Tag Archives: Biden Administration

Biden Administration, Gender Equity, Health Care

FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces $110 Million in Awards from ARPA-H’s Sprint for Women’s Health to Accelerate New Discoveries, Innovations

First Lady Jill Biden at the 2024 Clinton Global Initiative announced the Department of Defense’s new commitment to spend $500 million on vital women’s health research. With this new investment, the Department will fund research on conditions that affect women uniquely, disproportionately, or differently—such as ovarian cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and musculoskeletal injuries © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

As the Biden-Harris administration institutes new actions to protect women’s access to contraceptives and researchers have just published findings on risk factors for stroke that women – who suffer 57 percent of strokes – face, the administration just announced $110 million in awards from ARPA-H’s “Sprint for Women’s Health” to accelerate new discoveries and innovation. The President and First Lady recognized that medical research largely ignored women, focused almost entirely on men, and established the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research.

Meanwhile, three states – Missouri, Idaho and Kansas (despite recently approving abortion rights  – have revived the lawsuit that the Supreme Court rejected last year, to curb access to abortion medication. Indeed the fact that pregnancy is one of the factors in women’s increased risk of stroke demonstrates why increasing access to contraception and abortion medication is vital, along with the statistics which show spikes in maternal and infant mortality in states that ban abortion and have criminalized pregnancy. The stakes and the contrast in this election – by pro-women’s rights candidate Kamala Harris vs. anti-women’s freedom candidate Donald Trump, could not be more clear. Here is a fact sheet provided by the White House on the latest women’s health initiative. – Karen Rubin/[email protected], news-photos-features.com

President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden created the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research to fundamentally change how our nation approaches and funds women’s health research. Despite making up more than half the population, women have historically been understudied and underrepresented in health research. Since its launch in November 2023, the Initiative has made significant investments to close gaps in research on women’s health—from menopause-related conditions to endometriosis to auto-immune conditions to cardiovascular disease—so that we can improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases and conditions that affect women uniquely, disproportionately, and differently.
 
Today in Las Vegas, Nevada, the First Lady will announce $110 million in awards from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to accelerate transformative research and development in women’s health. President Biden established ARPA-H, a new research and development funding agency, with bipartisan Congressional support to generate high-impact biomedical and health breakthroughs. In February 2024, the First Lady launched ARPA-H’s Sprint for Women’s Health, the first major deliverable of the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research. Over the last 10 months, ARPA-H received an unprecedented response to this call for solutions for women’s health, with over 1,700 submissions across 45 states and D.C. as well as 34 countries.
 
In less than a year, the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research has galvanized nearly a billion dollars in funding for women’s health research, including the First Lady’s recent announcement of $500 million from the U.S. Department of Defense and $200 million from the National Institutes of Health. Additionally, in his State of the Union address, President Biden called on Congress to make a bold, transformative investment of $12 billion in new funding for women’s health research. President Biden also signed a first-of-its-kind Executive Order on Advancing Women’s Health Research and Innovation, directing the most comprehensive set of executive actions ever taken to expand and improve research on women’s health. Through the Initiative, federal agencies have committed to taking over 100 actions to prioritize investments in women’s health research and integrate women’s health across the federal research portfolio.
 
Accelerating Progress in Women’s Health Research
 
Today’s ARPA-H awardees will spur innovation and advance high-impact, novel approaches to diseases and conditions that affect women uniquely, disproportionately, and differently. Today’s awardees are working across a range of women’s health issues—from pursuing new ways to prevent, detect, and treat cardiovascular conditions, ovarian cancer, endometriosis, neurological diseases, and pain in women to developing next-generation approaches to menopause, migraines, obstetrics, and gynecological care.
 
One-quarter of today’s awardees are pursuing “launchpad” projects, meaning those projects have the potential for commercialization within two years. The remaining awardees are pursuing “spark” projects that are in the early stage of research. ARPA-H’s support for these projects will help ensure that women and their health care providers can soon benefit from the research investments being made today.
 
The $110 million in ARPA-H awards announced today across 23 teams fund bold and transformative women’s health solutions, including:
 

  • Aspira Women’s Health Inc. of Shelton, Connecticut will receive $10 million to create a first-of-its-kind definitive, non-invasive blood test to diagnose endometriosis. Endometriosis is a debilitating condition that affects about 1 in 10 women and often takes years and surgery to be diagnosed. Aspira Women’s Health Inc. aims to reduce the time it takes to diagnose endometriosis from years to days while helping health care providers identify the most appropriate treatment option for each woman’s needs.
  • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Inc. of Boston, Massachusetts will receive $9.1 million to improve our ability to assess brain disorders in women through a novel non-invasive MRI imaging biomarker. Even though conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and multiple sclerosis disproportionately affect women, there are significant gaps in our knowledge about how to prevent, detect, and treat these conditions in women. By developing a novel and non-invasive MRI technology to measure a specific brain protein, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Inc. will advance our understanding of, and improve treatments for, brain disorders in women. 
  • Children’s Research Institute of Washington, DC—through its research arm on families—will receive $8.1 million to develop a novel way to assess chronic pain in women. Women experience pain differently than men which can lead health care providers to underestimate and undertreat this pain, resulting in prolonged suffering, delayed diagnosis and treatment, and a reluctance to seek medical care. Despite this need, there is currently no objective, quantitative indicator of chronic pain in women. Children’s Research Institute aims to fill this gap by studying how a woman’s eyes react to external stimulation, which is directly related to how she perceives pain.
    •  Gravidas Diagnostics, Inc. of Los Angeles, California will receive $3 million to create a first-of-its-kind at-home test to revolutionize our ability to detect early preeclampsia, a leading cause of maternal mortality and morbidity. By making it easier to identify preeclampsia quickly, Gravidas Diagnostics Inc.’s new low-cost fingerstick test would help women and their doctors get the information they need sooner to reduce pregnancy-related complications and improve maternal and child health.
    •  The University of Iowa will receive $10 million to revolutionize the treatment for late-stage and metastatic ovarian cancer by using personalized nanoparticles to boost a woman’s immune system. More than half of women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed only after the cancer has metastasized, making it harder to treat and reducing survival rates. Leveraging nanotechnology, the University of Iowa will engineer personalized nanoparticles to use a woman’s own immune system to attack multiple cancers and help more women get the treatment they need to live longer.
       

Additional information and a full list of awardees is available here.

See also:

States Revive Lawsuit to Sharply Curb Access to Abortion Pill

To Protect Women’s Freedom, Liberty, Life, Vote for Harris, Democrats and the ERA

New Stroke Recommendations Call Out Risks Unique to Women

At Clinton Global Initiative, First Lady Announces $500 Million More Funding for Women’s Health Research; President Biden Receives Global Citizen Award

Biden Administration, Civil Rights, Criminal Justice, Economic Development, Justice Agenda

FACT SHEET: President Biden and Vice President Harris Are Delivering for Black Americans

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris implement the SAFE Communities Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), the most significant gun violence reduction legislation enacted in nearly 30 years, which has had a measureable effect in the administration achieving record declines in gun violence including murder rates. © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com via MSNBC).

The fact sheet detailing the actions the Biden-Harris administration has taken to better the lives of Black communities, delivering historic results, was provided by the White House:

Over the past four years, President Biden and Vice President Harris have taken action to ensure the promise of America reaches every community—including Black communities. These actions have delivered historic results, enabling more Black Americans to access a quality education, obtain a good-paying job, start a business, and buy a home—driving significant gains in wealth. From growing economic and educational opportunities to improving health outcomes, from enhancing public trust and public safety to advancing equity, civil rights, and racial justice, the Biden-Harris Administration has demonstrated its deep commitment to ensuring equal opportunity for all and investing in the future of Black Americans.
 
Securing Economic Mobility, Educational Opportunity, and the American Dream for Black Communities
 
President Biden and Vice President Harris believe that the promise of America—the American Dream—is that everyone should have a fair shot at getting ahead. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, we have made progress: 

  • Achieved the lowest Black unemployment rate on record and created 2.4 million jobs for Black workers as of August 2024
    • Lifted 400,000 Black children out of poverty by increased SNAP benefits through updating the Thrifty Food Plan, and continuing to call on Congress to restore the full expanded Child Tax Credit—which, during the COVID-19 pandemic, cut Black child poverty in half benefitting 600,000 and brought racial poverty disparities to a record low Grew Black American business ownership at the fastest rate in over three decades Tripled the number of SBA-backed loans to Black-owned businesses Awarded a record $10 billion in federal contracts to Black-owned small businesses in Fiscal Year 2023 Invested a record of more than $16 billion in Historically Black Colleges and Universities Secured a $900 increase to the maximum Pell Grant award—the largest increase in the past 10 years—and $23 million in first-ever funding to the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence Program to increase the number of teachers of color and multilingual educators across the country Approved the cancellation of almost $170 billion in student loan debt for nearly 5 million borrowers, including a significant number of Black borrowers who are disproportionately burdened by student debt  Took on racial bias in home appraisals and closed the Black-white home misevaluation gap by 40% Reduced mortgage insurance premiums for FHA loans, saving 76,000 Black households an average of $900/year Cut costs for high-speed internet to 5.5 million Black households with the Affordable Connectivity Program Distributed $2.2 billion in financial assistance to over 43,000 farmers who experienced discrimination 
    • Led a historically equitable economic recovery—Black wealth, even after adjusting for inflation, is up 60% relative to pre-pandemic levels—the largest increase on record

 
Ending Health Disparities
 
President Biden and Vice President Harris are committed to keeping health care costs down for individuals and families and improving access to health care to address disparities in Black communities. To improve health outcomes for the Black community, the Biden-Harris Administration has:
 

  • Ensured more Black Americans have health care than ever before by lowering premium costs by an average of $800 for millions of Americans, increasing Black enrollment in Affordable Care Act coverage by 95%, or over 1.7 million people since 2020
    • Lowered monthly premiums for health insurance, capped the cost of insulin at $35 and all out-of-pocket drug costs at $2,000 for people on Medicare, and announced new negotiated prices for the first ten prescription drugs for Medicare price negotiation—expected to save $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs in the first year of the program alone Made sickle cell disease the first focus of the new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services models, aimed to lower the high cost of drugs, promote accessibility to drug therapies, and improve patient care Expanded Medicaid postpartum coverage from 60 days to 12 months in 46 states and Washington, D.C., covering 700,000 more women in the year after childbirth Secured an additional $1.5 billion for Head Start 
    • Delivered $1 billion to help meet the mental health needs of young people by preparing and hiring a projected 14,000 additional mental health professionals to serve America’s schools

 
Making Communities Safer and Strengthening America’s Commitment to Justice
 
The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to using every available federal lever to advance effective, accountable policing, build trust, and improve public safety so that the promise of equal justice under the law is a reality for all. To enhance equal justice and public safety for all communities, including the Black community, the President has:
 

