It is stunning that Grim Reaper McConnell, who held up the first House coronavirus stimulus bill for days, is now attacking Senate Democrats for refusing to rubberstamp a $2 trillion giveaway to corporate insiders and CEOs, raising the alarm (get this) that waiting until noon would mean a whole morning of Wall Street sinking further. A morning in exchange for the health and well being of Americans and the economy. The idea that Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, who made a bundle on the misery of the 2008 Bush Great Recession using just these same tactics, will personally decide what companies get bailed out is absurd – and a clear clue is that they want to keep secret who they are handing money to for 6 months.
Senator Elizabeth Warren and the Democrats have a better plan for immediate relief to Americans who will be most harmed financially now and perhaps for the rest of their lives: erase student debt, use the mechanisms you already have: expand unemployment insurance, disability, social security. Instead of simply incentivizing companies to not do anything and still collect up to $10 million in loans that would be forgiven (Mnuchin will choose who gets what), purchase goods and services needed now; evoke the war powers to require factories to reconfigure to produce vitally needed medical equipment and put in purchase orders for future production, say electric cars, long-life batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, and especially medical supplies which will give the companies the needed cash flow to get through. Then test everyone to determine who is already immune and can return to work, rather than lock people in for six months, nine months, until the hypothetical “herd immunization” number is reached.
At this point, projections call for 40 to 80 percent of people to become infected, and deaths from one million to two million. Trump and his Keystone Cops administration of corrupt, inept thugs have no clue how to keep the numbers down to a minimum, and keep people and the economy healthy. Vice President Joe Biden, running for president, offered his own criticism and plan in a speech – Karen Rubin, News & Photo Features
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Vice President Joe Biden on Combating Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Good morning.
I hope you and your family are doing well in these difficult, anxious, and confusing times.
Like all families, the Biden family is adjusting to new ways: less time together, more worrying about friends and relatives, concern about those isolated – or suffering – due to the coronavirus.
As Americans, we may be physically apart, but we are truly all in this together.
And let me say something right up front: When we have stood as one, this nation has never been defeated. And we are not going to be defeated now.
The pandemic of 1918. The Great Depression. Two World Wars. 9/11.
We overcame them all.
And out of each crisis – we emerged stronger.
And we will again.
This new enemy may be unseen – but we have the tools, the expertise, and, most important, the will and the spirit to defeat it.
But we need to move – and we need to move fast.
It matters for the public health. And it matters for our economy.
Later today, you will hear from the President in his daily briefing.
These briefings are an important opportunity to inform and reassure the American people
They’re not a place for political attacks. Or to lash out at the press.
They’re about the American people.
So I hope today and in the days ahead, the president will give us the unvarnished truth. That’s what the American people need and deserve.
I hope he lets medical experts and FEMA leaders and others carrying out the work take center stage so we can hear directly from them.
And I hope we hear less talk and see more evidence of fast action.
My principal focus today – and every day – will be on what we should do to get this response fixed, to save lives, and to provide economic assistance to the tens of millions of Americans who need it now – and who will need it in the weeks and months ahead.
It starts with adopting a mindset of real urgency.
For too long, the warning signs were ignored.
For too long the Administration said the threat was “under control,” “contained,” like a “flu.” The president says no one saw this coming. That’s just not true.
Our own intelligence officials were warning of the coronavirus threat in January.
Just based on public information, I warned that this threat would get worse way back on January 27, and urged the need to put science first, draw on emergency funds to get the response started, and think about invoking disaster powers to respond.
Many of us talked about the need to get U.S. scientists on the ground in China to see first-hand what was happening, rather than relying solely on China.
My point is not simply that the president was wrong.
My point is that the mindset that was slow to recognize the problem and treat it with the seriousness it deserves, is still too much a part of how the president is addressing the problem.
South Korea detected their first case of coronavirus on the same day that we did.
But they had tests and a sophisticated tracing program to stop the spread of the virus, so they didn’t have to put the country on lockdown.
We had none of that.
So we are left with only the extreme social distancing measures currently in place.
That’s a failure of planning and preparation by this White House.
