your back.  (Applause.)

Pass the PRO Act for workers’ rights.  (Applause.) 
 
Raise the federal minimum wage,
because every worker has the right to a decent living more than eig- — seven bucks an hour.  (Applause.)

We’re also making history by confronting the climate crisis, not denying it.  I don’t think any of you think there’s no longer a climate crisis.  At least, I hope you don’t.  (Laughter.)

I’m taking the most significant action ever on climate in the history of the world.  (Applause.) 

I’m cutting our carbon emissions in half by 2030; creating tens of thousands of clean energy jobs, like the IBEW workers building and installing 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations — (applause); conserving 30 percent of America’s lands and waters by 2030; and taking action on environmental justice — fence-line communities smothered by the legacy of pollution.
 
And patterned after the Peace Corps and AmericaCorps [AmeriCorps], I launched the Climate Corps — (applause) — to put 20,000 young people to work in the forefront of our clean energy future.  I’ll triple that number in a decade.  (Applause.)

To state the obvious, all Americans deserve the freedom to be safe.  And America is safer today than when I took office.

The year before I took office, murder rates went up 30 percent.

MR. NIKOUI:  Remember Abbey Gate!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thirty percent, they went up — 

MR. NIKOUI:  United States Marines!  Kareem Mae’Lee Nikoui!

THE PRESIDENT:  — the biggest increase in history.

MR. NIKOUI:  (Inaudible.)

THE PRESIDENT:  It was then, through no — through my American Rescue Plan — which every American [Republican] voted against, I might add — we made the largest investment in public safety ever.
 
Last year, the murder rate saw the sharpest decrease in history.  Violent crime fell to one of its lowest levels in more than 50 years. 
 
But we have more to do.  We have to help cities invest in more community police officers, more mental health workers, more community violence intervention. (Applause.)
 
Give communities the tools to crack down on gun crime, retail crime, and carjacking.Keep building trust, as I’ve been doing, by taking executive action on police reform and calling for it to be the law of the land.

Directing my Cabinet to review the federal classification of marijuana and expunging thousands of convictions for the mere possession, because no one should be jailed for simply using or have it on their record.  (Applause.)

Take on crimes of domestic violence.  I’m ramping up the federal enforcement of the Violence Against Women Act that I proudly wrote when I was a senator so we can finally — finally end the scourge against women in America.  (Applause.) 

There are other kinds of violence I want to stop.

With us tonight is Jasmine, whose nine-year-old sister Jackie was murdered with 21 classmates and teachers in her elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. 

Very soon after that happened, Jill and I went to Uvalde for a couple days.  We spent hours and hours with each of the families.  We heard their message so everyone in this room, in this chamber could hear the same message.

The constant refrain — and I was there for hours, meeting with every family.  They said, “Do something.”  “Do something.”

Well, I did do something by establishing the first-ever Office of Gun Violence Prevention in the White House, that the Vice President is leading the charge.  Thank you for doing it.  (Applause.)

Meanwhile — (applause) — meanwhile, my predecessor told the NRA he’s proud he did nothing on guns when he was President.
 

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE PRESIDENT:  After another shooting in Iowa recently, he said — when asked what to do about it, he said, just “get over it.”  That was his quote.  Just “get over it.”

I say stop it.  Stop it, stop it, stop it.  (Applause.)

I’m proud we beat the NRA when I signed the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years because of this Congress.  We now must beat the NRA again.
 
I’m demanding a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.  (Applause.)  Pass universal background checks.  (Applause.) 

None of this — none of this — I taught the Second Amendment for 12 years.  None of this violates the Second Amendment or vilifies responsible gun owners.

(Cross-talk.)

You know, as we manage challenges at home, we’re also managing crises abroad, including in the Middle East.

I know the last five months have been gut-wrenching for so many people — for the Israeli people, for the Palestinian people, and so many here in America. 

This crisis began on October 7th with a massacre by a terrorist group called Hamas, as you all know.  One thousand two hundred innocent people — women and girls, men and boys — slaughtered after enduring sexual violence.  The deadliest day of the — for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.  And 250 hostages taken.
 
Here in this chamber tonight are families whose loved ones are still being held by Hamas.  I pledge to all the families that we will not rest until we bring every one of your loved ones home.
 
We also — (applause) — we will also work around the clock to bring home Evan and Paul — Americans being unjustly detained by the Russians — and others around the world.
 
Israel has a right to go after Hamas.  Hamas ended this conflict by releasing the hostages, laying down arms — could end it by — by releasing the hostages, laying down arms, and s- — surrendering those responsible for October 7th.

But Israel has a h- — excuse me.  Israel has a added burden because Hamas hides and operates among the civilian population like cowards — under hospitals, daycare centers, and all the like. 

Israel also has a fundamental responsibility, though, to protect innocent civilians in Gaza.  (Applause.)
 
This war has taken a greater toll on innocent civilians than all previous wars in Gaza combined.  More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed —
 
AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Says who?

THE PRESIDENT:  — most of whom are not Hamas.  Thousands and thousands of innocents — women and children.  Girls and boys also orphaned. 
 
Nearly 2 million more Palestinians under bombardment or displacement.  Homes destroyed, neighborhoods in rubble, cities in ruin.  Families without food, water, medicine. 
 
It’s heartbreaking.  

I’ve been working non-stop to establish an immediate ceasefire that would last for six weeks to get all the prisoners released — all the hostages released and to get the hostages home and to ease the intolerable an- — humanitarian crisis and build toward an enduring — a more — something more enduring.
 
The United States has been leading international efforts to get more humanitarian assistance into Gaza.  Tonight, I’m directing the U.S. military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the coast of Gaza that can receive large shipments carrying food, water, medicine, and temporary shelters. 
 
No U.S. boots will be on the ground. 

A temporary pier will enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza every day.  (Applause.)  
 
And Israel must also do its part.  Israel must allow more aid into Gaza and ensure humanitarian workers aren’t caught in the crossfire.  (Applause.) 
 
And they’re announcing they’re going to — they’re going to ca- — have a crossing in Northern Gaza.

To the leadership of Israel, I say this: Humanitarian assistance cannot be a secondary consideration or a bargaining chip.  Protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority. 
 
As we look to the future, the only real solution to the situation is a two-state solution over time.  (Applause.)
 
And I say this as a lifelong supporter of Israel, my entire career. 
No one has a stronger record with Israel than I do.  I challenge any of you here.  I’m the only American president to visit Israel in wartime. 

But there is no other path that guarantees Israel’s security and democracy.  There is no other path that guarantees Pa- — that Palestinians can live in peace with po- — with peace and dignity. 

And there is no other path that guarantees peace between Israel and all of its neighbors — including Saudi Arabia, with whom I’m talking.    

Creating stability in the Middle East also means containing the threat posed by Iran.  That’s why I built a coalition of more than a dozen countries to defend international shipping and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. 

I’ve ordered strikes to degrade the Houthi capability and defend U.S. forces in the region. 

As Commander-in-Chief, I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and our military personnel.  (Applause.)

For years, I’ve heard many of my Republican and Democratic friends say that China is on the rise and America is falling behind.  They’ve got it backwards.  I’ve been saying it for over four years, even when I wasn’t president. 

America is rising.  We have the best economy in the world.  And since I’ve come to office, our GTB [GDP] is up, our trade deficit with China is down to the lowest point in over a decade.  (Applause.)  

And we’re standing up against China’s unfair economic practices. 
 
We’re standing up for peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits. 
 
I’ve revitalized our partnership and alliance in the Pacific: India, Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Pacific Islands.  I’ve made sure that the most advanced American technologies can’t be used in China — not allowing to trade them there.  
 
Frankly, for all his tough talk on China, it never occurred to my predecessor to do any of that.  (Applause.)  

I want competition with China, not conflict.  And we’re in a stronger position to win the conflict [competition] of the 21st century against China than anyone else for that matter — than at any time as well.

Here at home, I’ve signed over 400 bipartisan bills.  But there’s more to pass my Unity Agenda.
 
Strengthen penalties on fentanyl trafficking. 
You don’t want to do that, huh? 

Pass bipartisan privacy legislation to protect our children online.  (Applause.)

Harness — harness the promise of AI to protect us from peril.  Ban AI voice impersonations and more. 

And keep our truly sacred obligation to train and equip those we send into harm’s way and care for them and their families when they come home and when they don’t.  (Applause.) 

That’s why, with the strong support and help of Denis and the VA, I signed the PACT Act — (applause) — one of the most significant laws ever, helping millions of veterans exposed to toxins who now are battling more than 100 different cancers.   Many of them don’t come home, but we owe them and their families support.  

And we owe it to ourselves to keep supporting our new health research agency called ARPA-H — (applause) — and remind us — to remind us that we can do big things, like end cancer as we know it.  And we will.  (Applause.)  

Let me close with this.  (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT:  Yay!  (Applause and laughter.)

I know you don’t want to hear anymore, Lindsey, but I got to say a few more things.  (Laughter.)  

I know I may not look like it, but I’ve been around a while.  (Laughter and applause.)  When you get to be my age, certain things become clearer than ever. 

I know the American story.  Again and again, I’ve seen the contest between competing forces in the battle for the soul of our nation, between those who want to pull America back to the past and those who want to move America into the future. 
 

My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy, a future based on core values that have defined America — honesty, decency, dignity, and equality — (applause); to respect everyone; to give everyone a fair shot; to give hate no safe harbor.  (Applause.)
 
Now, other people my age see it differently.  (Laughter.)  The American story of resentment, revenge, and retribution.

That’s not me.  I was born amid World War Two, when America stood for the freedom of the world.  I grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Claymont, Delaware, among working-class people who built this country.  

I watched in horror as two of my heroes — like many of you did — Dr. King and Bobby Kennedy, were assassinated.  And their legacies inspired me to pur- — pursue a car- — a career in service. 