  • Signed an Executive Order on police reform when Congressional Republicans would not pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act; restricted the use of force, banned chokeholds, restricted the use of no-knock warrants and created the first-ever national database of federal law enforcement misconduct
    • Created the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention U.S. Surgeon General named gun violence a public health crisis and issued a public health advisory on how to reduce violence. Signed into the law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), the most significant gun violence reduction legislation enacted in nearly 30 years, and taken more meaningful executive action than any other president to make our schools, churches, grocery stores, and communities safer Secured $400 million in funding dedicated specifically for community violence interventions that invests in evidence-informed strategies to prevent violence Cracked down on the source of illegal firearms by making it illegal to manufacture “ghost gun” kits, enacting the first-ever federal gun trafficking law, taking a “zero tolerance” approach to rogue gun dealers, and regulating the number one source of guns involved in gun trafficking investigations – unlicensed sellers. Pardoned thousands of Americans under federal and D.C. law for simple possession of marijuana 
    • Helped bring violent crime to its lowest level in 50 years—lower than during any year of the previous administration

 
Restoring the Soul of Our Nation
 
President Biden believes that advancing equity, civil rights, racial justice, and equal opportunity is the responsibility of the whole of our government and requires sustained leadership and partnership with all communities. To make the promise of America real for Black communities, the President has:
 

  • Signed two Executive Orders directing the federal government to address inequality
    • Protected Black history as American history Signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, the first new federal holiday since MLK DayDesignated Springfield 1908 Race Riot and Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monuments Signed the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act to classify lynching for the first time as a federal hate crime 
    • Worked to protect the sacred right to vote through executive actions and continued calls for legislation 

Appointed the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, more Black women to federal circuit courts than all previous presidents combined, and more Black judges in a single term than any other president

Biden Administration, Gender Equity, Health Care, News & Photo Features, Womens Issues, Women's Rights, Womens Issues, Womens Rights

At Clinton Global Initiative, First Lady Announces $500 Million More Funding for Women’s Health Research; President Biden Receives Global Citizen Award

President Biden accepts the 2024 Clinton Global Citizen Award at the Clinton Global Initiative, with Dr.Chelsea Clinton, President Bill Clinton, First Lady Jill Biden, and Secretary Hillary Clinton © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

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

First Lady Jill Biden at the 2024 Clinton Global Initiative announced the Department of Defense’s new commitment to spend $500 million on vital women’s health research. With this new investment, the Department will fund research on conditions that affect women uniquely, disproportionately, or differently—such as ovarian cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and musculoskeletal injuries. This commitment is consistent with President Biden’s Executive Order on Advancing Women’s Health Research and Innovation as well as the Department of Defense’s broader efforts to support the health of the women it serves and the medical readiness of the force.
 
The First Lady, joined by Chelsea Clinton, vice chair of the Clinton Foundation, and Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, president of Morehouse Medical School and an infertility specialist and researcher, also discussed the rapid progress being made by the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, which was launched less than a year ago with the goal of fundamentally changing how we fund and approach women’s health research, that included $100 million for transformative research and development in women’s health.

First Lady Jill Biden at the 2024 Clinton Global Initiative announced the Department of Defense’s new commitment to spend $500 million on vital women’s health research. With this new investment, the Department will fund research on conditions that affect women uniquely, disproportionately, or differently—such as ovarian cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and musculoskeletal injuries © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

“Women are living longer, which means they are living longer with chronic pain,” Dr. Biden said to emphasize the need to determine why women are more likely to become afflicted by Alzheimer’s, MS, and auto immune diseases and no one knows why. Up until now, research on medications, therapies and treatments have only been developed with men as subjects. There has been virtually no study of ovarian health – arthritis, migraines – and why women getting these conditions.

President Biden was determined to do something about it, so allocated $100 million to ARPA-H – the mega-research agency of the government which Biden created to do health research in the same way ARPA researches and develops technology; then the National Institutes of Health allocated $200 million to study how menopause affects the brain, heart, and bone health. Now, the Department of Defense has allocated $500 million to study military women’s health, which will yield insights for all women.

Dr. Rice, a ground-breaking OB/GYN, said more study has to be done on how nutritional balance influences the cycle, how estrogen levels fluctuate throughout the cycle, and about lifestyle changes. “The only way we can understand how to introduce interventions is to include women in the studies early.” She added that social determinants must be considered in order to engender trust so women will volunteer to participate in clinical trials. “It starts with trial design.”

Dr. Chelsea Clinton, Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation, First Lady Jill Biden and Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, president of Morehouse School of Medicine discuss women’s health research as part of the mainstage session, titled “Look Around,” where leaders from across the social impact spectrum highlighted the ways in which they break down barriers between peer institutions, cultivate partnerships and community, and align values and programs to create new, specific, and measurable ways to support one another © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Monday’s CGI event followed the First Lady joining the top of the President’s Cabinet meeting last week, where she expressed gratitude to the agencies for their continued progress and momentum towards that goal. This was the first time the First Lady joined a Cabinet meeting and is a testament to how personally important this effort to advance women’s health research is for both the President and the First Lady.
 
Since launching the initiative last November, the First Lady has visited research centers and universities, and spoken with doctors and scientists across the country to understand the research questions we need to ask – and the answers they could find if we invest in women’s health.
 
“Since launching the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research last November, the First Lady has put the spotlight on the urgent need to close the gap in how we fund and approach women’s health research,” FLOTUS Press Secretary Vanessa Valdivi stated.”The Biden-Harris Administration has quickly mobilized to make progress in less than year, and in the months ahead the First Lady will continue to push the work of this initiative forward, and build on the incredible momentum and enthusiasm we’ve seen across the public and private sectors.”
   
The White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research
 
The White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research is ensuring that research on women’s health is a priority and galvanizing new research on a wide range of topics. In his State of the Union address, President Biden called on Congress to make a bold, transformative investment of $12 billion in new funding for women’s health research. The President also signed an Executive Order on Advancing Women’s Health Research and Innovation that directed the most comprehensive set of executive actions ever taken to expand and improve research on women’s health.
 
The Initiative—led by the Office of the First Lady and the White House Gender Policy Council and Chaired by Dr. Carolyn M. Mazure —consists of executive departments and agencies across the federal government, such as the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Defense, and Veterans Affairs, and White House offices, such as the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Members of the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research have already taken action to advance women’s health research, including:
 

  • The President’s Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) committed $100 million for transformative research and development in women’s health for its first-ever Sprint for Women’s Health. ARPA-H received an unprecedented response to its call for proposals, receiving submissions from a mix of scientific visionaries from across the globe and sectors.
    • The National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched a new agency-wide effort to invest $200 million for new, interdisciplinary women’s health research—a first step towards the transformative central Fund on Women’s Health that the President called on Congress to invest in. This cross-cutting effort will allow NIH to fund ambitious, multi-faceted research projects such as research on the impact of perimenopause and menopause on heart health, brain health and bone health.
    • The Department of Health and Human Services announced $12.5 million in new funding to address the unique mental health and substance use treatment needs of women. The new Women’s Behavioral Health Technical Assistance Center will help fill vital gaps in health care providers’ knowledge and ability to treat the mental health and substance use conditions of women across the nation.
    • The NIH launched a new challenge to accelerate the development of innovative technologies for the diagnosis of endometriosis, a debilitating condition that affects about 1 in 10 women and often takes years to be diagnosed. NIH will award $3 million in prizes to innovators who develop new technologies that make it easier and quicker to diagnose endometriosis.
    • The National Science Foundation (NSF) issued its first-ever call for novel and transformative science and engineering research focused entirely on women’s health. NSF has also convened experts in the fields of engineering, biomedical research, and advanced computing to identify ways to improve women’s health research—including how artificial intelligence and machine learning can revolutionize our understanding of menopause.
    • DoD and the Department of Veterans Affairs launched a new Joint Collaborative to Improve Women’s Health Research for Servicemembers and Veterans to further promote joint efforts to advance women’s health research and improve evidence-based care for women Servicemembers and veterans.

The First Lady joined Chelsea Clinton and Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice at the Clinton Global Initiative to discuss women’s health research as part of the mainstage session, titled “Look Around,” where leaders from across the social impact spectrum highlighted the ways in which they break down barriers between peer institutions, cultivate partnerships and community, and align values and programs to create new, specific, and measurable ways to support one another.
 
As vice chair of the Clinton Foundation, Chelsea Clinton works alongside the Foundation’s leadership and partners to improve lives and inspire emerging leaders across the United States and around the world. This includes the Foundation’s early child initiative Too Small to Fail, which supports families with the resources they need to promote early brain and language development; and the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U), a global program that empowers student leaders to turn their ideas into action. A longtime public health advocate, Chelsea also serves as vice chair of the Clinton Health Access Initiative and uses her platform to increase awareness around issues such as vaccine hesitancy, childhood obesity, and health equity.
 
Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, president of Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) and the first woman to lead the freestanding medical institution, is a renowned infertility specialist and researcher. She most recently served as dean and executive vice president of MSM, where she has served since 2011. Prior to joining MSM, Dr. Montgomery Rice held faculty positions and leadership roles at various health centers, including academic health centers. Most notably, she was the founding director of the Center for Women’s Health Research at Meharry Medical College—an HBCU in Nashville, Tennessee—one of the nation’s first research centers devoted to studying diseases that disproportionately impact women of color.
 
Dr. Montgomery Rice joined the President and First Lady for the Women’s Health Research Executive Order signing at the White House in March and participated in two White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research events with Dr. Biden in Atlanta, GA in February.

President Joe Biden Receives 2024 Clinton Global Citizen Award

President Biden addresses the Clinton Global Initiative in accepting the 2024 Clinton Global Citizen Award, with President Bill Clinton, Secretary Hillary Clinton, First Lady Jill Biden, and Dr. Chelsea Clinton © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Immediately after the panel discussion, president Joe Biden came onto the stage to surprise the CGI attendees, and perhaps be surprised himself by being awarded 2024 Clinton Global Citizen Award.

The award acknowledged Biden’s transformational presidency in taking the United States out of deadly COVID pandemic and double-digit unemployment, to the strongest recovery, the strongest economy, while transitioning the economy and society for economic, climate and civil justice, reestablishing the United States’ global leadership and standing up for democracy, peace and prosperity around the world, and standing up for country over personal interest.

As President Biden told the United Nations General Assembly just hours before, “I’ve made the preservation of democracy the central cause of my presidency. This summer, I faced a decision whether to seek a second term as president.  It was a difficult decision.  Being president has been the honor of my life.  There is so much more I want to get done.  But as much as I love the job, I love my country more.  I decided, after 50 years of public service, it’s time for a new generation of leadership to take my nation forward.”