Today, months later, Americans who need to be tested still have no access to tests in many parts of the country. And in many places, our health care system teeters on the brink of collapse.
Hospital beds are filling. Doctors and nurses are already running out of critical equipment.
The federal government needs to coordinate getting medical supplies out to every corner of our country so we don’t have governors competing against one another.
As late as yesterday, we are being told that the president still has not activated his authority under the Defense Production Act to direct American manufacturers to make essential supplies.
Trump keeps saying he’s a wartime president— well, then, he should act like one.
To paraphrase a frustrated President Lincoln writing to an inactive General McLellan during the Civil War: “If you don’t want to use the army, may I borrow it?”
We need to get in motion today what should have been set in motion weeks ago.
Any public health expert will tell you that in a crisis like this you can’t move too fast – you can only move too slow.
Let me be clear: Donald Trump is not to blame for the coronavirus. But he does bear responsibility for our response.
And I, along with every American, hope he steps up and starts to get this right.
This isn’t about politics.
There is simply too much at stake – too many lives, too many livelihoods, too many homes and families and businesses and communities at risk.
I’ve laid out a very detailed, in-depth plan for what we should do. You can read it all on JoeBiden.com.
We need immediate action –on testing, on research for treatments and vaccines, on leading a global response to beat the virus everywhere.
But today, I want to focus on just four key areas for action.
First, the President must take immediate steps to increase the capacity of our health care system to treat the sickest coronavirus patients, safely.
I’m glad the president has finally activated the National Guard.
Now we need the Armed Forces and the National Guard to help with hospital capacity, supplies, and logistics.
We need to activate a reserve corps of doctors and nurses to beef up the number of responders dealing with this crush of cases, and allow doctors and nurses trained abroad, not currently at work in the U.S., to temporarily work alongside our overburdened health care providers.
Second, the President must use the Defense Production Act to radically increase the supply of critical goods needed to treat patients and protect our health care workers and first responders, including protective gear like face masks, and critical equipment like ventilators so desperately needed in our hospitals.
It means working with our allies and partners to get supplies from overseas when available, and dispatching U.S. military assets to retrieve them quickly.
It means federal coordination of the supply chain to accelerate deliveries and get them to the right places. And much more.
We are the nation that built the arsenal of democracy in the 1940s. We can make personal protective equipment for health care workers in 2020.
Third, the President needs to end the infighting and bickering in his own administration, listen to the scientists, and provide clear guidance.
The American people are not getting clear leadership, clear action, or clear accountability.
Management matters in a crisis. I’ve been there in the Situation Room. There are thousands of steps that need to be taken, all at once.
You need to be planning not just for today and tomorrow, but for the day after.
Is this White House actively planning for what it will take for America to begin to return to something resembling normal life?
Just waiting and seeing isn’t going to cut it.
What are the conditions required? What capacities should be in place? What protections and protocols do we need to ensure the virus doesn’t simply start spreading again?
They need to start planning now, so the current measures stay in place for as long as they are needed, but not longer.
And fourth, the President needs to set the right priorities for our economic response.
Our guiding principle must be to keep everyone paid through this crisis.
We should be doing everything in our power to keep workers on payrolls, make small businesses healthy, and help the economy come out the other side strong.
The Federal Government should provide the resources to make that happen, while still protecting the American taxpayer.
Unfortunately, as of last night, President Trump and Mitch McConnell were offering a plan that let big corporations off the hook. They proposed a $500 billion slush fund for corporations, with almost no conditions.
Under their plan, the Trump Administration could even allow companies to use taxpayers’ money for stock buybacks and executive pay packages.
They wouldn’t have to make commitments to keep workers employed.
They wouldn’t even have to tell Americans where the money goes for months.
Today, there are active efforts to fix this bill so it focuses on workers and families and small businesses rather than no-strings corporate bailouts.
Here’s my bottom line: Millions of small businesses, like the family-run restaurant that is trying to stay open and pay its workers – they should get the funds they need.
Big companies will need help, too — but no blank checks.