I left a law firm and became a public defender because my city of Wilmington was the only city in America occupied by the National Guard after Dr. King was assassinated because of the riots.  And I became a county councilman almost by accident.

I got elected to the United States Senate when I had no intention of running, at age 29. 

Then vice president to our first Black president.  Now a president to the first woman vice president.  (Applause.)

In my career, I’ve been told I was too young.  (Laughter.)  By the way, they didn’t let me on the Senate elevators for votes sometimes.  They — not a joke.  (Laughter.)

And I’ve been told I am too old.  (Laughter.) 

Whether young or old, I’ve always been known — I’ve always known what endures.  I’ve known our North Star.  The very idea of America is that we’re all created equal, deserves to be treated equally throughout our lives. 
 
We’ve never fully lived up to that idea, but we’ve never walked away from it either.  And I won’t walk away from it now. 
(Applause.) 

I’m optimistic.  I really am.  I’m optimistic, Nancy.  (Applause.) 

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT:  My fellow Americans, the issue facing our nation isn’t how old we are; it’s how old are our ideas.  (Applause.)  

Hate, anger, revenge, retribution are the oldest of ideas.  But you can’t lead America with ancient ideas that only take us back.  To lead America, the land of possibilities, you need a vision for the future and what can and should be done.  (Applause.)  

Tonight, you’ve heard mine. 

I see a future where [we’re] defending democracy, you don’t diminish it.
 
I see a future where we restore the right to choose and protect our freedoms, not take them away.  (Applause.)
 
I see a future where the middle class has — finally has a fair shot and the wealthy have to pay their fair share in taxes.  (Applause.)  
 
I see a future where we save the planet from the climate crisis and our country from gun violence.  (Applause.)  
 
Above all, I see a future for all Americans.  I see a country for all Americans.  And I will always be President for all Americans because I believe in America.  I believe in you, the American people.  (Applause.)  You’re the reason we’ve never been more optimistic about our future than I am now. 
 
So, let’s build the future together.  Let’s remember who we are. 
 
We are the United States of America.  (Applause.)  And there is nothing — nothing beyond our capacity when we act together.  (Applause.) 

God bless you all.  And may God protect our troops.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  (Applause.)

10:33 P.M. EST

SOTU: President Biden Announces Plan to Lower Housing Costs for Working Families

President Biden is taking action to help families afford their first house © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

This fact sheet from the White House details President Biden’s plans to lower housing costs for working families. This includes building and preserving over 2 million new homes to lower rents and cost of buying a home. –Karen Rubin, [email protected]

President Biden believes housing costs are too high, and significant investments are needed to address the large shortage of affordable homes inherited from his predecessor and that has been growing for more than a decade. During his State of the Union Address, President Biden will call on Congressional Republicans to end years of inaction and pass legislation to lower costs by providing a $10,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers and people who sell their starter homes; build and renovate more than 2 million homes; and lower rental costs.  President Biden also announced new steps to lower homebuying and refinancing closing costs and crack down on corporate actions that rip off renters.

We are starting to see some progress. More housing units are under construction right now than at any time in the last 50 years, rents have fallen over the last year in many places, and the homeownership rate is higher now than before the pandemic. But rent is still too high, and Americans who want to buy a home still have difficulty finding one they can afford. That is why President Biden has a landmark plan to build over 2 million homes, which will lower rents, make houses more affordable, and promote fair housing.

Lowering Costs of Homeownership

For many Americans, owning a home is the cornerstone of raising a family, building wealth, and joining the middle class. Too many working families feel locked out of homeownership and are unable to compete with investors for a limited supply of affordable for-sale homes. President Biden is calling on Congress to enact legislation to enable more Americans to purchase a home, including:

  • Mortgage Relief Credit. President Biden is calling on Congress to pass a mortgage relief credit that would provide middle-class first-time homebuyers with an annual tax credit of $5,000 a year for two years. This is the equivalent of reducing the mortgage rate by more than 1.5 percentage points for two years on the median home, and will help more than 3.5 million middle-class families purchase their first home over the next two years. 

The President’s plan also calls for a new credit to unlock inventory of affordable starter homes, while helping middle-class families move up the housing ladder and empty nesters right size. Many homeowners have lower rates on their mortgages than current rates. This “lock-in” effect makes homeowners more reluctant to sell and give up that low rate, even in circumstances where their current homes no longer fit their household needs. The President is calling on Congress to provide a one-year tax credit of up to $10,000 to middle-class families who sell their starter home, defined as homes below the area median home price in the county, to another owner-occupant. This proposal is estimated to help nearly 3 million families.

  • Down Payment Assistance for First-Generation Homeowners. The President continues to call on Congress to provide up to $25,000 in down payment assistance to first-generation homebuyers whose families haven’t benefited from the generational wealth building associated with homeownership. This proposal is estimated to help 400,000 families purchase their first home.

The President isn’t waiting for Congress to lower costs for homebuyers and homeowners. Last year, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reduced the mortgage insurance premium for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgages, saving an estimated 850,000 homebuyers and homeowners an estimated $800 per year. And today, the President is announcing new actions to lower the closing costs associated with buying a home or refinancing a mortgage.

  • Lowering Closing Costs for Refinancing. The Federal Housing Finance Agency has approved policies and pilots to reduce closing costs for homeowners, including a pilot to waive the requirement for lender’s title insurance on certain refinances. This would save thousands of homeowners up to $1500, and an average of $750, and the lower upfront fees will unlock substantial savings for homeowners as mortgage rates continue to fall and more homeowners are able to refinance. According to independent analysis, across the market title insurance typically pays out only 3% to 5% of premiums in claims to consumers, compared to more than 70% in other types of insurance. Homeowners can still purchase their own title insurance policies if they choose to do so.
  • Lowering Closing Costs for Home Mortgages. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will pursue rulemaking and guidance to address anticompetitive closing costs imposed by lenders on homebuyers and homeowners.  These charges—which benefit the lender but not the borrower—can add thousands to the upfront costs of a mortgage.  Those upfront costs cut into the amount of homebuyers’ down payments and reduce homeowners’ available equity.

In the coming months, the Department of Treasury’s Federal Insurance Office will convene a roundtable of relevant industry stakeholders, including consumer advocates and academics, in order to discuss the title insurance industry and analyze potential reforms. Building on today’s announcements, President Biden is calling on federal agencies to take all available actions to lower costs for consumers at the closing table and help more Americans access homeownership.

Lowering Costs by Building and Preserving 2 Million Homes

America needs to build more housing in order to lower rental costs and increase access to homeownership. That’s why the President is calling on Congress to pass legislation to build and renovate more than 2 million homes, which would close the housing supply gap and lower housing costs for renters and homeowners. This legislation would build on executive actions in the Biden-Harris Administration’s Housing Supply Action Plan that contributed to record housing construction last year.

  • Tax Credits to Build More Housing. President Biden is calling for an expansion of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit to build or preserve 1.2 million more affordable rental units. Renters living in these properties save hundreds of dollars each month on their rent compared with renters with similar incomes who rent in the unsubsidized market. The President is also calling for a new Neighborhood Homes Tax Credit, the first tax provision to build or renovate affordable homes for homeownership, which would lead to the construction or preservation of over 400,000 starter homes in communities throughout the country.
  • Innovation Fund for Housing Expansion. The President is unveiling a new $20 billion competitive grant fund as part of his Budget to support communities across the country to build more housing and lower rents and homebuying costs. This fund would support the construction of affordable multifamily rental units; incentivize local actions to remove unnecessary barriers to housing development; pilot innovative models to increase the production of affordable and workforce rental housing; and spur the construction of new starter homes for middle-class families. According to independent analysis, this will create hundreds of thousands of units which will help lower rents and housing costs.
  • Increasing Banks’ Contributions Towards Building Affordable Housing. The President is proposing that each Federal Home Loan Bank double its annual contribution to the Affordable Housing Program – from 10 percent of prior year net income to 20 percent – which will raise an additional $3.79 billion for affordable housing over the next decade and assist nearly 380,0000 households. These funds will support the financing, acquisition, construction, and rehabilitation of affordable rental and for-sale homes, as well as help low- and moderate-income homeowners to purchase or rehabilitate homes.

Lowering Costs for Renters

President Biden is also taking actions to lower costs and promote housing stability for renters. The White House Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights lays out the key principles of a fair rental market and has already catalyzed new federal actions to make those principles a reality. Today, President Biden is announcing new steps to crack down on unfair practices that are driving up rental costs:

  • Fighting Rent Gouging by Corporate Landlords. The Biden-Harris Administration is taking action to combat egregious rent increases and other unfair practices that are driving up rents. Corporate landlords and private equity firms across the country have been accused of illegal information sharing, price fixing, and inflating rents. As part of the Strike Force on Unfair and Illegal Pricing announced by President Biden on Tuesday, the President is calling on federal agencies to root out and stop illegal corporate behavior that hikes prices on American families through anti-competitive, unfair, deceptive, or fraudulent business practices. In a recent filing, the Department of Justice (DOJ) made clear its position that inflated rents caused by algorithmic use of sensitive nonpublic pricing and supply information violate antitrust laws. Earlier this month, the Federal Trade Commission and DOJ filed a joint brief further arguing that it is illegal for landlords and property managers to collude on pricing to inflate rents – including when using algorithms to do so.
  • Cracking Down on Rental Junk Fees. Millions of families incur burdensome costs in the rental application process and throughout the duration of their lease, from “convenience fees” simply to pay rent online to fees charged to sort mail or collect trash. These fees are often more than the actual cost of providing the service, or are added onto rents to cover services that renters assume are included—or that they don’t even want. Last fall, the FTC proposed a rule that if finalized as proposed would ban misleading and hidden fees across the economy, including in housing rental agreements. Last month, HUD released a summary of banned non-rent fees within their rental assistance programs. These actions build on voluntary commitments the President announced last summer from major rental housing platforms to provide customers with the total, upfront cost on rental properties on their platform.