To the Clinton Global Initiative he said, “I am congenitally optimistic about this country.  I really am… We’re good people.  We really are.  We just have to live up to what we expect of others,” in humbly accepting the award.

Previous Clinton Global Citizen Award winners have included First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska (2023); Dolores Huerta (2022) for her advocacy of human rights of women, children and working class people worldwide; Nadia Mura (2016), a Yazidi woman who survived her capture and enslavement by ISIS and has become a voice for women and children trafficked in conflict; and Malala Yousafzai (2014) who survived an attack by the Taliban, targeted for going to school, and has gone on to be a strong advocate for girls’ education.

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Biden Administration, Health Care, News & Photo Features

FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces New, Lower Prices for First Ten Drugs Selected for Medicare Price Negotiation to Lower Costs for Millions of Americans

President Joe Biden, at the State of the Union Address, touts Medicare’s ability for the first time to negotiate prices with Big Pharma, a win for seniors who will pay significantly less, and for Medicare, saving $1.5 billion the first year © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com via MSNBC.

New negotiated drug prices are expected to save millions of seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs in the first year of the program alone. This fact sheet was provided by the White House:

For far too long, Americans have paid more for their prescription drugs than any developed nation. Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is delivering on its promise to lower out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors and save money for Americans. That’s because Medicare has the power to negotiate prescription drug prices for the first time in history thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law by President Biden with Vice President Harris casting the tie-breaking vote. Because Medicare is now able to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for seniors and people with disabilities, American taxpayers are expected to save $6 billion on prescription drug costs, and people enrolled in Medicare are expected to save $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs in 2026 alone. President Biden and Vice President Harris took on Big Pharma and won, and now millions of seniors and others on Medicare will soon see their drug costs go down on some of the most common and expensive prescription drugs that treat heart disease, cancer, diabetes, blood clots, and more.


HHS Announces Negotiated Prices for Medicare Drugs

HHS has reached agreements with all participating manufacturers on new negotiated, lower drug prices for the first 10 drugs selected for the Medicare drug price negotiation program. After manufacturers have steadily increased the list prices of all 10 of these drugs since they went on the market, these new prices will cut the list price of these drugs between 38 and 79 percent.

The new prices will go into effect for people with Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage in 2026:

Drug NameCommonly Treated ConditionsNumber of Medicare Enrollees Who Used the Drug in 2023Drug List Price in 2023 for 30-day SupplyNegotiated Price for 2026 for 30-day SupplySavings (%)
EliquisPrevention and treatment of blood clots3,928,000$521$231$290 (-56%)
JardianceDiabetes; Heart failure; Chronic kidney disease1,883,000$573$197$376 (-66%)
XareltoPrevention and treatment of blood clots; Reduction of risk for patients with coronary or peripheral artery disease1,324,000$517$197$320 (-62%)
JanuviaDiabetes843,000$527$113$414 (-79%)
FarxigaDiabetes; Heart failure; Chronic kidney disease994,000$556$178.50$377.50 (-68%)
EntrestoHeart failure664,000$628$295$333 (-53%)
EnbrelRheumatoid arthritis; Psoriasis; Psoriatic arthritis48,000$7,106$2,355$4,751 (-67%)
ImbruvicaBlood cancers17,000$14,934$9,319$5,615 (-38%)
StelaraPsoriasis; Psoriatic arthritis; Crohn’s disease; Ulcerative colitis23,000$13,836$4,695$9,141 (-66%)
Fiasp; Fiasp FlexTouch; Fiasp PenFill;
NovoLog; NovoLog FlexPen; NovoLog PenFill		Diabetes785,000$495$119$376 (-76%)

Source: CMS, https://www.cms.gov/files/document/fact-sheet-negotiated-prices-initial-price-applicability-year-2026.pdf

These ten drugs are among those with highest total spending in Medicare Part D. If the negotiated prices had been in effect during 2023, Medicare would have saved an estimated $6 billion. When the negotiated prices go into effect in 2026, people enrolled in Medicare Part D are estimated to save $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs.

Millions of Part D enrollees that depend on these treatments to treat life-threatening conditions including diabetes, heart failure, and cancer are also expected to see lower out-of-pocket costs for these drugs. For example, a Medicare enrollee who takes Stelara for their arthritis and pays $3,459 on their drug today for a 30-day supply would pay only $1,174 in 2026. Many seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare who take these drugs will also benefit from the Inflation Reduction Act’s $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket spending, which will be fully in effect in 2025, saving 19 million beneficiaries an average of $400 per year, in addition to these savings from the negotiated drug prices.

More drugs will be selected each year as part of Medicare’s drug price negotiation program. Medicare will select up to 15 additional drugs covered under Part D for negotiation in 2025, up to an additional 15 Part B and D drugs in 2026, and up to 20 drugs every year after that.

Building on Progress Lowering Health Care Costs

Every day, millions of Americans are saving money on health care costs because of the Biden-Harris Administration’s actions.

  • People with Medicare are saving an average of $70 in out-of-pocket costs on vaccines like shingles and Tdap because President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act made recommended vaccines free for beneficiaries, including the 10.3 million enrollees who received a free vaccine in 2023.
  • All 3.4 million Medicare Part D enrollees who filled an insulin prescription in 2023 had their insulin costs capped at $35 per month, saving some seniors hundreds of dollars for a month’s supply.
  • Some seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries taking drugs covered under Part B for which manufacturers have hiked prices faster than inflation are saving up to $4,593 in lower coinsurance this quarter thanks to the new Medicare inflation rebates.
  • Starting this year, Part D enrollees no longer pay 5% co-insurance when they reach the catastrophic phase of their benefit and have their out-of-pocket drug costs capped at about $3,500. In just the first quarter of 2024, over 260,000 people benefited from this cap.
  • Millions of American are saving an average of about $800 per year on health insurance premiums because of savings from the American Rescue Plan that the Inflation Reduction Act extended, helping drive the nation’s uninsured rate to historic lows under the Biden-Harris Administration.

Check out the Biden-Harris Administration’s Savings Explorer to see how some of the Administration’s policies are helping Americans save money on annual expenses – from health care to junk fees, grocery costs and more.

Continuing to Lower Prescription Drug Costs

People with Medicare will continue to see their prescription drug costs go down as more provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act go into effect next year. Nearly 19 million seniors and other Part D beneficiaries are projected to save $400 per year on prescription drugs when the out-of-pocket cap drops to $2,000 in 2025, and 1.9 million enrollees with the highest drug costs will save an average of $2,500 per year. And the lower prices negotiated for the high-spend drugs announced today will go into effect in 2026.

The President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2025 builds on this success by significantly increasing the pace of negotiation, bringing more drugs into negotiation sooner after they launch, expanding the $2,000 out-of-pocket prescription drug cost cap beyond Medicare and into the commercial market, and other steps to build on the Inflation Reduction Act drug provisions. The Budget also includes proposals to curb inflation in prescription drug prices and extends the $35 cost-sharing cap for monthly prescriptions of insulin to the commercial market to lower drug costs for all Americans.


Statement from President Joe Biden on Lower Prescription Drug Prices

For years, millions of Americans were forced to choose between paying for medications or putting food on the table, while Big Pharma blocked Medicare from being able to negotiate prices on behalf of seniors and people with disabilities. But we fought back – and won.
 
Today, for the first time in history, my Administration is announcing that Medicare has reached agreements on new, lower prices with the manufacturers of all 10 drugs selected for the first round of drug price negotiation. When these lower prices go into effect, people on Medicare will save $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs for their prescription drugs and Medicare will save $6 billion in the first year alone. It’s a relief for the millions of seniors that take these drugs to treat everything from heart failure, blood clots, diabetes, arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and more – and it’s a relief for American taxpayers.
 
This historic milestone is only possible because of the Inflation Reduction Act, which passed with the leadership of Democrats in Congress, and with Vice President Harris casting the tie-breaking vote in the Senate – without a single Republican voting for it. We showed that major progress can be made for the American people when we work together to take on special interests, even as Big Pharma continues to go to court to try to block lower prices for consumers. But the Vice President and I are not backing down. We will continue the fight to make sure all Americans can pay less for prescription drugs and to give more breathing room for American families.

Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris on Lower Prescription Drug Prices

Every American should be able to access the health care they need no matter their income or wealth. That is why President Biden and I fought to lower the costs of health care with our Inflation Reduction Act, transformational legislation that I was proud to cast the tie-breaking vote on in the Senate. During the two years since President Biden signed this landmark bill into law, we have cut prescription drug costs, capped the cost of insulin at $35 a month, and lowered premiums for seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare – helping millions of families get the care they deserve.

Today, we are building on our work to lower costs and increase access to affordable prescription drugs by announcing that the Biden-Harris Administration has reached agreements with all participating manufacturers to lower prices for the first 10 drugs selected for the Medicare price negotiation program – from those that treat cancer to those that treat diabetes, heart disease, and blood clots. Thanks to our historic work to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices, millions of Americans who rely on these drugs will save on their out-of-pocket costs. While people enrolled in Medicare are expected to save $1.5 billion in 2026 alone, American taxpayers will also save an estimated $6 billion.

Today’s announcement will be lifechanging for so many of our loved ones across the nation, and we are not stopping here. Additional prescription drugs will be selected each year as part of our Medicare drug price negotiation program. This includes up to 15 additional drugs covered under Medicare Part D for negotiation in 2025, up to an additional 15 Part B and Part D drugs in 2026, and up to 20 drugs every year after that.

From my time as Attorney General of California and a U.S. Senator, I have consistently worked to lower the costs of prescription drugs and fought to protect patients. As Attorney General, I held Big Pharma accountable for their deceptive and illegal practices. The record-breaking settlements that I won – for the people – amounted to more than $7 billion against pharmaceutical companies for their unsafe and unfair tactics. President Biden and I will never stop fighting for the health, wellbeing, and financial stability of the American people.

Biden Administration, Economic Policies, News & Photo Features

FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Launches New Effort to Crack Down on Everyday Headaches and Hassles That Waste’ Your Time and Money

The Biden-Harris Administration announced new actions to take on corporate tricks and scams like excessive paperwork, long wait times, and more that pad the profits of big business at the expense of everyday Americans’ time and money. This fact sheet was provided by the White House.

One of the ways the Biden-Harris Administration is saving Americans time and money is by the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) new automatic refunds rule requiring airlines to pay you back the airfare when your flight is canceled or significantly changed for any reason, and you are not offered, or choose not to accept, alternatives such as rebooking © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

President Biden and Vice President Harris are launching “Time Is Money,” a new government-wide effort to crack down on all the ways that corporations—through excessive paperwork, hold times, and general aggravation—add unnecessary headaches and hassles to people’s days and degrade their quality of life.