If corporations take money from taxpayers, they have to make a commitment that they will keep workers on payroll.
The worker who is seeing their wages slashed — they need to be made whole.
Those who do lose jobs – they need strong, sustained, unemployment benefits, whether they are a gig worker or a full-time employee.
The family that will go hungry tonight – they need food on the table.
Social Security checks need to be boosted.
Student debt should be forgiven.
Cash relief needs to go out fast to all of the people who need it the most.
We can act quickly and together.
We can put the politics aside to meet this moment, like Governors all across the nation.
Mike Dewine in Ohio, Larry Hogan in Maryland, Charlie Baker in Massachusetts.
Gavin Newsom in California, Jay Inslee in Washington, Gretchen Witmer in Michigan.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s briefings are a lesson in leadership.
Republicans and Democrats — all are rising to the moment, putting aside politics to do what needs to be done.
But they all are looking to the federal government for more help.
Finally, it’s worth noting that today is the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act. I’m proud of the role I played, alongside President Obama, in bringing Obamacare into law. And I’m proud of its record of achievement.
But also today, in the middle of one of the biggest public health emergencies in generations, the White House and Republican attorneys general are actively pursuing a lawsuit to invalidate the ACA in court.
They are working to strip millions of Americans of their health care and tens of millions of their protections for pre-existing conditions.
I sent them a letter this morning, with a simple request: Withdraw this lawsuit. End this effort to take away people’s health care.
This is not the moment to add additional uncertainty and fear in this nation or to let politics trump doing what is right. Give Americans peace of mind.
In a crisis, character is revealed — and each day we are seeing the courage and heart of Americans shine through.
Our military, our first responders, our doctors, nurses and health care workers, of course.
But also those who we don’t think about as much: the grocery store workers; the mail and package carriers; the workers manufacturing the gear we need, keeping delivery trucks on the road, cooking meals to deliver, and tending our elderly loved ones; the journalists who keep us up to date and hold leaders accountable; the government officials working on this problem, and so many more.
They are putting it all on the line for us. We need to give them all the help they need now. And we need to be sure we never forget what they’ve done.
Let me close with this thought: Deep in the heart of every American, there burns a flame. It’s an inheritance from every generation of Americans that has come before us. It’s why we have overcome every crisis we have ever faced before. It’s what makes this nation special and why we stand apart.
That flame is not going to be extinguished in this moment.
If our leadership does its part, the American people will do their part.
Because here’s the simple truth: The American people have never, ever let this country down.
So, we need to get moving, and moving fast.
This is the United States of America, and there’s not a single thing we can’t do — if we do it together. Thank you.
The vigorous contest of Democrats seeking the 2020 presidential nomination has produced excellent policy proposals to address major issues. Vice President Joe Biden has released his plan for ending the opioid crisis and ensuring access to effective treatment and recovery for substance use disorders. This is from the Biden Campaign:
Millions of families are impacted by the opioid crisis. It’s ravaging communities coast to coast, from New Hampshire to California. The challenge of substance use disorders is not limited to opioids. Millions of individuals are affected by misuse of other substances such as alcohol or methamphetamine. Latest estimates indicate that, in 2018, almost 68,000 Americans died from a drug overdose – almost 47,000 of which involved an opioid. And, the impacts of this crisis reverberate in our classrooms and neighborhoods, in small towns and big cities.
Biden will tackle this crisis by making sure people have access to high quality health care – including substance use disorder treatment and mental health services. That’s what Obamacare did by designating substance use disorder treatment and mental health services as essential benefits that insurers must cover, and by expanding Medicaid, the nation’s largest payer for mental health services which also plays an increasingly growing role as a payer for substance use disorder services.
But President Trump wants to repeal Obamacare, including its Medicaid expansion. Repeal would be disastrous for communities and families combating the opioid crisis. It is not realistic to think that grant money will fill the hole that eliminating Obamacare and its Medicaid expansion would create.
Step one of Biden’s plan to tackle the opioid epidemic and substance use disorders is to defeat Trump and then protect and build on Obamacare. And, Biden will pursue a comprehensive, public health approach to deal with opioid and other substance use disorders. His plan will:
Hold
accountable big pharmaceutical companies, executives, and others responsible
for their role in triggering the opioid crisis.