Expanding Housing Choice Vouchers. Over the last three years, the Administration has secured rental assistance for more than 100,000 additional households. The President is calling on Congress to further expand rental assistance to more than half of a million households, including by providing a voucher guarantee for low-income veterans and youth aging out of foster care – the first such voucher guarantees in history. Receiving a voucher would save these households hundreds of dollars in rent each month.

FACT SHEET: In SOTU, Biden Continues the Fight for Reproductive Freedom, Calls on Congress to Restore Protections Under Roe

New Yorkers protest against the fall of reproductive freedom. Following the radical religious Supreme Court’s overturn of reproductive freedom under Roe with its Dobbs decision, dozens of states immediately instituted abortion bans, hundreds of laws have been introduced to restrict access to reproductive health care and to establish “personhood” of embryos. Biden-Harris has attempted to push back with federal actions to protect reproductive freedom © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

The White House provided this fact sheet updating efforts by the Biden-Harris Administration to protect women’s reproductive freedom in the face of the ongoing assault from states and courts dominated by the religious right. The devastating impacts on the lives of women and families has been clear – most recently in Alabama’s use of “personhood” to elevate the “rights” of a frozen embryo over the mother and inject government control over her life and future. And Biden’s forceful whole-of-government approach is in contrast to the presumed Republican nominee, Trump’s, promise of instituting a national abortion ban of 15 or 16 weeks, Trump is not sure yet which number sounds better, and prosecuting women who try to assert their reproductive freedom.—Karen Rubin, [email protected]

Nearly two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to choose, millions of Americans are living under extreme state abortion bans. These dangerous laws are putting women’s health and lives at risk and threatening doctors with jail time, including life in prison, for providing the health care they have been trained to provide. And Republicans’ extreme out-of-touch agenda has put access to fertility treatments at risk for families who are desperately trying to get pregnant.
 
Tonight, Kate Cox and Latorya Beasley will join the First Lady as her guests at the State of the Union. Kate, a mother of two from Texas, has experienced the devastating consequences of state abortion bans and courageously spoke out about her experience seeking the care she needed to preserve her health—becoming one of the first women in 50 years to have to turn to the courts to ask permission to receive the abortion that her doctor recommended. She, like too many other women across the country, was ultimately forced to travel out of state for care that she would have been able to receive if Roe v. Wade were still the law of the land.
 
After a ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court put access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) on pause in much of the state, Latorya and her husband, who had been preparing for another round of IVF, learned that their embryo transfer was abruptly canceled. This heartbreaking setback in her and her husband’s journey to have their second child through IVF is yet another example of how the overturning of Roe v. Wade has disrupted access to reproductive health care for women and families across the country.
 
President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that stories like Kate’s and Latorya’s should never happen in America. But Republican elected officials want to impose this reality on women nationwide. They are doubling down on their assault on fundamental freedoms by proposing ever-more extreme bans in states and three national abortion bans in Congress. And, just last week, Senate Republicans blocked a vote to safeguard nationwide access to IVF. Their ongoing disregard for women’s ability to make these decisions for themselves and their families is outrageous and unacceptable.
 
In his State of the Union Address, President Biden will again call on Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law so women in every state have the freedom to make deeply personal health care decisions. And the Biden-Harris Administration will continue to take executive action to protect access to reproductive health care, including through ongoing implementation of the President’s three Executive Orders and a Presidential Memorandum issued since the Court overturned Roe v. Wade. To date, the Administration has taken action to:

  • Protect access to abortion, including FDA-approved medication abortion;
  • Defend access to emergency medical care;
  • Support the ability to travel for reproductive health care;
  • Strengthen access to high-quality, affordable contraception;
  • Safeguard the privacy of patients and health care providers; and
  • Ensure access to accurate information and legal resources.

Protect Access to Abortion, Including FDA-Approved Medication Abortion
 
The Administration will continue fighting to protect a woman’s ability to access abortion care, including by defending access to FDA-approved, safe and effective medication abortion. The Administration will continue to:

  • Protect Access to Safe and Legal Medication Abortion.  On what would have been the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, President Biden issued a Presidential Memorandum directing agencies to consider further efforts to support patients, providers, and pharmacies who wish to legally access, prescribe, or provide medication abortion. This Presidential Memorandum followed independent, evidence-based action taken by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow mifepristone to be prescribed by telehealth and sent by mail as well as to enable interested pharmacies to become certified to dispense the medication. As a result of the new pathway established by FDA, many pharmacies across the country—including major retail pharmacy chains—are now certified to dispense medication abortion. This new option gives many women the option to pick up their prescription for medication abortion at a local, certified pharmacy just as they would for any other medication.
     
  • Defend FDA Approval of Medication Abortion in Court.  FDA and the Department of Justice (DOJ) are defending access to mifepristone—a safe and effective drug used in medication abortion that FDA first approved more than twenty years ago—and FDA’s independent, expert judgment in court, including in a lawsuit before the Supreme Court that attempts to curtail access nationwide. The Administration will continue to stand by FDA’s decades-old approval and regulation of the medication as well as FDA’s ability to review, approve, and regulate a wide range of prescription medications. Efforts to impose outdated restrictions on mifepristone would limit access to this critical medication in every state in the country.
     
  • Partner with State Leaders on the Frontlines of Abortion Access.  The White House continues to partner with leaders on the frontlines of protecting access to abortion—both those fighting extreme state legislation and those advancing proactive policies to protect access to reproductive health care, including for patients who are forced to travel out of state for care. The Vice President has led these efforts, traveling to 20 states and meeting with more than 250 state legislators, health care providers, and advocates in the past year. And, on what would have been the 51st anniversary of Roe, the Vice President launched her nationwide Fight for Reproductive Freedoms tour to continue fighting back against extreme attacks throughout America.
     
  • Provide Access to Reproductive Health Care for Veterans.  The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) issued a final rule to allow VA to provide abortion counseling and, in certain circumstances, abortion care to veterans and VA beneficiaries. Under this rule, VA provides abortion services when the health or life of the patient would be endangered if the pregnancy were carried to term or when the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest. When working within the scope of their federal employment, VA employees may provide abortion services as authorized by federal law regardless of state restrictions. 
     
  • Support Access to Care for Service Members.  The Department of Defense (DoD) has taken action to ensure that Service members and their families can access reproductive health care and that DoD health care providers can operate effectively. DoD released policies to support Service members and their families’ ability to travel for lawful reproductive health care, including abortion care and assisted reproductive technology services, and to bolster Service members’ privacy and afford them the time and space needed to make personal health care decisions.

Defend Access to Emergency Medical Care
 
All patients, including women experiencing pregnancy loss and other pregnancy-related emergencies, must be able to access the emergency medical care required by federal law. The Administration will continue to:

  • Defend Access to Emergency Abortion Care.  Republican elected officials have put women’s lives at risk by banning abortion even when a doctor determines that an abortion is necessary to prevent serious health consequences. The Administration is committed to ensuring that women who are experiencing pregnancy loss and other pregnancy-related emergencies have access to the full rights and protections for emergency medical care afforded under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA)—including abortion care when that is the stabilizing treatment required. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued guidance and Secretary Becerra sent letters to providers affirming the Administration’s view that EMTALA preempts conflicting state law restricting access to abortion in emergency situations. The DOJ has taken action defend and enforce that interpretation before the Supreme Court, which is expected to rule by June.
     
  • Educate Patients and Health Care Providers on Their Rights and Obligations for Emergency Medical Care. To increase awareness of EMTALA and improve the procedures for ensuring that patients facing all types of medical emergencies receive the care to which they are entitled, HHS issued a comprehensive plan to educate all patients about their rights and to help ensure hospitals meet their obligations under federal law. This effort included the launch of new accessible and understandable resources about rights and protections for patients under EMTALA and the process for submitting a complaint. HHS will also disseminate training materials for health care providers and establish a dedicated team of experts who will increase the Department’s capacity to support hospitals and providers across the country in complying with federal requirements—to help ensure that every patient receives the emergency medical care required under federal law.

Support the Ability to Travel for Reproductive Health Care
 
Women must be able to cross state lines to access legal reproductive health care. In the face of threats to the constitutional right to travel, the Administration will continue to:

  • Defend the Right to Travel.  On the day the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, President Biden reaffirmed the Attorney General’s statement that women must remain free to travel safely to another state to seek the care they need. In November 2023, DOJ filed a statement of interest in two lawsuits challenging the Alabama Attorney General’s threat to prosecute people who provide assistance to women seeking lawful out-of-state abortions. DOJ explained that the threatened Alabama prosecutions infringe the constitutional right to travel and made clear that states may not punish third parties for assisting women in exercising that right. DOJ continues to monitor states’ efforts to restrict the constitutional right to travel across state lines to receive lawful health care.  
     
  • Support Patients Traveling Out of State for Medical Care.  HHS issued a letter to U.S. governors inviting them to apply for Section 1115 waivers to expand access to care under the Medicaid program for women traveling from a state where reproductive rights are under attack and women may be denied medical care. HHS continues to review pending waiver applications and encourage state leaders to develop new waiver proposals that would support access to reproductive health care services.