Americans are tired of being played for suckers, and President Biden and Vice President Harris are committed to addressing the pain points they face in their everyday lives. The Administration is already cracking down on junk fees—those hidden costs and surcharges in everything from travel to banking services—that hit people in their pocketbooks. Now the Biden-Harris Administration is taking on the corporate practice of giving people the run around, wasting their precious time and money.

Americans know these practices well: it’s being forced to wait on hold just to get the refund we’re owed; the hoops and hurdles to cancel a gym membership or subscription; the unnecessary complications of dealing with health insurance companies; the requirements to do in-person or by mail what could easily be done with a couple of clicks online; and confusing, lengthy, or manipulative forms that take unnecessary time and effort.

These hassles don’t just happen by accident. Companies often deliberately design their business processes to be time-consuming or otherwise burdensome for consumers, in order to deter them from getting a rebate or refund they are due or canceling a subscription or membership they no longer want—all with the goal of maximizing profits.

In addition to robbing hardworking families of their valuable time and adding frustration to our daily lives, these hassles cost us money. When, after endless hours on hold or piles of incomprehensible paperwork, we give up pursuing a service, rebate or refund we’re due, we take a hit to our pocketbooks, and companies profit

Today and in the coming months, the Biden-Harris Administration will take wide-ranging action to crack down on these unfair practices and save Americans time and money. Key actions include:

  • Making it easier to cancel subscriptions and memberships. Businesses often trick consumers into paying for subscriptions—on everything from gym memberships to newspapers to cosmetics—that they no longer want or didn’t sign up for in the first place. Consumers shouldn’t have to navigate a maze just to cancel unwanted subscriptions and recurring payments. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has proposed a rule that, if finalized as proposed, would require companies to make it as easy to cancel a subscription or service as it was to sign up for one. The agency is currently reviewing public comments about its proposal. And today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is initiating an inquiry into whether to extend similar requirements to companies in the communications industry.
  • Ending airline runarounds by requiring automatic cash refunds. The Department of Transportation’s (DOT) new automatic refunds rule requires airlines to pay you back the airfare when your flight is canceled or significantly changed for any reason, and you are not offered, or choose not to accept, alternatives such as rebooking. This rule prevents airlines from switching up their policies to make it hard to get your money back when they don’t deliver and requires them to tell you when you’re owed a refund. DOT’s rule also puts an end to airline runarounds by requiring refunds to be automatic, prompt, in the original form of payment, and for the full amount paid. No more jumping through hoops or getting stuck with expiring flight credits.
  • Allowing you to submit health claims online. Health coverage can be full of headaches and hassles, as many plans and insurance companies make it unnecessarily difficult to access information or send in claims. For example, many of the largest plans still require some customers to print out and either scan or physically mail health claims forms, and people seeking help can encounter inaccurate or confusing websites, extended wait times, or narrow call center hours that force them to step away from work to talk to an agent. Today, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Becerra and Department of Labor (DOL) Acting Secretary Su are calling on [insert link to letter] health insurance companies and group health plans to take concrete actions to save people time and money when interacting with their health coverage, and in the coming months will identify additional opportunities to improve consumers’ interactions with the health care system. In addition, the Office of Personnel Management plans to require Federal Employees Health Benefits and Postal Service Health Benefits plans, covering eight million Americans, to make it easier to submit out of network claims online, provide clear information about what health plan providers are in-network, and make it easier to find information on how to appeal claim denials.
  • Cracking down on customer service “doom loops.” Too often customers seeking assistance from a real person are instead sent through a maze of menu options and automated recordings, wasting their time and failing to get the support they need. In a recent survey, respondents said that being forced to listen to long messages before being permitted to speak to a live representative was their top customer service complaint. To tackle these “doom loops,” the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) will initiate a rulemaking process that would require companies under its jurisdiction to let customers talk to a human by pressing a single button. The FCC will launch an inquiry into considering similar requirements for phone, broadband, and cable companies.  HHS and DOL will similarly call on health plan providers to make it easier to talk to a customer service agent.
  • Ensuring accountability for companies that provide bad service. People shopping for products or services should be able to rely on customer reviews to assess which companies will provide streamlined service and not waste their time. The FTC has proposed a rule that, if finalized as proposed, would stop marketers from using illicit review and endorsement practices such as using fake reviews, suppressing honest negative reviews, and paying for positive reviews, which deceive consumers looking for real feedback on a product or service and undercut honest businesses.
  • Taking on the limitations and shortcomings of customer service chatbots. While chatbots can be useful for answering basic questions, they often have limited ability to solve more complex problems and disputes. Instead, chatbots frequently provide inaccurate information and give the run-around to customers seeking a real person. The CFPB is planning to issue rules or guidance to crack down on ineffective and time-wasting chatbots used by banks and other financial institutions in lieu of customer service. The CFPB will identify when the use of automated chatbots or automated artificial intelligence voice recordings is unlawful, including in situations in which customers believe they are speaking with a human being.
  • Helping streamline parent communication with schools.  Between communicating with teachers, viewing school policies, completing forms and permission slips, and more, school processes, platforms, and paperwork can sometimes be a hassle for families that already have a lot on their plates. The Department of Education will issue new guidance to schools on how they can help make these processes less time-consuming for parents to handle, and to build effective family engagement through two-way communications. This will include new resources for schools to address time-wasting technology and offer more streamlined processes for engaging and communicating with parents.

What else should we take on? The White House is calling for Americans to share their ideas for how federal action can give them their time back. Interested parties can submit their ideas and comments at this portal, and may consider the following principles:

  • Companies should make it as easy to do things that you want to do as it is to do things they want to do.
    • It should be as easy cancel a subscription or membership as it is to enroll.
    • It should be as easy to obtain rebates and refunds as it was to purchase, with no needlessly cumbersome paperwork.
    • Refunds and rebates should be paid as quickly as companies take funds from your credit card or bank account.
  • Americans should be able receive customer service on their terms and their own time without significant hassle or hardship.
    • If you want to talk to a human, you should be able to talk to a human at convenient times and without interminable waits.
    • If you prefer to interact electronically – such as by text, email, or online portal – there should be simple and easily identified ways to do so securely.
    • Technology – such as chatbots – should be used to enhance customer service with speedy response times, not used to shirk on basic responsibilities, such as receiving a refund.
  • Americans should not be subject to confusing, manipulative, or deceptive practices online.
    • If you want to understand what you must do to obtain a good or service, the requirements should be clear and transparent.
    • You should not be subject to hidden fees or to requirements that are obscured through confusing language and small print.

Time Is Money builds on landmark efforts by the Biden-Harris Administration to improve customer service for people accessing government programs and services. In December 2021 the President signed an Executive Order, Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government, directing federal agencies to streamline services and simplify customer experiences.

Already, agencies are making progress: the State Department launched a public beta to renew  your passport online; all 50 states have been invited to offer the Internal Revenue Service’s Direct File tool, an easy, secure, and—most importantly—free way for Americans to file their federal taxes; HHS has taken steps to allow more than 5 million Americans to automatically renew their health coverage without filling out paperwork, saving over 2 million hours in estimated processing time; and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it has reduced the amount of time the public spends accessing DHS services per year by 21 million hours in fiscal year 2023, and is targeting reduction of 10 million more hours per year in fiscal year 2024. For more examples of progress and to learn more information about how agencies across the federal government are improving customer experience and reducing burden, visit performance.gov/cx and the Burden Reduction Initiative website

Biden Administration, Housing, News & Photo Features

FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Takes New Actions to Lower Housing Costs by Cutting Red Tape to Build More Housing

Actions include reforms to save developers time and money on federal projects and funds to encourage state and local governments to reduce barriers to affordable housing

Drawings for innovative affordable senior housing in Long Island based on shared-units. The Biden-Harris Administration is implementing reforms to save developers time and money on federal projects and funds to encourage state and local governments to reduce barriers to affordable housing © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

The Biden-Harris Administration is announcing major new actions to build on progress in addressing the affordable housing crisis and further implement its Housing Supply Action Plan. Actions include reforms to save developers time and money on federal projects and funds to encourage state and local governments to reduce barriers to affordable housing. This fact sheet is provided by the White House:

Since launching its all-of-government Housing Supply Action Plan, the Biden-Harris Administration has been committed to using every available tool to build more housing and lower costs. President Biden and Vice President Harris have put building more homes at the center of their economic agenda because rents are lower and homes are more affordable when we build more housing. After decades of under-investment in housing, we are finally seeing progress under President Biden and Vice President Harris: more units are under construction than at any time in over 50 years, and the rate of new housing starts is up 17 percent compared to the last Administration. The Biden-Harris Housing Plan would build over 2 million new homes to further increase supply and lower housing costs for Americans.

Building rental units and homes faster means lower costs for consumers: not only will more units get to the market faster, but increasing the speed of construction lowers building costs. The President and Vice President have been laser-focused on lowering housing costs for renters and homeowners alike.

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing major new actions to build on that progress and further implement its Housing Supply Action Plan:

Making funding available to help communities break down barriers to housing. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is announcing the availability of $100 million through its landmark Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) program, which provides grants to communities to identify and remove barriers to affordable housing production and preservation. Grantees may use awards to further develop, evaluate, and implement housing policy plans, improve housing strategies, and facilitate affordable housing production and preservation. In June, Vice President Harris announced the first-ever grantees of the program, which provided $85 million to more than 20 cities and states with funding to identify and overcome barriers to building more affordable housing.

Providing interest rate predictability to spur housing development. The Department of the Treasury and HUD are announcing a major improvement to the Federal Financing Bank (FFB) Multifamily Risk Sharing Program that would provide greater interest rate predictability for state and local housing finance agencies that finance housing projects through the FFB. This program already dramatically reduces costs for state and local housing finance agencies by allowing them to borrow funds at just above the rate at which the US government borrows. This new action will expand the reach of the Risk Sharing program, especially for new construction projects, by providing housing finance agencies with greater certainty about the interest rate that they will face after the construction period ends, making more housing developments financially viable. Treasury and HUD indefinitely extended the Risk Sharing Program earlier this year, after the previous Administration allowed it to lapse. The program has already supported more than 16,000 units since restarting in 2021 and is expected to help create or preserve tens-of-thousands of units over the next decade.