Make
effective prevention, treatment, and recovery services available to all,
including through a $125 billion federal investment.
Stop
overprescribing while improving access to effective and needed pain management.
Reform
the criminal justice system so that no one is incarcerated for drug use alone.
Stem
the flow of illicit drugs, like fentanyl and heroin, into the United States – especially from China and
Mexico.
HOLD ACCOUNTABLE BIG PHARMA COMPANIES, EXECUTIVES, AND OTHERS
RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ROLE IN TRIGGERING THE OPIOID CRISIS
Biden will demand accountability from pharmaceutical companies and others
responsible for the opioid crisis, including manufacturers, distributors, and
“pill mill operators.” Pharmaceutical executives should be held personally
responsible, including criminally liable where appropriate. Specifically, Biden
will:
Direct the U.S. Justice Department to make actions that spurred
this crisis a top investigative and, where appropriate, civil and criminal
enforcement priority. Biden
will make sure the Department has all the necessary resources to complete this
work. Building on the efforts of the Obama-Biden Administration, Biden will also ensure the
Food and Drug Administration takes action when new information reveals harms
from previously approved drugs (including the risk of diversion, or the use of
drugs by an individual other than the one to whom the drug was prescribed),
ensures compliance with risk mitigation strategies, and punishes drug companies
for deceptive practices. And, he will appoint an Opioid Crisis Accountability
Coordinator to coordinate efforts across federal agencies and support the
enforcement efforts of state and local partners.
Direct the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to step up
its efforts to identify suspicious shipments and protect communities. Opioids distributors
knowingly shipped millions of pills to towns with hundreds
of residents, helping trigger the opioid epidemic. Biden will empower the DEA
to stop drug shipments from pharmaceutical companies and their distributors
that create risks of diversion and misuse. Biden will work with Congress to
allow the DEA to act expeditiously when a pharmaceutical distributor fails to
adequately monitor shipments that could pose an “imminent danger” to vulnerable
communities and increase penalties for companies that fail to take action to
stop suspicious shipments. In addition, Biden will direct the DEA to improve
data collection on wholesalers and pharmacies, including prescribing patterns
and suspicious order reports, and to disseminate its analysis to distributors
to prevent problems before they become disasters.
Ban drug manufacturers from providing payments or incentives
to physicians and other prescribers. Pharmaceutical companies work hard to persuade doctors and
other medical personnel to prescribe their products. These companies essentially pay providers to prescribe
opioids and other drugs by, for example, paying providers to speak at or attend
conferences, or consult for their companies. By banning these practices, Biden
will ensure that patients’ lives do not take a backseat to doctors’ bottom lines.
MAKE EFFECTIVE PREVENTION, TREATMENT, AND RECOVERY SERVICES AVAILABLE TO
ALL WHO NEED THEM
Biden has long recognized and led on
efforts to make clear that substance use disorders are diseases, not a
lifestyle choice, and that we need to change how we talk about and treat
substance use disorders to align with this fact.
He knows that the most important step we can take to address substance use
disorders is to ensure that Americans have access to affordable, high-quality
health care, including treatment for mental illnesses and substance use
disorder. That’s why Biden has a plan to
build on the Affordable Care Act and achieve universal coverage. In addition,
Biden will redouble efforts to ensure insurance companies stop discriminating
against people with behavioral health conditions and instead provide the
coverage for treatment of mental illness and substance use disorders that
patients and families need. Congress passed a bipartisan parity law 12 years ago requiring
that this discrimination stop, but the enforcement of parity has been
insufficient. As Vice President, Biden championed efforts
to implement the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici
Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. As President, he will finish the
job by appointing officials who will hold insurers accountable, enforcing our
parity laws to the fullest extent. He will also direct federal agencies to
issue guidance making clear how state officials and the public can file a
complaint when their insurers – or Medicaid – are not
living up to their parity obligations.