Strengthen Access to High-Quality, Affordable Contraception
 
Contraception is an essential component of reproductive health care and has only become more important in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade. In addition to FDA’s approval of the first daily oral contraceptive for over-the-counter use, the Administration will continue to:

  • Strengthen Access to Affordable, High-Quality Contraception.  Ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the President issued an Executive Order directing agencies to consider actions to improve access and affordability for women with private health insurance; bolster access across Federal health programs; promote access to over-the-counter contraception; and further support access for Service members, veterans, Federal employees, and college students. Recent actions taken to implement this Executive Order include:
    • The Departments of the Treasury, Labor, and HHS issued new guidance to clarify standards and support expanded coverage of a broader range of FDA-approved contraceptives at no cost under the Affordable Care Act. This action builds on guidance issued in July 2022 to clarify protections for contraceptive coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
    • The Office of Personnel Management strengthened access to contraception for federal workers, retirees, and family members by issuing guidance to insurers participating in the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program that incorporates the Departments’ guidance. OPM has also newly required insurers that participate in the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program to take additional steps to educate enrollees about their contraception benefits.
    • The Secretary of HHS issued a letter to private health insurers, state Medicaid programs and state Children’s Health Insurance Programs, and Medicare plans about their obligations to cover contraception for those they serve. The letter targets a wide range of payers to advance compliance with existing standards and underscore the Administration’s commitment to ensuring that women across the country can access affordable contraception.
    • The Departments of the Treasury, Labor, and HHS issued a Request for Information to solicit public input on how to best ensure coverage and access to over-the-counter preventive services, including contraception, at no cost and without a prescription from a health care provider.
    • Vice President Harris and the Department of Education convened representatives from 68 college and university leaders in 32 states to hear promising strategies from leaders of postsecondary institutions for protecting and expanding access to contraception for their students and on campus.
    • The Gender Policy Council, Domestic Policy Council, and leaders from the Departments of the Treasury, Labor, and HHS called on private sector leaders to take robust additional actions to further expand access to contraception.
    • The Gender Policy Council and the Department of Health and Human Services joined a convening focused on strategies to expand the role of pharmacies and pharmacists in promoting access to contraception and breaking down barriers for consumers.
       
  • Expand Access to More Women Under the Affordable Care Act.  The Departments of the Treasury, Labor, and HHS proposed a rule to help ensure that all women with private health coverage who need and want contraception can obtain it without cost sharing as guaranteed under the Affordable Care Act. Millions of women have already benefited from this coverage, which has helped them save billions of dollars on contraception.
     
  • Support Access to Family Planning Services Through Title X Clinics.  HHS has strengthened access to care through Title X clinics, which have played a critical role in ensuring access to a broad range of high-quality family planning and preventive health services for more than 50 years. HHS provided funds to help these safety net clinics deliver equitable, affordable, client-centered, and high-quality family planning services and provide training and technical assistance for Title X clinics. Last year, HHS provided $263 million to over 4,000 Title X clinics across the country to provide a wide range of voluntary, client-centered family planning and related preventive services. The Title X Family Planning Program remains a critical part of the nation’s safety net, providing free or low-cost services for 2.6 million clients in 2022.
     
  • Promote Access to Contraception for Service Members and Their Families and Certain Dependents of Veterans.  To improve access to contraception at military hospitals and clinics, DoD expanded walk-in contraceptive care services for active-duty Service members and other Military Health System beneficiaries, and eliminated TRICARE copays for certain contraceptive services. And VA proposed a rule to eliminate out-of-pocket costs for certain types of contraception through the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Safeguard the Privacy of Patients and Health Care Providers
 
The Administration is committed to safeguarding sensitive health information and strengthening privacy protections for women and health care providers. The Administration will continue to:

  • Strengthen Reproductive Health Privacy under HIPAA.  HHS issued a proposed rule to strengthen privacy protections under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). As proposed, this rule would prevent an individual’s information from being disclosed to investigate, sue, or prosecute an individual, a health care provider, or a loved one simply because that person sought, obtained, provided, or facilitated legal reproductive health care, including abortion. By safeguarding sensitive information related to reproductive health care, the rule will strengthen patient-provider confidentiality and help health care providers give complete and accurate information to patients. Prior to the proposed ruleHHS issued guidance reaffirming HIPAA’s existing protections for the privacy of individuals’ protected health information.
     
  • Take Action Against Illegal Use and Sharing of Sensitive Health Information.  The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has committed to enforcing the law against illegal use and sharing of highly sensitive data, including information related to reproductive health care. Consistent with this commitment, the FTC has taken several enforcement actions against companies for disclosing consumers’ personal health information, including highly sensitive reproductive health data, without permission.
     
  • Help Consumers Protect Their Personal Data.  The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched a guide for consumers on best practices for protecting their personal data, including geolocation data, on mobile phones. The guide follows a proposed rule that would strengthen data breach rules to provide greater protections to personal data. Separately, HHS issued a how-to guide for consumers on steps they can take to better protect their data on personal cell phones or tablets and when using mobile health apps, like period trackers, which are generally not protected by HIPAA.
     
  • Protect Students’ Health Information.  The Department of Education (ED) issued guidance to over 20,000 school officials to remind them of their obligations to protect student privacy under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. The guidance helps ensure that school officials—at federally funded school districts, colleges, and universities—know that, with certain exceptions, they must obtain written consent from eligible students or parents before disclosing personally identifiable information from students’ educational records, which may include student health information. The guidance encourages school officials to consider the importance of student privacy, including health privacy, with respect to disclosing student records. ED also issued a know-your-rights resource to help students understand their privacy rights for health records at school. 
     
  • Safeguard Patients’ Electronic Health Information.  HHS issued guidance and a final rule affirming that doctors and other medical providers can take steps to protect patients’ electronic health information, including their information related to reproductive health care. HHS makes clear that patients have the right to ask that their electronic health information generally not be disclosed by a physician, hospital, or other health care provider. The guidance also reminds health care providers that HIPAA’s privacy protections apply to patients’ electronic health information.

Ensure Access to Accurate Information and Legal Resources
 
The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has led to chaos and confusion. To help ensure that Americans have access to accurate information about their rights, the Administration will continue to:

  • Ensure Easy Access to Reliable Information.  HHS launched and maintains ReproductiveRights.gov, which provides timely and accurate information on people’s right to access reproductive health care, including contraception, abortion services, and health insurance coverage, as well as how to file a patient privacy or nondiscrimination complaint. DOJ also launched justice.gov/reproductive-rights, a webpage that provides a centralized online resource on the Department’s ongoing work to protect access to reproductive health care services under federal law.
     

Hosted a Convening of Lawyers in Defense of Reproductive Rights.  DOJ and the Office of White House Counsel convened more than 200 lawyers and advocates from private firms, bar associations, legal aid organizations, reproductive rights groups, and law schools across the country for a convening of pro-bono attorneys, as directed in the first Executive Order. Following this convening, reproductive rights organizations launched the Abortion Defense Network to offer abortion-related legal defense services, including legal advice and representation.

FACT SHEET: President Biden Takes New Steps to Lower Prescription Drug and Health Care Costs, Expand Access to Health Care, and Protect Consumers

Because of President Biden, Americans are now protected against receiving surprise medical bills for most emergency care and ambulance services as well as when consumers didn’t know they were getting care from an out-of-network provider – that has eliminated some 1 million “surprise” bills a month. © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

The White House provided this fact sheet detailing actions President Biden has taken, and new actions he is taking to lower prescription drug and health care costs, expand access to health care and protect consumers, even as Republicans voted against giving Medicare the ability to negotiate drug prices and their presumed presidential nominee, Trump, is renewing calls to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), which now has enabled a record 21 million to obtain health insurance, 9 million more than when Biden took office, and as he moves to negotiate for a $2000 cap on out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for all, not just Medicare recipients and expand the number of drug prices being negotiated from 10 to as many as 50 a year. –Karen Rubin, [email protected]

President Biden believes that health care is a right, not a privilege, and since day one, he has delivered health care to millions more Americans while also lowering health care costs. The President continues to build on, strengthen, and protect Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act, signing laws such as the American Rescue Plan Act and the Inflation Reduction Act to lower prescription drug costs and health insurance premiums. Thanks to the President’s efforts, more Americans have health insurance than under any other President, and are better protected against surprise medical bills and junk fees. Seniors are already seeing lower prescription drug prices with insulin capped at $35, free vaccines, and out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs capped at $2,000 starting in 2025.  And the Administration is well on its way to lower the cost of range of drugs as Medicare negotiates over the prices of prescription drugs for the first time ever. The Biden-Harris Administration has also taken steps to make sure consumers aren’t scammed by junk insurance and have better access to mental health care.
 
However, the President is not just resting on these accomplishments.  He’s fighting to deliver even lower costs and better health care to Americans. That’s why the Biden-Harris Administration is acting to lower prescription drug costs, keep health insurance premiums low, expand access to health care, especially mental health care coverage, and continue to protect Americans from getting ripped off. 

Taking on Big Pharma to Deliver Lower Prescription Drug Costs for Seniors and Families

 After decades of opposition, President Biden enacted a law that finally takes on Big Pharma and gives Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices. President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act will save millions of seniors money on some of the costliest prescription drugs on the market. Meanwhile, Big Pharma also executed over $135 billion in mergers and acquisitions in 2023 alone, while passing the cost to consumers. And eight of the 10 drugs selected for this year’s negotiation program raised their prices in 2024 – after all 10 drugs were already priced three to eight times higher in the United States than in other countries. President Biden knows how the Inflation Reduction Act is delivering for American families, and his Administration will continue the fight to lower health care costs for more Americans. 

  • Announcing that Manufacturers of 10 Drugs Remain at the Negotiating Table. Last month, for the first time in history, Medicare has made offers on the fair price for 10 of the most widely used and expensive drugs. Medicare is no longer taking whatever price for these drugs that the pharmaceutical companies demand. This week CMS announced that manufacturers for all 10 selected drugs are participating in drug price negotiation, with all manufacturers having submitted counteroffers and negotiations continuing.  Later this year, new, negotiated prices for the first 10 prescription drugs selected for the negotiation program will be announced.
     
  • Let Medicare Negotiate Drug Prices for at least 50 Drugs Every Year. Medicare should not be limited to negotiating just 20 drugs per year. Instead, the President is proposing that Medicare be able to negotiate prices for the major drugs that seniors rely on, like those used for treating heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. The Budget cuts federal spending by $200 billion increasing the number of drugs Medicare can select for negotiation and bringing more drugs into the negotiation process sooner, and other reforms.
     