Streamlining requirements for transit-oriented development projects. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is announcing new guidance to streamline and clarify requirements for closing DOT loans for residential development near transit, including commercial-to-residential conversions. New guidance FAQs , issued by the Build America Bureau, clarify that Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) and Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) loans used for conversion projects may be eligible for a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that would exempt applicable projects from more detailed environmental analysis and save time and money, as long as those projects do not expand the footprint of the building being converted or modify other facilities. The guidance further clarifies that TIFIA loans can be used to refinance existing debt as part of building conversion or expansion projects, and clarifies that TIFIA and RRIF loans can serve as permanent, take-out financing for construction loans consistent with statutory requirements, as long as federal requirements are met. When DOT first announced these loan programs could be used to finance housing near transit, the estimated time between final Letter of Interest and the loan close was up to 18 months. With these changes, that time can now be under a year as long as all other statutory requirements are met. The FAQs also feature additional information on federal requirements, borrower eligibility, market studies, and the Bureau’s underwriting process, including typical terms and conditions for TIFIA and RRIF loans. On August 27, the Bureau will host an introductory webinar on the credit review process for TOD loans. These efforts build on federal actions to make commercial to residential projects financially viable. Last fall, the White House released a Commercial to Residential Federal Resources Guidebook with over 20 federal programs across six federal agencies that can be used to support zero emissions climate-resilient conversions.

Accelerating historic preservation reviews for federal housing projects. The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) proposed a new tool that would accelerate historic preservation reviews for millions of federally-funded, licensed, or owned housing units across the country. Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act requires that federal agencies take into account how any proposed actions will affect historic properties and seek ways to avoid, minimize, or mitigate any adverse effects as a result of the project. If finalized, the tool would exempt several activities, including interior repairs and most installation of rooftop solar panels, from further Section 106 review, and significantly reduce the review process for applicable projects, which would lower development costs and more efficiently deliver affordable, accessible, energy-efficient, and hazard-free housing to people who need it. In the same program comment, ACHP will also be accelerating historic preservation reviews for activities related to climate-friendly transportation and climate-smart buildings, creating accessible, climate-resilient, and connected communities.

Challenging communities to use Section 108 to build housing. HUD is launching a Legacy Challenge — encouraging communities that directly receive Community Development Block Grants to leverage low-cost, low interest loans for transformative housing investments. Up to $250 million in loan financing will be made available through the Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program for adaptive reuse, commercial-to-residential conversions, rehabilitation of existing housing, housing enabling infrastructure such as water and sewer line installation or upgrades, and revolving loan pools to support local development. For communities that express interest by November 1, 2024, HUD will offer additional flexibilities for these loans including certain repayment flexibilities and waivers to streamline program requirements. HUD will invite applicants to participate in a technical assistance cohort and provide tools to support application development.

Enabling more housing types to be built under the HUD Code. HUD anticipates finalizing a rule to update its Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards. Manufactured housing provides an essential path to increasing overall housing supply and offers significant savings over site-built housing. The HUD Code creates economies of scale for manufacturers, resulting in significantly lower costs for buyers. In addition to making changes that will increase the quality, energy efficiency, and resilience of manufactured homes, the new rule, if finalized, would enable duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes to be built under the HUD Code for the first time, extending the cost-saving benefits of manufactured housing to denser urban and suburban infill contexts.

Expediting housing permitting. The Council of Economic Advisers analyzed the importance of state and local government actions to permit and approve new developments more quickly, including examples from HUD’s PRO Housing grants. Permitting requirements contribute to the nationwide housing shortage, leading many would-be deals to not be financially viable or be scaled down, and driving up the cost of housing. Reforms to streamline permitting processes can lead to more housing being built more quickly, which will lower housing costs.

Today’s actions build on dozens of executive actions taken by the Biden-Harris Administration to improve the federal programs to support the construction and preservation of affordable housing. As part of the Housing Supply Action Plan, the Administration simplified the process to use American Rescue Plan State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds for housing, facilitating nearly $20 billion committed for housing projects, including over $7.5 billion to construct, preserve, or stabilize tens of thousands of units; improved signature federal supply programs like the Low Income Housing Tax Credit and HOME Investment Partnerships program; made it easier to repurpose suitable federal land for affordable housing, while calling on state and local governments to do the same with land they own; launched a new effort to promote the conversion of underutilized commercial property into housing, including housing near transit; and made hundreds of billions of dollars available through the Inflation Reduction Act to cut energy costs and emissions in housing through energy efficiency, electrification, clean energy and climate resiliency.

See also:

INFLATION CAUSING GRIEF? HERE’S WHAT THE BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION IS DOING TO SAVE YOU MONEY ON EVERYDAY COSTS FROM HOUSING TO HEALTHCARE TO CHILDCARE, UTILITIES TO GROCERIES



Biden Administration, Housing, News & Photo Features

Inflation Causing Grief? Here’s What the Biden-Harris Administration is Doing to Save You Money on Everyday Costs from Housing to Healthcare to Childcare, Utilities to Groceries

The White House provided this fact sheet on the ways the Biden-Harris Administration has worked to lower costs – and counter the impacts of inflation – for families, while highlighting the contrast with Republican policies, which if given power, would reverse, repeal the progress.

The Trump/MAGA campaign delights in attacking Vice President Kamala Harris for anything they charge went wrong in the last four years (falsely attacking her as the Border Czar and deflecting blame for sabotaging passage of the Bipartisan Border Security bill), especially inflating levels of inflation and lying about economic growth. But if she is blamed for what they say went wrong, shouldn’t the Vice President also take credit for what the administration is doing so well to improve lives for ordinary Americans and counter the impacts of inflation, price-gouging and profit-taking by corporations? Indeed, as Vice President, she has the blueprint to continue such policies in her administration and not be stuck starting from scratch.—Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

“My plan is to lower everyday costs for hardworking families and lower the deficit by asking large corporations and the wealthiest Americans to not engage in price gouging and to pay their fair share in taxes.” — President Biden
 

The Biden-Harris Administration is cutting mortgage insurance premiums and expanding rental assistance, and they are calling on Congress to help build more homes and lower costs for homebuyers and renters. The Administration is lowering utility bills by increasing access to solar energy through tax credits up to 30% of the cost of rooftop solar and battery storage and expanded access to residential community solar © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

President Biden and Vice President Harris know that prices are too high and too many families are being squeezed by the cost of living. Their actions are lowering costs in key areas—from health insurance premiums and prescription drug prices to utility bills, groceries, and gas. And their Administration is fighting to further lower costs by taking on price gouging by big corporations making record profits and special interests like Big Pharma that are charging prices two or three times higher than in other countries—while successfully calling on grocery chains to lower grocery prices.
 
There is more to do. The President and Vice President will keep fighting for hardworking families with an agenda to lower housing and child care costs, and give tax relief to working Americans and middle-class families while making the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share.
 
While Congressional Republicans side with special interests and billionaires to keep prices and profits high, the Biden-Harris Administration will continue to take action to lower costs for the American people.
 
President Biden and Vice President Harris’s lowering costs agenda, and Congressional Republicans’ plan to raise costs: 

Lowering Health Care Costs 
President Biden and Vice President Harris are fighting for families who are struggling with health care costs and pharmaceutical prices that are two to three times higher than in other countries. They are taking historic action to lower costs—taking on Big Pharma to allow Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices, capping the cost of insulin and prescription drugs for seniors, and building on the Affordable Care Act to lower health insurance premiums by about $800 per year for millions of Americans. Their plan will extend and expand those actions to cap costs for all Americans. Congressional Republicans voted against these actions to lower health care costs—their plan would increase prices for millions of families and cut Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act. 

Biden-Harris Administration Actions:

  • Lowering health insurance premiums by an average of about $800 per year for millions of Americans by expanding the Affordable Care Act’s premium tax credits—helping an additional 900,000 Hispanic Americans, 430,000 Black Americans, and 100,000 Asian Americans get health insurance.
  • Capping prescription drug costs at $2,000 per year for 54 million seniors, people with disabilities, and other Medicare beneficiaries starting in 2025, saving 19 million households an average of $400 per year.
  • Giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription drug prices, which could lower costs for drugs used by up to 9 million seniors and people with disabilities in 2026 alone.
  • Lowering prescription drug prices by requiring companies to pay rebates if they raise prices faster than the rate of inflation—which is already saving up to 750,000 Medicare beneficiaries between $1 and $3,575 per day.
  • Capping insulin costs at $35 per month for Medicare beneficiaries, saving 1.5 million seniors and people with disabilities as much as $365 per month—and getting the three largest insulin producers to cap insulin prices for other Americans.
  • Lowering inhaler costs to $35 from three of the largest inhaler producers by calling out excessive prices and challenging improperly listed patents, saving eligible consumers around $1,200 per year.
  • Lowering hearing aid prices by as much as $3,000 per pair by making hearing aids available over the counter.
  • Providing free vaccines for Medicare beneficiaries, including the shingles vaccine—saving seniors and people with disabilities an average of $70 per year.
  • Reducing medical debt by preventing as many as 1 million surprise medical bills averaging $750 to $2,600 every month and cracking down on junk health insurance.
  • Forgiving medical debt for nearly 3 million Americans by 2026 via states and local governments using American Rescue Plan funds.

The Biden-Harris Administration Plan:

  • Lower health insurance premiums by about $800 per year permanently for millions of Americans by extending the expanded Affordable Care Act tax credits.
  • Lower prices for more prescription drugs by letting Medicare negotiate prices for more drugs.
  • Cap insulin costs at $35 per month for all Americans, which would save nearly $1,000 per year for the millions of Americans not on Medicare that use insulin.
  • Cap prescription drug costs at $2,000 per year for all Americans.
  • Address price gouging by Big Pharma by proposing a new march-in framework, which would help ensure that taxpayer-funded drugs are reasonably accessible to the public, including at a reasonable price.
  • Reduce the burden of medical debt by proposing that it be excluded from credit reports, which would raise credit scores for 15 million Americans by an average of 20 points and lead to the approval of approximately 22,000 additional mortgages every year.

The Republican Plan to Increase Costs:

Lowering Utility Bills

President Biden and Vice President Harris know the burden that rising utility bills place on families. They are taking action to lower energy costs with affordable clean energy and energy efficient appliances, and to lower cable and satellite TV bills by banning hidden junk fees. Congressional Republicans voted with Big Oil to keep utility bills and gas prices high. 

Biden-Harris Administration Actions:

  • Lowering utility bills an average of $500 per year by lowering the cost of energy-saving home improvements through up front tax credits of up to $3,200 and direct consumer rebates of up to $14,000 for heat pumps, doors, windows, and insulation.
  • Lowering utility bills by nearly $400 per year by increasing access to solar energy through tax credits of up to 30% of the cost of rooftop solar and battery storage and expanded access to residential community solar.
  • Lowering heating and cooling costs through recordincreases in the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
  • Saving households $170-220 per year on their electricity bills and other goods and services over the next decade by investing in affordable clean energy.
  • Lowering cable and satellite TV bills by requiring providers to give consumers the all-in price up front.
  • Lowered internet bills by $30–75 per month for over 23 million households, saving them more than $360 a year.