In addition, Biden will work to make sure that people experiencing substance
use disorders have access to quality facilities and providers. As President, he
will ensure that the new public option, Medicare, Medicaid, the Indian Health
Service, the Military Health System, and the Veterans Health Administration
accelerate integration of substance use disorder care into standard health care
practice. Biden will double funding for community health centers and expand the
supply of health care providers, for example by growing the National Health Service Corps. And, he
will protect rural hospitals from
payment cuts, give them the flexibility they need to remain open, and invest in
telehealth so people in remote areas can still have access to mental health and
substance use disorder specialists.
Finally, Biden will make sure federal funds are specifically targeted at
improving access to treatment and recovery for opioid and other substance use
disorders, and at preventing these disorders in the first place. As Vice
President, Biden championed passage of the 21st Century Cures Act, which
included $1 billion in funding for states to address the opioid epidemic. That
was a down payment. To deal with the immense scope of the opioid and substance
use disorder crisis, Biden will dramatically scale up the resources available,
with an unprecedented investment of $125 billion over ten years. Funds will be
used to:
Pursue comprehensive strategies to expand access to
treatment, particularly in rural and urban communities with high rates of
substance use disorders and a lack of access to substance use disorder
treatment services. Biden will invest $75 billion in flexible grants to states and localities
for prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts. State and local agencies will
also be able to use funds to enhance data systems allowing them to better
target resources to individuals and communities most in need of support. As a
condition for receiving funding, grant recipients will have to provide
long-term, comprehensive strategic plans that address the multifaceted nature
of the substance use disorder crisis. Funds may be used to:
Invest in evidence-based, cost-effective prevention programs
in schools and communities to reduce the development of substance use
disorders.
Mitigate harms from opioid and other drug use, including
overdoses. Local
communities will be able to use the funds to implement evidence-based programs
designed to stop the spread of diseases like hepatitis C and HIV, including
syringe service programs, or to scale up innovative programs like the safe station initiative started in Manchester,
New Hampshire, which allows those seeking help to go to fire stations in order
to be connected to treatment and recovery services.
Expand access to ongoing treatment and recovery services. Communities will be
able to use funds to increase access to substance use disorder and mental
health treatment and other services to support long-term recovery, including
peer support networks and recovery coaches, and better integrate primary care
and behavioral health. Recognizing the strong evidence that social supports,
including family support, may have a positive impact on the treatment of HIV, Biden will support the
development of family-centered models for substance use disorder treatment and
recovery.
Make Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) available to all
who need it, reaching universal access no later than 2025. MAT (also referred to as
MOUD or Medications for Opioid Use Disorder) is regarded as the gold standard of care for
individuals with opioid use disorder. Yet, less than 50% of substance use disorder
facilities around
the country offer even one of the FDA-approved medications. The 21st Century
Cures Act, legislation Biden championed as Vice President, provided resources to states designed to expand
access to MAT. Biden will build on this in order to ensure universal
access to MAT for all who need it, including by:
Providing $20 billion for grants to dramatically expand
capacity to administer MAT across the country, especially in underserved
areas, including
establishing new facilities and developing training programs to increase the
number of professionals able to administer MAT.
Stopping insurance companies from erecting barriers to
coverage of MAT. For
example, insurers have imposed “fail first” protocols which require
prescribers to certify that other therapies were tried before covering MAT.
Insurers also may require that physicians obtain “prior authorization” for MAT
before prescribing it.
Removing undue restrictions on prescribing medications for
substance use disorder. For example, drugs containing buprenorphine were approved by the FDA in
2002 but a relatively small number of doctors or medical
personnel are certified to prescribe them. Biden will ensure that any undue restrictions on prescribing are
lifted and review methadone treatment regulations.
Help first responders and community health providers respond
to overdoses. Biden
will invest $10 billion to provide local communities with the tools needed to
prevent overdoses and respond to emergencies emanating from this crisis.
Ensure local communities have a sufficient supply of
overdose prevention drugs. Naloxone (also known as Narcan)
is a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose, making it a critical tool
in the fight to save lives. Biden will expand grants to states for the purchase
of Naloxone to be distributed to local community actors called upon to respond
to overdoses, including first responders, public health providers, and the
staff at homeless shelters and public libraries.