  • Expand Cap on Out-of-Pocket Prescription Drug Costs. When the $2,000 out-of-pocket cap on prescription drugs applies in Medicare in 2025, nearly 19 million seniors and other beneficiaries are projected to save $400 per year on prescription drugs. The President is calling on Congress to expand the $2,000 out-of-pocket cap to all private insurance so that all Americans have the peace of mind that comes with knowing that they won’t have to choose between filling their prescription or putting food on the table.
     
  • Capping Medicare Cost-Sharing at $2 for Common Generic Drugs. Medicare will be launching a new model to limit Medicare Part D cost-sharing for certain generic drugs to $2. As Medicare prepares to launch the model, today HHS published a list of dozens of generic drugs for the model, including drugs like statins to treat high cholesterol, beta-blockers for high blood pressure, and platelet inhibitors to prevent blood clots. In his budget, the President is calling on Congress to limit Medicare cost-sharing to $2 for high-value generic drugs for all Medicare plans.
     
  • Access to Cell & Gene Therapies. In January, HHS announced that sickle cell disease will be the first focus of the Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) Access Model. Under this model, CMS will negotiate with manufacturers on behalf of state Medicaid programs to increase affordable access to potentially lifesaving and life-changing treatment, and lower health care costs for some of the nation’s most vulnerable populations. Today, CMS is releasing the Request for Applications for drug manufacturers of cell and gene therapies to participate in the model.
     
  • Expand the IRA’s Requirement that Drug Companies Pay Rebates When They Increase Prices Faster than Inflation. Thanks to the IRA, drug manufacturers must now pay rebates to Medicare if their price increases for certain drugs exceed inflation. The President is calling on Congress to require those rebates for commercial drug sales, as well as sales to Medicare. That will save the federal government billions of dollars, further curb prescription drug price inflation, and reduce health insurance premiums for people with private health insurance coverage.

 
Putting High-Quality Health Care Within Reach
 
Today, more Americans have health insurance than under any President. The President’s efforts to lower health insurance premiums have led to record-breaking enrollment in the Affordable Care Act’s Marketplaces, with over 21 million people signing up for coverage – 9 million more than when the President took office. The Biden-Harris Administration isn’t stopping there and is building on this incredible success by:
 

  • Keeping Health Insurance Premiums Low. Thanks to the President’s American Rescue Plan and Inflation Reduction Act, millions of Americans are saving on average $800 a year on premiums. The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to keeping health insurance premiums low, giving families more breathing room and the peace of mind that health insurance brings. To do that, the President is calling on Congress to make the expanded premium tax credits that the Inflation Reduction Act extended permanent. Without Congressional action, millions of Americans will see their health insurance premiums spike by hundreds or thousands of dollars starting in the fall of 2025.
     
  • Closing the Medicaid Coverage Gap. The President continues to call on Congress to provide Medicaid-like coverage to people in the 10 states that have not adopted Medicaid expansion as well as keeping Medicaid expansion enrollees covered.
     
  • Keeping Kids Covered. Investing in our nation’s children is a top priority for the President. Research shows that when children have health insurance, they thrive: they’re healthier, they do better in school, and are more likely to succeed in adulthood. Keeping children covered is the right thing to do, which is why the President wants to make sure that children can never lose coverage due to red tape from birth until they turn age 6, and that families only have to submit Medicaid paperwork once every three years.
     
  • Closing Research Gaps in Women’s Health Research. In November 2023, the President and the First Lady launched the first-ever White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research to fundamentally change how our nation approaches and funds women’s health research. Women make up more than half the population but have been understudied and underrepresented in health research for far too long. As part of the initiative, the President during the State of the Union will call on Congress to make bold, transformational investments in women’s health research. 
     
  • Making Home Care More Available. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, President Biden delivered $37 billion to all states to expand access to home care and improve the quality of caregiving jobs. The Biden-Harris Administration is taking steps to improve the quality of Medicaid home care services and to make sure home care workers get a bigger share of Medicaid payments for these critical services.  The President remains committed to further improving and expanding Medicaid home care services, and is calling on Congress to do their part to allow the hundreds of thousands of older adults and individuals with disabilities on Medicaid home care waiting list to remain in their homes and stay active in their communities while continuing to improve the quality of jobs for caregivers.
     
  • Ensuring Access to Mental Health Care. Ensuring robust access to mental health care has been a bipartisan priority for almost 15 years, including the enactment of mental health parity requirements which require health plans to cover mental health care benefits at the same levels as physical health care benefits. Yet today, too many Americans still struggle to find and afford the care they need. The President is committed to tackling the mental health crisis in this country, which means making health plans do their part and providing agencies with the needed support to make sure they’re doing so. The Biden-Harris Administration is working to finalize the mental health parity rule, which would close existing loopholes as well as ensure health plans evaluate access to mental health care in their networks, and make changes if it’s found to be inadequate. In addition, the President is calling on Congress to further increase access to mental health care by expanding coverage in Medicare and private insurance, applying the mental health parity requirements to Medicare beneficiaries, and extending Medicare incentive programs to address mental health provider shortages.

Cracking Down on Junk Insurance, Surprise Bills and Fees, and Confusing Health Care Pricing

 
Nothing infuriates the President more than seeing Americans get ripped off. That’s why the Biden-Harris Administration has prioritized implementing surprise billing protections, preventing 1 million Americans from receiving surprise medical bills every single month. The President has also taken steps to prevent Americans from being ripped off by junk insurance that preys on vulnerable citizens by closing loopholes to ensure consumers know what they’re buying and can get the health coverage that best meets their needs. But more can be done to protect consumers, which is why the President intends to:
 

  • Prevent More Surprise Medical Bills. Today, Americans are protected from receiving medical bills for most emergency care and air ambulance services as well as when consumers didn’t know they were getting care from an out-of-network provider despite doing their homework and going to an in-network facility for treatment.  The President wants to further protect consumers by applying surprise billing protections to ground ambulance providers. The last thing people should worry about during an emergency is an unexpected bill for their ambulance ride.
     
  • Crack Down on Junk Insurance. Last year, the Biden-Harris Administration proposed a monumental rule to help millions of Americans access high-quality, affordable health insurance and protect consumers from being discriminated against because of pre-existing conditions. Making sure Americans aren’t scammed into low-quality coverage, and charged more or denied life-saving care is a key priority for the Administration, which is why we are working to finalize proposed rules that limit the availability of junk insurance.

Honoring America’s Commitment to Seniors

The President has always believed that Medicare and Social Security are a promise—a rock-solid guarantee generations of Americans have counted on to be able to retire with dignity and security. The President will reject any efforts to cut the Medicare or Social Security benefits that seniors and people with disabilities have earned and paid into their entire working lives. The Budget honors that ironclad commitment—not only by rejecting benefit cuts, but by embracing reforms and investments that will protect and strengthen both programs. The President is committed to working with Congress to ensure Medicare and Social Security remain strong for their beneficiaries, now and in the future. 

  • Securing Medicare. In his budget, the President is calling on Congress to ensure that high-income individuals contribute their fair share to Medicare and directs revenue from the Net Investment Income Tax into the HI trust fund as was originally intended. In addition, the President has proposed to direct savings from further lowering drug costs into the Medicare trust fund.  If Congress were to heed the President’s call and enact these reforms, it would substantially extend solvency for the Medicare HI Trust Fund, guaranteeing seniors the benefits they have been promised.
     
  • Protects Seniors’ Health and Dignity. As President Biden pledged to do two years ago in the State of the Union, the Biden-Harris Administration is “set[ting] higher standards for nursing homes and make sure your loved ones get the care they deserve and that they expect.” The nursing home industry receives billions of dollars of taxpayer funding each year, but for too long, many facilities have not had the staff required to give residents safe, high-quality care. That is changing. HHS has proposed a new rule establishing a federal floor for nursing home staffing, so that owners cannot cut staffing to unsafe levels simply to turn a profit. This includes a proposal for every facility to have a Registered Nurse on site 24/7, in addition to minimum number of registered nurses and nurse aides to assist with care. Earlier this year, HHS also finalized a rule to increase transparency in nursing home ownership, making it easier for residents and their loved ones to hold facilities accountable. The final rule was just submitted to the Office of Management and Budget for review

Strong Record on Expanding and Strengthening Health Care Nationwide

 The President’s new actions are all in addition to an already impressive track record on fighting for the health care of Americans across the nation. Over the last three years, the President has:

  • Expanded health insurance through the ACA Marketplaces to an additional nine million Americans and helped over one million people in Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and South Dakota gain Medicaid coverage.
  • Extended postpartum Medicaid coverage to nearly 700,000 women across 44 states and the District of Columbia.
  • Kept children covered continuously in Medicaid and CHIP for a full year.
  • Made it easier for people to enroll in the ACA Marketplaces and Medicaid, including for older adults that are covered by both Medicaid and Medicare.
  • Made critical vaccines free for all Medicare beneficiaries as well as adults enrolled in Medicaid, with seniors on Medicare saving on average $70 in out-of-pockets for vaccines.
  • Lowered maximum out of pocket costs for Americans with employer and ACA coverage by an average of $400.
  • Capped out-of-pocket costs at $35 for a month’s supply of insulin for seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare.

Lowered coinsurance for seniors that took the 47 drugs covered by Medicare Part B that hiked prices faster than inflation in 2023, with some enrollees saving as much as $618 per dose.