The Biden-Harris Administration Plan:

  • Ban early termination fees for TV, phone, and internet service, which can cost more than $200.

The Republican Plan to Increase Costs:

Lowering Gas Prices and Travel Costs

President Biden and Vice President Harris know prices at the pump and travel costs are too high. They are taking action to lower gas prices now through record energy production and strategic releases of oil and gasoline, and to lower gas prices for the long term and expand access to affordable clean vehicles. They’re also taking on airlines’ hidden junk fees that increase the cost of flights. Congressional Republicans voted against these actions and with special interests to keep gas prices and travel costs high. 

Biden-Harris Administration Actions:

  • Lowering gas prices this summer with the sale of 1 million barrels of gasoline from the Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve ahead of the Fourth of July.
  • Lowering gas prices by up to 25 cents per gallon in certain markets, particularly in the Midwest, by making E15 gasoline available in the summer.
  • Lowered gas prices in 2022 by as much as 40 cents per gallon with historic, coordinated releases from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve—saving a household with two cars as much as $250 on gas after Putin’s war against Ukraine caused prices to spike.
  • Lowering fuel costs by an average of $700 a year and maintenance costs by $500 a year by lowering the cost of clean vehicles through tax credits available at purchase of up to $7,500 for new clean vehicles and up to $4,000 for used clean vehicles, as well as up to $1,000 for charger installation.
    • Learn how you can save on fuel costs and clean vehicles at Energy.gov/Save.
  • Cracking down on anticompetitive practices by oil executives that can raise prices at the pump.
  • Banning surprise airline junk fees by requiring upfront disclosure of baggage, change, and cancellation fees, saving Americans over half a billion dollars a year.
  • Requiring airlines provide automatic cash refunds for canceled or significantly changed flights, delayed baggage, and when services like WiFi are unavailable.
  • Securing commitments from airlines to guarantee hotels and meals when they are at fault for flight delays or cancellations.

The Biden-Harris Administration Plan:

  • Ban family seating fees to guarantee that parents can sit with their children for no extra charge when they fly, saving a family of four about $200 per roundtrip flight—building on commitments the Administration secured from four major airlines.
  • Require airlines cover expenses such as meals, hotels, and rebooking and provide additional compensation when they are responsible for delays or cancellations.
  • Partner with 18 state attorneys general to enforce against unfair airline practices that can raise ticket prices or shortchange passengers.

The Republican Plan to Increase Costs:

  • Congressional Republicans sided with Big Oil to vote against lowering gas prices and with special interests to try to keep travel costs high.

Lowering Housing Costs

President Biden and Vice President Harris know housing costs are too high, and they are fighting to lower them. Their Administration is cutting mortgage insurance premiums and expanding rental assistance, and they are calling on Congress to help build more homes and lower costs for homebuyers and renters. Their plan will give more Americans a chance at the American Dream. Congressional Republicans voted to raise housing prices by cutting programs that increase affordable housing and provide assistance to renters. 

Biden-Harris Administration Actions:

  • Cutting mortgage insurance premiums by about $900 per year for nearly 700,000 homebuyers and homeowners.
  • Providing rental assistance to more than 5 million households, including an additional 100,000 low-income families.
  • Capping rent increases in roughly 2 million apartments financed by the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), saving nearly 1 million households hundreds of dollars in rent in 2024.
  • Cracking down on rental junk fees, including repeated application fees, “convenience fees” to pay rent online, and fees for mail sorting and trash collection.
  • Cracking down on price-fixing by landlords that can raise rents for tens of millions of apartments.
  • Provided rental assistance to 8 million renters to help pay rent, keep them in their homes, and cover utilities bills during the pandemic.
  • Provided homeowner assistance to over 500,000 homeowners for mortgage payments, utility expenses, and property taxes during the pandemic.

The Biden-Harris Administration Plan:

The Republican Plan to Increase Costs:

  • Congressional Republicans want to raise housing costs, including repealing investments to increase affordable housing and keep homeowners and renters in their homes, and have repeatedly proposed increasing housing costs by cutting funding for rental assistance, to build more homes, and to lower mortgage costs. Senate Republicans oppose a bill that passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support that would help build 200,000 affordable homes.

Lowering Grocery Costs

President Biden and Vice President Harris know grocery prices are too high. They called on grocery chains making record profits to lower their prices, and appreciate that some have answered the call. Their Administration is taking action to lower grocery costs—increasing food assistance for low-income families; strengthening supply chains to lower food prices; and cracking down on price gouging and promoting competition in the agriculture industry. Congressional Republicans want to put a large tax on food imports and have voted to increase grocery costs by cutting food assistance for low-income families, new moms, and seniors. 

Biden-Harris Administration Actions:

The Biden-Harris Administration Plan:

The Republican Plan to Increase Costs:

  • Congressional Republicans have voted to keep grocery costs high by cutting food assistance for low-income families, new parents, and babies; slashing Meals on Wheels for seniors; and siding with Big Ag to try to block actions to increase competition in agriculture. Congressional Republicans are also calling for huge taxes on food imports, including a 10% across-the-board tax on all imports that would raise costs for families by an average of $1,500 per year.

Lowering Child Care and Education Costs

President Biden and Vice President Harris know child care and education is unaffordable for many families. They are fighting to lower these costs by capping child care costs for low-income families, expanding access to workforce training, and delivering on student debt relief. Their plan lowers child care costs to no more than $10 a day for most Americans, expands free universal preschool, and lowers the cost of college. Congressional Republicans have voted to raise child care and education costs by cutting Head Start and Pre-K programs, cutting Pell Grants, and blocking student debt relief. 

Biden-Harris Administration Actions:

The Biden-Harris Administration Plan:

  • Save families with children an average of $2,600 per year by restoring the expanded Child Tax Credit to help families afford everyday costs and lift 3 million children out of poverty.
  • Lower child care costs with a new program to guarantee affordable, high-quality child care for 16 million children in families making up to $200,000 per year, with most families paying no more than $10 a day and the average family saving $7,200 a year.
  • Save families of 4 million children $13,000 a year with free, universal preschool and Head Start for all four-year-olds and a path to expand preschool to three-year-olds.
  • Lower college costs by remaining on a path to double the maximum Pell Grant to $13,000 per year by 2029—with an increase of $750 next school year alone.
  • Lower the cost of college tuition by up to $20,000 by increasing access to dual enrollment for high school students.
  • Expand free community college—saving eligible students $4,500 or more per year.
  • Expand student debt relief to over 30 million Americans, including those with runaway interest, who are eligible for forgiveness but not enrolled, who entered repayment over 20 years ago, or who attended programs that failed to provide sufficient value.

The Republican Plan to Increase Costs:

Lowering Credit Card, Banking, and Other Financial Costs

President Biden and Vice President Harris are fighting Big Banks to lower the costs of using credit cards, bank services, and other financial costs. They are cutting credit card late fees from $32 to $8, overdraft fees from $35 to as low as $3, and taking on other hidden junk fees to save Americans $20 billion per year. Congressional Republicans have sided with Big Banks on Wall Street and Park Avenue to try to protect these junk fees that burden hardworking families.

Biden-Harris Administration Actions:

  • Cutting credit card late fees from $32 to $8, saving the 45 million Americans that pay these fees an average of $220 per year.
  • Protecting retirement security by cracking down on junk fees in retirement investment advice, increasing retirement savings by tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
  • Saving taxpayers an average of $150 peryear with Direct File—a new, free tax filing option that has already saved filers millions of dollars in its Pilot Program and is now being expanded across the country.

The Biden-Harris Administration Plan:

The Republican Plan to Increase Costs:Congressional Republicans sided with Big Banks and other special interests to try to block actions to ban junk fees—including voting to keep credit card late fees high—and Republican officials have joined big corporations to try to overturn these consumer protections in court.

Biden Administration, Economic Development, Economic Policies, Manufacturing

Biden Marking 2-Year Anniversary of Passage of CHIPS & Science Act Cites Historic Achievements

On the two-year anniversary of passage of the CHIPS and Science Act, President Biden issued this statement and the White House issued a Fact Sheet documenting the historic achievement of the act is bringing  back to the USA semiconductor supply chains, creating jobs, supporting American innovation, and is protecting National Security:

“America invented the semiconductor – those tiny chips that power electric vehicles, appliances, cell phones, satellites, and are critical in AI. But over time we went from manufacturing 40% of the world’s semiconductors, to just over 10%. When Vice President Harris and I came into office, we were determined to change that,” President Biden stated.

“Since I took office, companies have announced nearly $400 billion in investments in semiconductor manufacturing in the United States, spurred in large part by support from the CHIPS and Science Act. As a result of these investments, we’re creating over 115,000 manufacturing and construction jobs in the semiconductor industry. And America is now on track to produce nearly 30% of the global supply of leading-edge chips by 2032, up from zero only two years ago.  

“While there is more to do, my CHIPS and Science Act is bringing chips manufacturing back to America, strengthening global supply chains, and is making sure the United States remains a world leader in AI and other technologies that families, businesses, and our military rely on each and every day.”

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul added,  “Two years ago today, the future of American manufacturing changed – forever. With the stroke of a pen, President Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act into law.

“Since that extraordinary day, New York State has benefitted from unprecedented investments that are transforming our state into a global hub for semiconductor manufacturing. Chip companies have announced over $112 billion in planned capital investments in New York – revitalizing Upstate communities and creating tens of thousands of good-paying jobs. No other region in America will account for a greater share of domestic production. 

“And we’re not done yet. This critical industry is continuing to expand with major investments from semiconductor businesses and supply chain companies like Micron, GlobalFoundries, AMD, Edwards Vacuum, MenloMicro and TTM Technologies to expand their presence in New York. In July, the U.S. Department of Commerce awarded a phase two Tech Hub grant of $40 million to the New York Semiconductor Manufacturing and Research Technology Innovation Corridor (NY SMART-I Corridor) consortium. Over the next five years, the consortium will serve a critical role in supporting Upstate New York’s continued growth into a globally competitive center of semiconductor workforce development, innovation and manufacturing. 

“For communities that have experienced decades of economic stagnation and neglect, these extraordinary commitments are the beginning of an economic renewal – bringing better schools, better hospitals, safer streets and stronger infrastructure. 

“The CHIPS and Science Act has put New York on the precipice of a defining age of manufacturing and transformed the future for generations of New Yorkers. I’m grateful to Leader Schumer, Leader Jeffries, the New York Congressional Delegation and the Biden-Harris Administration for their historic efforts and for keeping their promise to the American people.” 