Demand that drug companies charge a fair price for overdose
drugs, including Naloxone. The Biden Administration will aggressively negotiate a reduction in the
drug’s price, on behalf of the federal government, and state and local
communities.
Support first responders. Police officers and firefighters are often the first
on the scene of an overdose. Biden will ensure they are equipped not just with
naloxone, but also with the mental health and resilience support anyone would
need after being exposed again and again to such trauma.
Invest in community-based prevention programs and a major
public education effort to eliminate the stigma surrounding substance use
disorder treatment. Biden
will invest $5 billion in community-based prevention efforts and public
education initiatives including training educators to recognize the signs of
mental health problems and substance use disorders and refer them to
appropriate services. Funds will also support evidence-based education programs
for young people on mental health and substance use disorders.
Expand the pipeline of medical personnel to treat substance
use disorders. Building
on legislation like the Opioid Workforce Act of 2019, Biden will work with
Congress to invest $5 billion to expand medical residencies and access to
education and training for medical personnel in substance use disorder
diagnosis and treatment. Funding will support training for primary care
providers, as well as other members of the health care team, to build an
integrated system of care.
Invest in research by doubling funding for the NIH HEAL (Helping to
End Addiction Long-Term) Initiative. This $10 billion investment will support efforts to improve
treatments for chronic pain.
Provide targeted interventions for particular
populations. Biden
will invest $10 billion in efforts specifically designed to support populations
with unique situations or needs. Biden will ensure a portion of this funding
for state and local governments is set aside for Tribal governments. In addition
to expanding veterans’ access to
substance use disorder and mental health treatment, Biden will direct his
Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure VA medical personnel are sufficiently
trained in safe prescribing practices and pain treatment. Bidenwill call upon the public health and
criminal justice systems to provide evidence-based substance use disorder
treatment, including MAT, for people during their incarceration and after their
release. Finally, Biden will expand investments to help children suffering from
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome or Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome, and to
ensure their mothers have access to effective treatment and care.
STOP OVERPRESCRIBING WHILE IMPROVING ACCESS TO EFFECTIVE AND NEEDED
PAIN MANAGEMENT
An essential part of our national strategy to address the opioid epidemic must
be stopping pharmaceutical companies’ practices that lead to overprescribing.
Yet at the same time, physicians still must effectively treat pain. Chronic
pain is a growing public health challenge with wide-ranging impacts: keeping
individuals out of the workforce, negatively affecting their mental and physical
health, contributing to suicidal ideation, and otherwise limiting their quality
of life. Biden believes we need to pursue two joint goals: eliminate
overprescribing of prescription opioids for pain, and improve the effectiveness
of and access to alternative treatment for pain. Biden will:
Support development of less addictive pain medications and
alternative pain treatments, and improve standards of quality for treatment. We need pain medications
that are less addictive and more effective. Biden will invest in NIH research
to develop these new medications. By doubling funding for NIH’s HEAL program,
Biden will accelerate research regarding alternative treatments and therapies
and help providers and patients better understand the options and access alternatives.
And, he will direct the FDA to give priority to new pain medications with a
documented reduced risk of addiction.
Expand coverage for alternative pain treatments. As documented in a recent study related to back pain,
some non-pharmacological pain interventions (e.g., psychological counseling,
acupuncture, physical therapy, or occupational therapy) are not consistently
covered or have administrative barriers to coverage (e.g., pre-authorization,
visit limits). In accordance with evidence-based medicine, Biden will call for
a requirement that Medicare, Medicaid, his proposed new public option, and
private insurance companies consistently and transparently cover alternatives
to opioids for chronic pain, without barriers such as prior authorization or
high levels of cost-sharing.
Provide training to medical personnel in pain management and
substance use disorder treatment. Building on the Obama-Biden Administration’s prior
efforts,
Biden will direct the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to work with
the medical community to support research and the development of curricula and
training regarding pain management. He will ensure that the systematic study of
pain management and substance use disorder is a mandatory part of the curricula
and material on which doctors and other medical personnel are tested. Those
seeking a federal DEA license to prescribe controlled substances will be required to receive training on
proper prescribing guidelines and pain management.