FACT SHEET: Impact of Bipartisan Border Agreement Funding on Border Operations

Families Belong Together Immigration Protest, NYC, June 30, 2018 New York City protests Trump’s family separation policy, 2018. A reminder of how Trump and the MAGA Republicans’ handling of the migrant crisis looked like and what Trump would do in a second term © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Thanks to a steady stream of desperate migrants escaping conflict and climate disasters at the southern border but all over the world  (and propaganda), voters now consider immigration (not women’s reproductive rights, gun violence or climate action) the leading issue. And Trump and the MAGA Republicans want to keep it that way. So after negotiating the toughest immigration reform in 30 years (and Democrats abandoning calls to legalize status for DACA recipients and the rest of the millions of undocumented migrants who have been living and working in the US for years in order to reach a compromise), Trump issued his order that House Republicans nix adopting the National Security Plan, that also included aid to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and humanitarian aid and instead, voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, while Republican Governors Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis are working hard to increase the misery of the desperate migrants and the Democratic cities they are shipping these individuals to, without warning or coordination, just to elevate the crisis. Meanwhile, Trump’s agenda for a second term would go beyond the cruelty of his family-separation program of his first term.

Rather than playing politics on the issue, Biden is trying to take action, and today, in traveling to Brownsville, Texas to meet with U.S. Border patrol agents, is laying out why Republicans’ failure to act is handicapping the administration’s effort to address the migrant crisis in a humanitarian way. This fact sheet is provided by the White House – Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Today, President Biden is traveling to Brownsville, Texas to meet with U.S. Border Patrol agents, law enforcement, frontline personnel, and local leaders to discuss the urgent need to pass the Senate bipartisan border security agreement.

President Biden has repeatedly said he is willing to work in a bipartisan way to secure the border and fix our broken immigration system. Over several months, his Administration negotiated with a bipartisan group of Senators to release a bill that includes the toughest and fairest reforms to secure the border we have had in decades. It would make our country safer, make our border more secure, and treat people fairly and humanely while preserving legal immigration, consistent with our nation’s values. The bill received support from the Border Patrol Union, the Chamber of Commerce, the South Texas Alliance of Cities, and the Wall Street Journal – but Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans have decided to play politics at the expense of border security.
 
At the President’s request, the agreement included over $20 billion for border security. The agreement would provide critical resources at the border and significant policy changes, including:
 
Border Patrol: Border Patrol staffing has remained roughly flat over the last four years, despite border encounters increasing by 250 percent over the same period. Today, there are just shy of 20,000 Border Patrol Agents. The bipartisan Senate bill would add more than 1,500 new Customs and Border Protection personnel.

Asylum Officers and Asylum Reform: Similarly, Asylum Officer staffing has remained stagnant over the last four years and there is an insufficient number of asylum officers to do initial screenings. As a result, each asylum case generally takes 5 to 7 years to be heard and adjudicated. Today, there are approximately 1,000 Asylum Officers; the bipartisan Senate bill would add an additional 4,300 Asylum Officers and it would make the asylum process faster and fairer.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): ICE detention facilities are currently over capacity. Today, ICE has approximately 40,000 detention beds. The bipartisan Senate agreement would increase detention beds to a total of 50,000. Moreover, without immediate action from Congress DHS will need to move funding to ICE from other critical missions or reduce ICE’s enforcement operations to manage a shortfall of several hundred million dollars.
 
Immigration Judges: Currently there is a backlog of over 2 million cases for immigration judges. Each asylum case generally takes 5 to 7 years to complete. Without more judges, these timelines and backlogs will continue to grow. Today there is funding for 734 immigration judges, the bipartisan Senate bill would provide funding for an additional 100 immigration judges and their associated staff.
 
Combatting Drug Trafficking: We continue our fight against the trafficking of fentanyl and other illicit drugs. The bipartisan agreement would fund the installation of 100 cutting-edge inspection machines to help detect fentanyl at our Southwest Border ports of entry. It would also give the President the authority to impose sanctions on foreign nationals knowingly involved in significant trafficking of fentanyl by a transnational criminal organization.  
 
The bill also includes $1.4 billion for cities and states who are providing critical services to newcomers, and would expedite work permits for people who are in the country and qualify.
 
In order to truly tackle this problem and support the more than four thousand border and immigration officials who work in the Rio Grande Valley – which includes Brownsville – with the additional personnel and resources they need to secure our border, Congress must act.

FACT SHEET: President Biden Issues Executive Order to Protect Americans’ Sensitive Personal Data

President Biden is issuing an Executive Order to protect Americans’ sensitive personal data from exploitation by countries of concern. The Executive Order, which marks the most significant executive action any President has ever taken to protect Americans’ data security, authorizes the Attorney General to prevent the large-scale transfer of Americans’ personal data to countries of concern and provides safeguards around other activities that can give those countries access to Americans’ sensitive data © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Today, President Biden is issuing an Executive Order to protect Americans’ sensitive personal data from exploitation by countries of concern. The Executive Order, which marks the most significant executive action any President has ever taken to protect Americans’ data security, authorizes the Attorney General to prevent the large-scale transfer of Americans’ personal data to countries of concern and provides safeguards around other activities that can give those countries access to Americans’ sensitive data.
 
The President’s Executive Order focuses on Americans’ most personal and sensitive information, including genomic data, biometric data, personal health data, geolocation data, financial data, and certain kinds of personally identifiable information. Bad actors can use this data to track Americans (including military service members), pry into their personal lives, and pass that data on to other data brokers and foreign intelligence services. This data can enable intrusive surveillance, scams, blackmail, and other violations of privacy.
 
Companies are collecting more of Americans’ data than ever before, and it is often legally sold and resold through data brokers. Commercial data brokers and other companies can sell this data to countries of concern, or entities controlled by those countries, and it can land in the hands of foreign intelligence services, militaries, or companies controlled by foreign governments.
 
The sale of Americans’ data raises significant privacy, counterintelligence, blackmail risks and other national security risks—especially for those in the military or national security community.  Countries of concern can also access Americans’ sensitive personal data to collect information on activists, academics, journalists, dissidents, political figures, and members of non-governmental organizations and marginalized communities to intimidate opponents of countries of concern, curb dissent, and limit Americans’ freedom of expression and other civil liberties. 
 
To protect Americans’ sensitive personal data, President Biden is directing:

  • The Department of Justice to issue regulations that establish clear protections for Americans’ sensitive personal data from access and exploitation by countries of concern. These protections will extend to genomic data, biometric data, personal health data, geolocation data, financial data, and certain kinds of personal identifiers. They will prevent the large-scale transfer of that data to countries of concern—which have a track record of collecting and misusing data on Americans.
     
  • The Department of Justice to issue regulations that establish greater protection of sensitive government-related data, including geolocation information on sensitive government sites and information about military members.
     
  • The Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to work together to set high security standards to prevent access by countries of concern to Americans’ data through other commercial means, such as data available via investment, vendor, and employment relationships.
     
  • The Departments of Health and Human Services, Defense, and Veterans Affairs to help ensure that Federal grants, contracts, and awards are not used to facilitate access to Americans’ sensitive health data by countries of concern, including via companies located in the United States.
     
  • The Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the United States Telecommunications Services Sector (often called “Team Telecom”) to consider the threats to Americans’ sensitive personal data in its reviews of submarine cable licenses.
     
  • That these activities do not stop the flow of information necessary for financial services activities or impose measures aimed at a broader decoupling of the substantial consumer, economic, scientific, and trade relationships that the United States has with other countries.

These actions not only align with the U.S.’ longstanding support for the trusted free flow of data, but also are consistent with U.S.’ commitment to an open Internet with strong and effective protections for individuals’ privacy and measures to preserve governments’ abilities to enforce laws and advance policies in the public interest. The Administration will continue its engagements with stakeholders, including technology companies and advocates for privacy, safety, competition, labor, and human rights, to move forward in a way that appropriately balances all these objectives.

Additionally, President Biden continues to urge Congress to do its part and pass comprehensive bipartisan privacy legislation, especially to protect the safety of our children.

FACT SHEET: President Biden’s Actions to Fight Crime and Make Our Communities Safer

March For Our Lives, New York City, 2022. The Biden Administration reviewed actions taken to make communities safer from gun violence, bringing down murder rates from the Trump-era’s record high in 2020. But President Biden continues to urge Congress to take commonsense actions to prevent and combat crime and advance public safety. Congress should enact universal background checks, require safe storage of firearms, and ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. It should pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to advance accountability, transparency, and public trust in law enforcement. Building public trust advances public safety. And it should pass the Violent Incident Clearance and Technological Investigations Methods (VICTIM) Act to help communities solve murders and violent gun crimes as well as support victims. © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

President Biden delivered remarks on the Biden-Harris Administration’s actions to fight crime and make our communities safer. The Administration has taken a three-part approach to public safety and fighting crime: funding effective, accountable policing; investing in intervention and prevention strategies; and keeping especially dangerous guns off our streets and out of dangerous hands.

“My administration is going to choose progress over politics, and communities across the country are safer as a result of that policy,” President Biden declared. “There is no greater responsibility than to ensure the safety of families, children, communities, and our nation.” 

Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, the Office of Gun Violence Prevention (OGVP) and the Department of Labor (DOL) hosted a roundtable on improving job opportunities for communities affected by gun violence and discuss the connection between workforce development and violence intervention and prevention.

During the roundtable, DOL also discussed its Growth Opportunities Program, which provides up to $85 million to improve job opportunities for youth in communities affected by violence and poverty. This recently announced funding opportunity supports programs that provide skills training through work-based learning, employment services, educational support and mentorship to youth and young adults in communities affected by violence, crime and poverty.

These funds provided by the Growth Opportunities Program build on efforts by the Biden-Harris Administration to prevent crime and promote public safety, including $15 billion provided by the President’s American Rescue Plan to support additional police officers, expand community violence intervention, add crisis responders, and more. While the President’s Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) — the most significant gun safety legislation in the last 30 years — provides $250 million in funding for community-based violence prevention initiatives, in addition to key investments for schools to expand mental health services and violence intervention programs. 