FACT SHEET: Two Years after the CHIPS and Science Act, Biden-⁠Harris Administration Celebrates Historic Achievements in Bringing Semiconductor Supply Chains Home, Creating Jobs, Supporting Innovation, and Protecting National Security 
  
Companies have announced $395+ billion in investments in semiconductors and electronics and the creation of over 115,000 jobs since President Biden and Vice President Harris took office 
  

Two years ago, President Biden signed into law the CHIPS and Science Act (CHIPS), aimed at reestablishing United States’ leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, shoring up global supply chains, and strengthening national and economic security. America invented the semiconductor, and used to produce nearly 40 percent of the world’s chips, but today, we produce only about 10 percent of global supply—and none of the most advanced chips. The CHIPS and Science Act aimed to change that by investing nearly $53 billion in U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, research and development, and workforce.  
  
Dozens of companies have committed to nearly $400 billion in total semiconductor investments across the country. These investments have been spurred in large part by the Department of Commerce’s CHIPS Incentives program, which has signed preliminary agreements with 15 companies across 15 states to provide over $30 billion in direct funding and roughly $25 billion in loans for semiconductor manufacturing projects. These projects will support the creation of more than 115,000 direct construction and manufacturing jobs, with further investments in workforce development and training to come – helping to ensure more chips are made in America by American workers. As a result of these investments, the United States is on track to produce nearly 30% of the global supply of leading-edge chips by 2032, up from zero percent when President Biden and Vice President Harris took office. 
  
As part of the CHIPS Act, the Biden-Harris Administration has also made regional investments to spur centers of innovation across America through the Tech Hubs program, has made investments to revitalize communities historically overlooked by federal investment through the Recompete program, and is making critical investments in research and development and workforce initiatives across the semiconductor ecosystem.   
  
Two Years of Progress on Semiconductor Manufacturing and Innovation 

In the past two years, agencies across the federal government have developed and executed on programs established under CHIPS to restore domestic semiconductor manufacturing, invest in research and development, support supply chain resiliency and national security, and catalyze economic and workforce development. Key milestones in the Administration’s implementation of CHIPS include: 
  
Reshoring U.S. Semiconductor Manufacturing 
  
Thanks to CHIPS Act, the United States will once again be a world leader in manufacturing the semiconductors that power our lives. In the two years since President Biden signed the CHIPS Act into law: 

  1. The Department of Commerce CHIPS Incentives Program announced preliminary agreements with 15 companies, totaling over $30 billion of the total available $39 billion in direct incentives funded by the CHIPS and Science Act. Commerce is on track to allocate all remaining funds with CHIPS grantees by the end of 2024. 
  2. Two years ago, the U.S. produced none of the world’s most advanced chips. Now, America is home to all five of the world’s leading-edge logic, memory, and advanced packaging providers, while no other economy has more than two. Collectively, these fabs will enable the United States to produce nearly 30% of the global supply of leading-edge chips by 2032.  
  3. The CHIPS Act is creating a robust semiconductor ecosystem by supporting multiple high-volume advanced packaging facilities, expanded production of current and mature-node semiconductors, and critical supply chain components, all by the end of the decade to support critical industries from automobiles and medical devices to artificial intelligence and aerospace.  
  4. The Department of the Treasury continues to work on a final rule on the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit, which provides a 25% investment tax credit for companies engaged in semiconductor manufacturing and producing semiconductor manufacturing equipment. 
      

Creating Jobs and Workforce Pipelines for American Workers 

A centerpiece of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda is to create good paying job opportunities for Americans across the country. CHIPS has dedicated hundreds of millions of dollars to ensuring that America’s semiconductor comeback will serve to benefit American workers. For example: 

  1. CHIPS-funded projects are creating more than 115,000 construction and manufacturing jobs with over $250 million of CHIPS funding earmarked for local community workforce development, the use of which will be guided by local stakeholder input, including from academic institutions, training providers, and labor unions, and federal partners, including the Departments of Labor and Education. These projects will also pay construction workers prevailing wages, which ensures they earn family-sustaining wages and benefits, and include some of the largest Project Labor Agreements in history, establishing that the future of this industry in America will be built by union workers. 
  2. The Biden-Harris Administration launched Investing in America Workforce Hubs in Upstate New York, Phoenix, Arizona, and Columbus, Ohio to support the training needed for the growing industries there, including booming semiconductor ecosystems. These are just three of the nine Workforce Hubs across the country which are creating pipelines for Americans to access good-paying jobs in the industries seeing increased investments thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.  
  3. The Department of Commerce expects to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into the National Semiconductor Technology Center’s (NSTC) workforce efforts, including the Workforce Center of Excellence which will collaborate with industry, academia, labor unions, the Departments of Labor and Education, the National Science Foundation, and local government partners to address end-to-end workforce training needs from access to adoption. 
  4. The National Science Foundation (NSF) launched its Future of Semiconductors (FuSe) initiative, a $45.6 million investment to conduct frontier research and develop the future microelectronics workforce. The NSF also announced its inaugural Regional Innovation Engines, 10 locations receiving a $150 million investment with the potential for up to $2 billion in funding over the next decade. 
  5. Companies applying for more than $150 million in grants were required to submit a robust child care plan that reflects the needs of their workers in communities where they plan to build.  Some of the largest projects, such as those of Micron and Intel, have committed to providing affordable, accessible, high-quality child care for thousands of workers across multiple facilities in multiple states. This has already led to a dramatic expansion of benefits including the construction of dedicated child care facilities at multiple project sites as well as discount and reimbursement programs in collaboration with local child care providers. 

  
Accelerating Regional Economic Development and Innovation 

President Biden and Vice President Harris are investing in regions that suffered from disinvestment for too long despite their economic potential. Through the Investing in America Agenda, this Administration is building an economy that brings innovation and opportunity for hardworking American families. The CHIPS Act expanded the suite of place-based investment efforts under the Biden-Harris Administration to build on the momentum of programs under the American Rescue Plan. In the two years since the CHIPS Act was signed: 

  1. The Department of Commerce announced $504 million for 12 Tech Hubs to give regions across the nation the resources and opportunities needed to lead in the economies of the future, such as semiconductors, clean energy, biotechnology, AI, quantum computing, and more.  
  2. The Department of Commerce is awarding $184 million to six Recompete Pilot Program finalists; creating renewed opportunity in economically distressed communities through good-paying, high-quality jobs. The Recompete Pilot Program targets areas where prime-age employment is significantly lower than the national average and provides flexible and locally-drive investments to support economic comebacks. 
  3. The National Science Foundation announced $150 million for 10 inaugural awards that has already been matched by more than $350 million in commitments from state and local governments, the private sector and philanthropy. These 10 NSF Engines have the potential to receive over $2 billion over the next decade, paving the way toward a new frontier in American innovation.  
  4. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program will announce nearly $54 million in funding that will help small businesses explore innovative ideas and the commercial microelectronics marketplace. 

  
Protecting National Security and Working with Allies and Partners 

In September 2023, the Department of Commerce finalized rules to implement the national security guardrails laid out in CHIPS. These guardrails are preventing technology and innovation funded by the program from being misused by foreign countries of concern and protecting our industrial ecosystem. CHIPS manufacturing funds are also going towards companies building the semiconductors that are essential to our aerospace and defense industries. 

  1. CHIPS grant funds are directly supporting our national security by increasing the supply of critical technologies needed to protect Americans, including the production of chips necessary for critical defense programs including the F-35 fighter jet program, and chips for everyday applications that impact all Americans, from cars to secure Wi-Fi.  
  2. The Department of Defense’s Microelectronics Commons Program has announced an initial $280 million in first year projects to create resilient onshore ecosystems for cutting-edge applications in six key areas: secure edge/internet of things, electromagnetic warfare, 5G/6G, Quantum technology, artificial intelligence hardware, and commercial leap ahead technologies. These projects build off the Commons regionals hubs and are set to kick off, along with additional awards for human, digital, and physical infrastructure, by the end of the year. 
  3. The State Department recently launched the CHIPS Act International Technology Security and Innovation (ITSI) Fund supported ITSI Western Hemisphere Semiconductor Initiative, which will enhance assembly, testing and packaging capabilities in partner countries including Mexico, Panama, and Costa Rica. New partnerships have also been announced with Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Kenya to explore semiconductor supply chain coordination opportunities to develop trust, transparency, and resiliency with our allies across the globe. 
  4. The Department of Commerce announced that the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) Agreement Relating to Supply Chain Resilience entered into force on February 24, 2024. This agreement, led by the United States, is ensuring a more resilient, efficient, productive and sustainable supply chain for semiconductors and other industries. 
  5. The Department of Commerce awarded $140 million across 17 projects in its first funding opportunity through the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund, which will drive American wireless innovation, competition, and supply chain resilience.   

  
Investing in Innovation 

The semiconductor was invented here in the United States, and America has continued to be a leader in the research and development in semiconductors and some of the most advanced technologies. The CHIPS Act is helping advance those goals by: 

  1. Investing approximately $3 billion in the National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program (NAPMP) to establish and accelerate domestic capacity for semiconductor advanced packaging which will drive U.S. technological leadership in leading-edge semiconductors and underpin future innovation areas, including artificial intelligence. Over 100 concept papers were submitted for the first funding opportunity and a second funding opportunity for $1.6 billion will be announced in the fall. 
  2. Establishing Natcast, a non-profit, to operate the NSTC to enable rapid adoption of innovations that will enhance domestic competitiveness for decades to come. The Department of Commerce, together with Natcast, announced the focus of its first three CHIPS R&D research facilities: a NSTC Prototyping and National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program facility, an NSTC Administrative and Design facility, and an NSTC Extreme Ultraviolet EUV center – which will be complemented by affiliated technical centers.  

Issuing funding opportunities through the Department of Commerce for a first-of-its kind Manufacturing USA Institute focused on the development, validation, and use of digital twins – virtual models that mimic the structure, context, and behavior of a physical counterpart.

Biden Administration, Immigration-Migration-Refugees, News & Photo Features

Biden Administration Implements New Initiatives to Beat Opioid Epidemic; Calls on Congress to Act

President Biden has just issued a National Security Memorandum directing every federal Department and Agency to do even more to stop the flow of narcotics—including fentanyl—into our country, but in the end, it is up to Congress to act, which Republicans refuse to do because they want to use the border crisis and fentanyl issue to campaign on. Biden’s statement and a fact sheet of the new administration initiatives to beat back the opioid epidemic were provided by the White House:

“Our Administration’s efforts have helped lead to the first decline in overdose deaths in five years.  We have seized more fentanyl at our border in the last two years than in the last five years combined, arrested and prosecuted dozens of high-level drug traffickers and cartel leaders, sanctioned over 300 entities and individuals involved in the global illicit drug trade, and forged historic counternarcotics cooperation with China. Still, far too many of our fellow Americans continue to lose loved ones to fentanyl. This is a time to act. And this is a time to stand together—for all those we have lost, and for all the lives we can still save.
 