Expand the effectiveness of monitoring programs designed to
prevent inappropriate overprescribing of opioids. Prescription Drug Monitoring
Programs (PDMPs) are electronic databases designed to prevent drug abuse. For
example, a provider can check the database before prescribing in order to
determine whether his or her patient has been getting the same prescription
from multiple providers. In order to receive any of the $125 billion in new
grants under the Biden Administration, states will have to institute a
requirement that every prescriber checks the database every time they write a
new opioid prescription. Biden will also set aside some of these grant dollars
to ensure states improve Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs data-sharing
across state lines.
Ensure regular updating of the Centers for Disease the
Control and Prevention (CDC) prescriber guideline based on the best available
evidence. The CDC
has issued a guideline to help prescribers
make evidence-based decisions regarding when and how to prescribe opioids in
order to minimize the risk of abuse while also effectively treating pain. Biden
will ask the CDC to commit to regularly updating these guidelines as new
evidence emerges regarding opioid abuse risk factors and alternative pain
treatments. And, he will partner with health care providers and states to
maximize providers’ awareness and use of the guideline.
REFORM THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM SO THAT NO ONE IS INCARCERATED FOR
DRUG USE ALONE
Biden has released a criminal justice plan
that will strengthen America’s commitment to justice and reform our criminal
justice system by building a system focused on redemption and rehabilitation.
Biden believes that no one should be incarcerated for drug use alone, and as
President he will treat drug use as a disease rather than a crime.
Specifically, Biden will:
End all incarceration for drug use alone and instead divert
individuals to drug courts and treatment. Biden will require federal courts to divert these
individuals to drug courts so they receive appropriate treatment and services.
He’ll incentivize states to put the same requirements in place. And, he’ll
expand funding for federal, state, and local drug courts and other programs
that divert individuals who commit crimes as a result of or in furtherance of
substance use disorders to treatment rather than incarceration.
Get people who should be supported with social services –
instead of in our prisons – connected to the help they need. Too often, those in need of
mental health care or treatment for a substance use disorder do not get the
care that they need. Instead, they end up having interactions with law
enforcement that lead to incarceration. To change the nature of these
interactions, the Biden Administration will fund initiatives to partner mental
health and substance use disorder experts, social workers, and disability
advocates with police departments. These service providers will respond to
calls with police officers so individuals who should not be in the criminal
justice system are diverted to treatment for substance use disorder or mental
illness, when appropriate, or are provided with the housing or other social
services they may need.
STEM THE FLOW OF ILLICIT DRUGS LIKE FENTANYL, ESPECIALLY FROM CHINA AND
MEXICO
As part of a comprehensive agenda that prioritizes prevention, treatment,
recovery, and harm reduction, Biden believes that part of the solution to the
opioid crisis involves preventing bad actors from smuggling opioids and other
illicit drugs into our country. Specifically, Biden will:
Make fentanyl a top priority in our dealings with
China. The
Treasury Department has already sanctioned a small number of Chinese nationals in connection with
fentanyl – it’s a good start, but going after individuals will not alter Beijing’s
thinking long-term. Biden will pressure Beijing to crack down on illicit
fentanyl production in China and stem the flow of the drug into the United
States. Biden will also develop regional strategies in the Asia-Pacific and the
Americas to deal with shifts in the routes and sources of fentanyl in response
to a Chinese crackdown.
Enhance cooperation with Mexican authorities to disrupt the
movement of heroin and fentanyl across the U.S.-Mexico border. Chinese fentanyl is
frequently transshipped through Mexico, and then smuggled across the
border in pure form or combined with
heroin. As
China takes steps to police fentanyl and its precursors, production and
distribution will increasingly shift to Mexico. Biden will pursue strong,
sustained cooperation with Mexican authorities to disrupt suppliers and supply
routes, including the importation of precursor chemicals from China. The Biden
Administration will also provide technical assistance to enhance the Mexican
Post Service’s (SEPOMEX) ability to detect and electronically track shipments
of fentanyl and precursors that come through Mexico. As President, Biden will
repair the damage to U.S.-Mexico ties inflicted by Donald Trump and develop a
common agenda with Mexico that looks beyond our shared border to promote our
shared prosperity and protect U.S. national security interests.