The positive impacts of the President’s strategy to prevent and reduce crime and gun violence nationwide are already apparent. According to 2023 FBI data, there has been a significant drop in crime – including one of the largest yearly declines in homicides ever. By comparison, during the final year of the prior administration in 2020, the United States saw the largest increase in murders ever recorded. Key provisions created by the BCSA are beginning to deliver results in making communities safer against gun violence, including recent announcements by the Department of Justice on stopping more than 500 illegal gun purchases by people under 21 years old who presented a danger to our communities, and hundreds of charges brought by the Justice Department for illegal gun purchases and firearms trafficking.

“The President knows more can and must be done, which is why OGVP, overseen by Vice President Kamala Harris, continues to identify executive orders to save lives, while also announcing new initiatives to encourage action at the state and local level,” a White House official stated. “This past December, the Vice President convened 100 state legislators at the White House to launch the Biden-Harris Administration’s Safer States Initiative, providing states with additional tools and the support they need to reduce gun violence—and we have already seen states begin to answer the call and implement these critical measures. Last month, the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Justice, also announced new executive actions to help promote safe storage of firearms that implement President Biden’s Executive Order on promoting safe gun storage, which has been shown to dramatically reduce children’s risk of self-inflicted harm and unintentional shootings.”

These are just a few examples of the progress that is being made under the leadership of President Biden and Vice President Harris to protect our communities, schools and children, and end the epidemic of gun violence that is leaving empty seats at dinner tables across the country. 

The Second Gentleman also continues to show up for communities affected by gun violence, meeting with victims and families in Parkland, Florida; Uvalde, Texas; Highland Park, Illinois; and the Tree of Life Community in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This past December, the Second Gentleman also delivered remarks at the 11th Annual Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence.

The White House provided this fact sheet reviewing the Biden-Harris administration’s actions to fight crime and make communities safer. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is hearing a case challenging the ban on bump stocks that turn assault weapons into illegal machine guns.

During the previous Administration, America saw the largest increase in murders ever recorded in 2020; Under the Biden-Harris Administration, there has been a significant decrease in crime – including one of the largest yearly declines in homicides ever.

The historic declines in crime mean that America is safer. The Biden-Harris Administration has taken a three-part approach to public safety and fighting crime: funding effective, accountable policing; investing in intervention and prevention strategies; and keeping especially dangerous guns off our streets and out of dangerous hands.
 
That balanced approach is the hallmark of the President’s Safer America Plan, which calls on Congress to invest $37 billion to support law enforcement and crime prevention, including by funding 100,000 additional police officers for accountable community policing, consistent with the standards set out in the President’s executive order on policing; community violence intervention and crisis responders; and commonsense gun reforms such as background checks.
 
And states and localities have adopted this balanced approach through one of the largest investments ever in public safety:  The President’s American Rescue Plan – which every Republican elected official in Congress voted against – has helped states and over one thousand cities, towns, and counties across the country to invest over $15 billion to public safety and violence prevention. Communities have invested those funds to support additional police officers, expand community violence intervention, add crisis responders, and more.  And today we are seeing real results:  Cities around the country are experiencing historic declines in violent crime, and homicides are estimated to be down nationally 12% from 2022 to 2023.  
 
By comparison, during the final year of the Trump Administration in 2020, the United States saw the largest increase in murders ever recorded.
 
Communities have leveraged funding from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan to reduce crime:
 

  • Detroit invested more than $100 million for public safety, including to pay bonuses that enabled the city to hire 200 new police officers, advance community violence intervention, and expand teams of police and mental health professionals who can respond to people in crisis. In 2023, Detroit had its fewest homicides since 1966, with an 18% decline from 2022.
     
  • Milwaukee invested over $40 million to pay new officers engaging in community policing, fund gun crime investigations, and increase the number of dispatchers to handle 911 calls. The city improved city street lighting, supported community violence intervention efforts, and expanded summer programs for at-risk youth.  The city and county of Milwaukee also partnered with the state of Wisconsin to invest $28 million more on anti-violence efforts, including to reduce dramatically the court backlog of violent crime cases. In 2023, homicides in Milwaukee dropped 20%. 
     
  • Philadelphia invested millions in group-violence intervention and community crisis intervention programs. It also partnered with the state of Pennsylvania to devote $45 million more to upgrade the city’s crime lab, reduce gun violence, and investigate and prosecute violent gun crimes, as well as further support violence intervention and prevention. In 2023, Philadelphia experienced record crime declines, including a 20% drop in homicides and a 28% decline in nonfatal shootings.
     
  • Chicago invested $100 million for public safety, including $16 million for community violence intervention focused on those at the highest risk of violence, $15 million to support alternative responders for 911 calls involving health crises, $30 million for youth intervention and diversion programs, and $10 million to support victims of crime. In addition to these targeted investments to reduce violence, Chicago is making additional significant investments to expand opportunity for young people – including hiring nearly 25,000 young people over the summer and investing $53 million for youth employment programs. Chicago also received $6.25 million in grants from the Department of Justice to hire or retain 50 additional officers. Chicago saw a 13% drop in homicides in 2023, and nonfatal shootings declined 17%.

 
The President’s Safer America Agenda:
 
Funding Effective, Accountable Policing
 

  • In 2023, the Department of Justice alone provided state, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies, research institutions, and nonprofit organizations nearly $5.8 billion to advance public safety, $1 billion more than just two years earlier. Those grants included more than $200 million to fund 1,730 new police officers in nearly 400 communities.  The Department of Justice’s 2023 grant funding also included more than $173 million in site-based funding to improve school safety.      
     
  • The President signed and is continuing to implement a historic Executive Order to advance police reform which required that federal law enforcement agencies ban chokeholds, strengthen use-of-force policies, restrict no-knock warrants, and direct other measures to advance effective, accountable policing that increases public safety.

 
Investing in Violent Crime Prevention and Intervention
 
President Biden has secured historic investments in crime prevention and intervention strategies, including strategies to prevent crime. For example:
 

  • President Biden secured the first-ever federal funding solely dedicated to community violence interventions, and has increased funding for violence intervention programs.
     
  • The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act includes the biggest ever one-time investment in mental health through the Department of Education, to help students deal with a range of mental health issues, including the trauma resulting from gun violence. To date, nearly $300 million has been distributed and will help to hire or train 14,000 mental health professionals for our schools.
     
  • Thanks to the President’s leadership and through the historic resources in the American Rescue Plan and Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, HHS has increased funding for mobile crisis teams and training for first responders and law enforcement to respond appropriately and safely to people with mental health challenges. DOJ has funded the creation and delivery of de-escalation training.
     
  • The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act secured $750 million to support crisis interventions.

 
Keeping Dangerous Guns Out of Our Communities and Guns Out of Dangerous Hands
 
President Biden and his Administration have taken more executive action to reduce gun crime than any other President. For example:

  • After hearing from law enforcement that they were increasingly finding “ghost guns” at crime scenes, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives issued a final rule to rein in the proliferation of these unserialized firearms.
     
  • The Justice Department launched five new law enforcement strike forces focused on addressing significant firearms trafficking corridors that have diverted guns to New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and Washington, D.C. 

In addition, President Biden secured confirmation of Steve Dettelbach to be Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) – after this critical law enforcement agency lacked confirmed leadership since 2015. Under Director Dettelbach’s leadership, ATF is driving data-driven prioritization to focus on the gun dealers most closely connected to gun violence and have revoked the licenses of those that have endangered public safety by willfully violating the law ATF is also partnering with state and local officials to establish joint Crime Gun Intelligence Centers to bring gun trafficking and violent crime prosecutions.
 
In 2022, the President signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act—the most significant gun violence prevention legislation in nearly 30 years. That law includes:
 

  • The first ever federal gun trafficking and straw purchasing law, which has allowed the Department of Justice to charge more than 300 defendants.
     
  • Broadening the definition of who must become a licensed dealer and run background checks before selling guns.
     
  • Enhanced background checks for gun purchasers under the age of 21, which has already helped stop the transfer of firearms to prohibited persons under 21 more than 600 times.

 
In 2023, the President established the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention to accelerate his work to reduce gun crime and other forms of gun violence.
 
Congress Needs to Act. The President also continues to urge Congress to take commonsense actions to prevent and combat crime and advance public safety. Congress should enact universal background checks, require safe storage of firearms, and ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. It should pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to advance accountability, transparency, and public trust in law enforcement. Building public trust advances public safety. And it should pass the Violent Incident Clearance and Technological Investigations Methods (VICTIM) Act to help communities solve murders and violent gun crimes as well as support victims.
 
Despite the progress we have made, we can and must do more to reduce crime and save lives. President Biden will continue to call on Republican elected officials in Congress to support these lifesaving law enforcement actions rather than standing in the way.

New York’s Luminaries Turn Out for Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade

New York Governor Kathy Hochul at New York’s Chinatown’s 26th annual Lunar New Year Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

By Karen Rubin, News-Photos-Features.com, [email protected]

An estimated 500,000 people lined the streets of New York’s Chinatown in crisp, cool, sunny weather to enjoy the 26th annual Lunar New Year Parade and welcome the Year of the Dragon. The parade is a celebration of America’s Chinese community, culture, and contribution to the city.

US Senator Chuck Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader, praised the Asian American community as the face of the American Dream, pointed with pride at marshalling legislation to protect the AAPI community from hate crimes, and declared his support for immigration reform.

US Senator and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer at New York’s Chinatown’s 26th annual Lunar New Year Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul hailed the “large and growing AAPI community..This is what makes us so incredible, that the rest of the world wants to be here,” and promised to fight against hate and bigotry.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul at New York’s Chinatown’s 26th annual Lunar New Year Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Manhattan’s Chinatown is home to the largest Chinese American community in the nation.

Both were cheered as they walked through the streets.

Here are photo highlights.