“Today, I will issue a National Security Memorandum directing every federal Department and Agency to do even more to stop the flow of narcotics—including fentanyl—into our country.
 
“This Memorandum builds on my Unity Agenda, which made ending the opioid epidemic a top priority. It will enable our government to disrupt drug cartels—and their suppliers and financiers—more quickly and effectively. It will increase intelligence collection on traffickers’ evolving tactics to smuggle narcotics into our country. And it will help our law enforcement personnel seize more deadly drugs before they reach our communities. This Memorandum will also complement our historic work to expand access to treatment, including by making naloxone—the life-saving medication that reverses the effects of opioids—widely available over the counter for the first time. 
 
“I’m calling on Congress to do their part—including passing the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Detect and Defeat” proposals. These bipartisan proposals increase penalties on drug smugglers, give border officials key tools they need to target fentanyl at our border, and close other loopholes that traffickers exploit. I also once again urge Congress to pass the bipartisan border security agreement which provides funding for more border agents and more drug detection machines. These are the key investments needed to stop fentanyl from reaching our communities.” 

FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces New Actions to Counter the Scourge of Fentanyl and Other Synthetic Drugs

Far too many Americans have lost children, spouses, and friends to dangerous drugs like illicitly manufactured fentanyl. It is a scourge that has no geographic or political boundaries, wreaking havoc on families and communities in all parts of America. That’s why since day one, the Biden-Harris Administration has made disrupting the supply of illicit fentanyl and other synthetic drugs a core priority. As part of their Unity Agenda for the nation, President Biden and Vice President Harris have taken a number of actions to combat the opioid epidemic: 

  • Border officials have stopped more illicit fentanyl at ports of entry in the past two fiscal years than in the previous five fiscal years combined.  In just the last five months, over 442 million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl were seized at U.S. borders. The Biden-Harris Administration continues to invest in detection technology at U.S. borders, adding dozens of new inspection systems, with dozens more coming online next year. 
  • The Biden-Harris Administration has made naloxone, a life-saving opioid overdose reversal medication, widely available over the counter, and has invested over $82 billion in treatment – 40 percent more than the previous Administration. 
  • In 2021, President Biden issued an Executive Order targeting foreign persons engaged in the global illicit drug trade and has since sanctioned over 300 persons and entities under this authority, thereby cutting them off from the United States’ financial system.

 
Due to these efforts, the number of overdose deaths in the United States has started to decline for the first time in five years. But even one death is one too many. And so today, President Biden will issue a new National Security Memorandum calling on all relevant Federal Departments and Agencies to do even more to stop the supply of illicit fentanyl and other synthetic opioids in our country. President Biden and Vice President Harris also are calling on Congress to enact legislation to increase penalties on those who bring deadly drugs into our communities and to close loopholes that drug traffickers exploit.
 
The National Security Memorandum
 
The National Security Memorandum (NSM) that the President will issue calls on all relevant Federal Departments and Agencies to do even more to stop the supply of illicit fentanyl other synthetic opioids into our country.  As drug traffickers and suppliers adapt, we must do so as well.  The NSM directs even more intelligence collection, even more intensive coordination and cooperation across Departments and Agencies, and even more actions to disrupt the production and distribution of illicit fentanyl. The NSM is one more step forward in the Biden-Harris Administration’s continued focus on dramatically reducing the supply of illicit drugs and their precursor chemicals, and protecting American lives.
 
Detect and Defeat Proposal
 
Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is also encouraging Congress to take action to combat illicit fentanyl, including by passing the Administration’s “Detect and Defeat” Counter-Fentanyl Proposal.  This proposal incorporates many of the bipartisan ideas put forward by Members of Congress, and will increase the United States’ ability to detect and seize illicit drugs and hold drug traffickers accountable.  The proposal would give border officials the tools they need to more effectively track and target the millions of small-dollar shipments that cross our borders every day—closing a loophole that drug traffickers exploit.  It would establish a nation-wide pill press and tableting machine registry so that law enforcement officials can track these machines and protect against their illicit use in producing fake fentanyl pills. And it would permanently regulate fentanyl-related substances as “Schedule I” drugs—subjecting the distribution and possession of these drugs to heightened penalties. 
 
Today’s actions build on a series of additional steps the Biden-Harris Administration has taken to combat the opioid epidemic, including: 

Biden Administration, College Affordability, Education, News & Photo Features

Biden-Harris Administration Takes Next Step Toward Additional Debt Relief for Tens of Millions of Student Loan Borrowers This Fall

President Biden presses ahead with efforts to relieve millions of Americans from the burden of student loan debt © Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com.

In a clear demonstration of the Biden Administration refusing to give up or give in, President Biden just announced next steps to cancel student debt for some 30 million Americans – despite Republicans actually going to the Supreme Court to prevent the administration from exercising its authority.

 “Today, my Administration took another major step to cancel student debt for approximately 30 million Americans,,” President Biden stated. “By providing more information to borrowers on how they can take advantage of our upcoming debt relief programs, borrowers will be prepared to benefit swiftly once the rules are final. Despite attempts led by Republican elected officials to block our efforts, we won’t stop fighting to provide relief to student loan borrowers, fix the broken student loan system, and help borrowers get out from under the burden of student debt. 
 
“Today’s announcement comes on top of the significant progress we’ve made for students and borrowers over the past three years. That includes canceling student debt for nearly 5 million Americans so far through various actions; providing the largest increases to the maximum Pell Grant in over a decade; fixing Income-Driven Repayment so borrowers get the relief they are entitled to under the law; and holding colleges accountable for taking advantage of students and families.
 
:From day one of my Administration, I promised to fight to ensure higher education is a ticket to the middle class, not a barrier to opportunity. I will never stop working to make higher education affordable and to make sure our Administration delivers for the American people.”

This fact sheet was provided by the White House:

Next Step Toward Additional Debt Relief for Tens of Millions of Student Loan Borrowers This Fall

Starting tomorrow, the Department will email borrowers telling them about potential debt relief and giving them the opportunity to opt out   

The Biden-Harris Administration today announced that it will begin the next step toward providing student debt relief to tens of millions of borrowers this Fall. Starting tomorrow, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) will begin emailing all borrowers with at least one outstanding federally held student loan to provide updates on potential student debt relief, and to inform them they have until August 30 to call their servicer and opt out if they do not want this relief.

The rules that would provide this relief are not yet finalized, and the email does not guarantee specific borrowers will be eligible. The Department will provide additional information to borrowers once the rules are finalized this fall. These proposed rules build upon the Administration’s existing work that has approved more than $168 billion in student loan relief for nearly 4.8 million borrowers through various actions. These rules, if finalized as proposed, would bring the total number of borrowers eligible for student debt relief to over 30 million, including borrowers who have already been approved for debt cancellation by the Biden-Harris Administration over the past three years. 

“Today, the Biden-Harris administration takes another step forward in our drive to deliver student debt relief to borrowers who’ve been failed by a broken system,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “These latest steps will mark the next milestone in our efforts to help millions of borrowers who’ve been buried under a mountain of student loan interest, or who took on debt to pay for college programs that left them worse off financially, those who have been paying their loans for twenty or more years, and many others. The Biden-Harris Administration made a commitment to deliver student debt relief to as many borrowers as possible as quickly as possible, and today, as we near the end of a lengthy rulemaking process, we’re one step closer to keeping that promise.” 

In April, the Administration released its first set of draft rules that proposed authorizing the Secretary of Education to grant student debt relief to tens of millions of borrowers across the country, including those whose balances have grown due to runaway interest and those who entered repayment on their loans a long time ago, among others. If these rules are finalized as the Department has proposed, they would authorize the Secretary of Education to provide partial or full debt relief for the following groups of borrowers:

  • Borrowers who owe more now than they did at the start of repayment. Borrowers would be eligible for relief if they have a current balance on certain types of Federal student loans that is greater than the balance of that loan when it entered repayment due to runaway interest. The Department estimates that this debt relief would impact nearly 23 million borrowers, the majority of whom are Pell Grant recipients.
    • Borrowers who have been in repayment for decades. If a borrower with only undergraduate loans has been in repayment for more than 20 years (received on or before July 1, 2005), they would be eligible for this relief. Borrowers with at least one graduate loan who have been in repayment for more than 25 years (received on or before July 1, 2000) would also be eligible.
    • Borrowers who are otherwise eligible for loan forgiveness but have not yet applied. If a borrower hasn’t successfully enrolled in an income-driven repayment (IDR) plan but would be eligible for immediate forgiveness, they would be eligible for relief. Borrowers who would be eligible for closed school discharge or other types of forgiveness opportunities but haven’t successfully applied would also be eligible for this relief.
    • Borrowers who enrolled in low-financial value programs. If a borrower attended an institution that failed to provide sufficient financial value, or that failed one of the Department’s accountability standards for institutions, those borrowers would also be eligible for debt relief.

If finalized as proposed, these new rules would authorize relief for borrowers across the country who have struggled with the burden of student loan debt. The Department expects that all four of these proposed forms of relief would be provided to eligible borrowers without requiring any action from borrowers; no application would be needed.

If, however, borrowers prefer to opt out of this debt relief for any reason, they can do so by contacting their servicer by Aug. 30, 2024. Borrowers who opt out of this debt relief will not be able to opt back in, and they will also be temporarily opted out of forgiveness due to enrollment in an IDR plan until the Department is able to automatically assess their eligibility for that benefit in a few months. In addition, borrowers would only be eligible for the proposed relief if they have entered repayment at the time that the Department would be determining eligibility, after the proposed rules are finalized.

More information for borrowers about this debt relief is available at StudentAid.gov/debt-relief.

An unparalleled track record of borrower assistance

The Biden-Harris Administration has taken historic steps to reduce the burden of student debt and ensure that student loans are not a barrier to educational and economic opportunity for students and families. The Administration secured a $900 increase to the maximum Pell Grant—the largest increase in a decade—and finalized new rules to help protect borrowers from career programs that leave graduates with unaffordable debts or insufficient earnings. The Administration continues its work to issue debt relief regulations under the Higher Education Act, with final regulations expected this fall.

The Biden-Harris Administration has approved the following debt relief for borrowers:

  • $69.2 billion for 946,000 borrowers through fixes to Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).
    • $51 billion for more than 1 million borrowers through administrative adjustments to IDR payment counts. These adjustments have brought borrowers closer to forgiveness and addressed longstanding concerns with the misuse of forbearance by loan servicers.
    • $28.7 billion for more than 1.6 million borrowers who were cheated by their schools, saw their institutions precipitously close, or are covered by related court settlements.
    • $14.1 billion for more than 548,000 borrowers with a total and permanent disability.

$5.5 billion for 414,000 borrowers through the SAVE Plan