New York’s Chinatown’s 26th annual Lunar New Year Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

New York’s Chinatown’s 26th annual Lunar New Year Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
New York’s Chinatown’s 26th annual Lunar New Year Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
US Senator and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer at New York’s Chinatown’s 26th annual Lunar New Year Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
New York’s Chinatown’s 26th annual Lunar New Year Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
New York’s Chinatown’s 26th annual Lunar New Year Parade celebrates Year of the Dragon © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
New York’s Chinatown’s 26th annual Lunar New Year Parade celebrates Year of the Dragon © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
New York’s Chinatown’s 26th annual Lunar New Year Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
New York’s Chinatown’s 26th annual Lunar New Year Parade celebrates Year of the Dragon © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
New York’s Chinatown’s 26th annual Lunar New Year Parade celebrates Year of the Dragon © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
New York’s Chinatown’s 26th annual Lunar New Year Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
New York’s Chinatown’s 26th annual Lunar New Year Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
New York’s Chinatown’s 26th annual Lunar New Year Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
New York’s Chinatown’s 26th annual Lunar New Year Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
New York’s Chinatown’s 26th annual Lunar New Year Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
New York’s Chinatown’s 26th annual Lunar New Year Parade © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

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© 2024 News & Photo Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. For editorial feature and photo information, go to www.news-photos-features.com, email [email protected]. Blogging at www.dailykos.com/blogs/NewsPhotosFeatures. ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures, Tweet @KarenBRubin

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Gifting Free Books to Florida Families in Response to Book Ban

St. Augustine, Florida. Ripley’s Believe It or Not! has a novel way to deal with its books being banned in Escambia County, Florida: Ripley’s has decided to gift their annual book to Florida residents… for free. Now through May 15, 2024, Florida residents can request a book by mail or  – even better –in person at a Florida Ripley’s Believe It or Not! attraction in Panama City Beach, Orlando, and St. Augustine Florida with a Florida ID while supplies last. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Orlando, FL –Ripley’s Believe It or Not! has a novel way to deal with its books being banned in Escambia County, Florida: Ripley’s has decided to gift their annual book to Florida residents… for free. Now through May 15, 2024, Florida residents can request a book be mailed to them at ripleys.com/general/floridabooks, or – even better – get one right away, in person at a Florida Ripley’s Believe It or Not! attraction in Panama City Beach, Orlando, and St. Augustine Florida with a Florida ID while supplies last.

Recently, officials in Escambia County Florida have plunged into a literary adventure of their own: removing and flagging over 1,600 books for review and potential banning. In a weird plot twist, this includes eight encyclopedias, five dictionaries, and hundreds of reference books – including three of our very own Ripley’s Believe It or Not! titles.

Believe It or Not!, Ripley’s is in excellent company, accompanied on the list with no less than Stephanie Meyer, Maya Angelou, Ernest Hemmingway, and Charles Dickens!

“The very idea of banning these books is worthy of entry to Ripley’s Believe It or Not!. Ironically, Escambia County officials are practically authoring our next book for us!,” said Ryan DeSear, Vice President of Attraction Operations for Ripley Entertainment. “While Ripley’s response to this issue is a bit tongue-in-cheek, we very much encourage all Florida residents to claim their free copy and decide for themselves.”

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! books have entertained both adults and children alike for generations, as researchers, writers, and factcheckers scour the globe looking for stories of the weird and wonderful.

“Our focus for the last 105 years has always been a lighthearted look at the curiosities that make up society. We celebrate uniqueness, a responsibility that we take to heart and will continue to for years to come,” DeSear continued.

Visit ripleys.com/general/floridabooks to request your copy.

Built on the foundation of a daily newspaper cartoon in 1918 — still in print today — Ripley Entertainment has grown to be a world leader in family entertainment, expanding to include more than 100 attractions in 10 countries around the world. Along with Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditoriums, Guinness World Records Attractions, Aquariums, Wax Museums, traveling shows, and miniature golf, the world of Ripley’s continues to grow through exciting new experiences, content, and books for all ages. Learn more about Ripley’s Believe It or Not! by visiting Ripleys.com and following on Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

FACT SHEET: President Biden Cancels Student Debt for 150,000 Student Loan Borrowers; 3.9 Million Already Eligible for $138 Billion in Relief

From Day 1, the President vowed to fix the broken loan system and make sure education was a pathway to the middle class, not a barrier,” a White House spokesperson stated. © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

This fact sheet provided by the White House documents the latest efforts by the Biden Administration to relieve the burden of student debt. It is the latest in more than 25 actions that have resulted in $138 billion in student debt cancellation for almost 3.9 million borrowers.

“From Day 1, the President vowed to fix the broken loan system and make sure education was a pathway to the middle class, not a barrier,” a White House spokesperson stated. “ He has cancelled more student debt than any president – $138 billion for 3.9 million – fixing public service loan forgiveness, affecting 800,000 nurses, firefighters, teachers and others. Before, only 7,000 got relief. He has held colleges accountable for defrauding borrowers who paid over 20 years but never got the relief they were entitled to. The President’s actions have allowed over 4 million to afford homes, businesses, pursue the dreams they had to put on hold because of student loan, but are no longer weighed down by burden of student debt.” – Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Today, President Biden announced the approval of $1.2 billion in student debt cancellation for almost 153,000 borrowers currently enrolled in the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan. The Biden-Harris Administration has now approved nearly $138 billion in student debt cancellation for almost 3.9 million borrowers through more than two dozen executive actions. The borrowers receiving relief are the first to benefit from a SAVE plan policy that provides debt forgiveness to borrowers who have been in repayment after as little as 10 years and took out $12,000 or less in student loans. Originally planned for July, the Biden-Harris Administration implemented this provision of SAVE and is providing relief to borrowers nearly six months ahead of schedule.

From Day One of his Administration, President Biden vowed to fix the student loan system and make sure higher education is a pathway to the middle class – not a barrier to opportunity. Already, the President has cancelled more student debt than any President in history – delivering life-changing relief to students and families – and has created the most affordable student loan repayment plan ever: the SAVE plan. While Republicans in Congress and their allies try to block President Biden every step of the way, the Biden-Harris Administration continues to cancel student debt for millions of borrowers, and is leaving no stone unturned in the fight to give more borrowers breathing room on their student loans.

Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s SAVE plan, starting today, the Administration will be cancelling debt for borrowers who are enrolled in the SAVE plan, have been in repayment for at least 10 years and took out $12,000 or less in loans for college. For every additional $1,000 a borrower initially borrowed, they will receive relief after an additional year of payments. For example, a borrower enrolled in SAVE who took out $14,000 or less in federal loans to earn an associate’s degree in biotechnology would receive full debt relief starting this week if they have been in repayment for 12 years. The U.S. Department of Education (Department) identified nearly 153,000 borrowers who are enrolled in SAVE plan who will have their debt cancelled starting this week, and those borrowers will receive an email today from President Biden informing them of their imminent relief. Next week, the Department of Education will also be reaching out directly to borrowers who are eligible for early relief but not currently enrolled in the SAVE Plan to encourage them to enroll as soon as possible.
 
This shortened time to forgiveness will particularly help community college and other borrowers with smaller loans and put many on track to being free of student debt faster than ever before. Under the Biden-Harris Administration’s SAVE plan, 85 percent of future community college borrowers will be debt free within 10 years. The Department will continue to regularly identify and discharge other borrowers eligible for relief under this provision on SAVE.
 
Over four million borrowers have a $0 monthly payment under the SAVE Plan

Last year, President Biden launched the SAVE plan – the most affordable repayment plan ever. Under the SAVE plan, monthly payments are based on a borrower’s income and family size, not their loan balance. The SAVE plan ensures that if borrowers are making their monthly payments, their balances cannot grow because of unpaid interest. And, starting in July, undergraduate loan payments will be cut in half, capping a borrower’s loan payment at 5% of their discretionary income. Already, 7.5 million borrowers are enrolled in the SAVE Plan, and 4.3 million borrowers have a $0 monthly payment.  

Today, the White House Council of Economic Advisers released an issue brief highlighting how low and middle-income borrowers enrolled in SAVE could see significant saving in terms of interest saved over time and principal forgiven as a result of SAVE’s early forgiveness provisions.



President Biden’s Administration has approved student debt relief for nearly 3.9 million Americans through various actions

Today’s announcement builds on the Biden-Harris Administration’s track record of taking historic action to cancel student debt for millions of borrowers. Since taking office, the Biden-Harris Administration has approved debt cancellation for nearly 3.9 million Americans, totaling almost $138 billion in debt relief through various actions. This relief has given borrowers critical breathing room in their daily lives, allowing them to afford other expenses, buy homes, start businesses, or pursue dreams they had to put on hold because of the burden of student loan debt. President Biden remains committed to providing debt relief to as many borrowers as possible, and won’t stop fighting to deliver relief to more Americans.

The Biden-Harris Administration has also taken historic steps to improve the student loan program and make higher education more affordable for more Americans, including:

  • Achieving the largest increases in Pell Grants in over a decade to help families who earn less than $60,000 a year achieve their higher-education goals.
     
  • Fixing the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program so that borrowers who go into public service get the debt relief they’re entitled to under the law. Before President Biden took office, only 7,000 people ever received debt relief through PSLF. After fixing the program, the Biden-Harris Administration has now cancelled student loan debt for nearly 800,000 public service workers.
     
  • Cancelling student loan debt for more than 930,000 borrowers who have been in repayment for over 20 years but never got the relief they earned because of administrative failures with Income-Driven Repayment Plans.
     
  • Pursuing an alternative path to deliver student debt relief to as many borrowers as possible in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision striking down the Administration’s original debt relief plan. Last week, the Department of Education released proposed regulatory text to cancel student debt for borrowers who are experiencing hardship paying back their student loans, and late last year released proposals to cancel student debt for borrowers who: owe more than they borrowed, first entered repayment 20 or 25 years ago, attended low quality programs, and who would be eligible for loan forgiveness through income-driven repayment programs like SAVE but have not applied.
     
  • Holding colleges accountable for leaving students with unaffordable debts.

It’s easy to enroll in SAVE. Borrowers should go to studentaid.gov/save to start saving.