Enforce sanctions on international actors engaged in the
trafficking of illicit drugs like heroin and fentanyl. Biden’s Treasury Department sanctions team will
map the financial institutions and networks that facilitate the distribution of
fentanyl and key precursors and develop sanctions packages based on that
evidence and task the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to
support these efforts with a focus on illicit finance.
Increase cooperation among global law enforcement
agencies. Biden
will direct U.S. law enforcement agencies to work closely with foreign
counterparts, share threat information, and use technology to assist in
tracking and seizing illicit shipments.
Ensure federal agencies have the tools and resources they
need to stop the flow of fentanyl from abroad. Fentanyl producers have exploited gaps in monitoring through
the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to flood the U.S. with the deadly product. Biden
will give the USPS the tools and resources it needs to carry out that mandate
and disrupt the large supplies of fentanyl that are sent through the mail
system, working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In addition, the vast majority of opioids and
fentanyl are shipped through legal ports of entry—not in between them. Rather
than waste resources building a wall or tearing families apart, Biden will
direct resources to the ports of entry to interdict opioid shipments there.
Combating the Opioid Epidemic and Substance Use
Disorders, Paid for By Making Sure Pharma Pays Its Fair Share
Biden’s $125 billion investment in a comprehensive response to the opioid
epidemic and substance use disorders is paid for by raising taxes on the profits
of pharmaceutical corporations.
The vigorous contest of Democrats seeking the 2020 presidential nomination has produced excellent policy proposals to address major issues. Vice President Joe Biden has released his plan for investing in communities through housing, “a right, not a privilege.” This is from the Biden Campaign:
Joe Biden is running for President to rebuild the middle class and ensure that this time everyone comes along. He believes the middle class isn’t a number, but a value set which includes the ability to own your own home and live in a safe community. Housing should be a right, not a privilege.
Today, however, far too many Americans lack access to affordable and quality housing. Nationwide, we have a shortage of available, affordable housing units for low-income individuals. Tens of millions of Americans spend more than 30% of their income on housing – leaving them with nowhere near enough money left over to meet other needs, from groceries to prescription drugs. And, tens of millions of Americans live in homes that endanger their health and safety.
Communities of color are disproportionately impacted by the failures in our housing markets, with homeownership rates for Black and Latino individuals falling far below the rate for white individuals. Because home ownership is how many families save and build wealth, these racial disparities in home ownership contribute to the racial wealth gap. It is far past time to put an end to systemic housing discrimination and other contributors to this disparity.
As President, Joe Biden will invest $640 billion over 10 years so every American has access to housing that is affordable, stable, safe and healthy, accessible, energy efficient and resilient, and located near good schools and with a reasonable commute to their jobs. Biden will do this by:
Ending redlining and other discriminatory and unfair
practices in the housing market.
Providing financial assistance to help hard-working
Americans buy or rent safe, quality housing, including down payment assistance
through a refundable and advanceable tax credit and fully funding federal
rental assistance.
Increasing the supply, lowering the cost, and improving the
quality of housing, including through investments in resilience, energy
efficiency, and accessibility of homes.
Pursuing a comprehensive approach to ending
homelessness.
While the housing challenges Americans face in different rural and urban
communities across the country may vary, every American in every zip code
should have access to housing that is:
affordable – taking up no more than 30% of income so
they have money left over to meet other needs;
stable – providing families with the
consistency they need to maintain jobs, perform well in
school, and develop social networks necessary for well-being;
safe and healthy – protecting families from
environmental and social risks from polluted air to lead contamination to gun
violence;
accessible – meeting the needs of individuals
with disabilities so they can live in their communities;
energy efficient and resilient – reducing our greenhouse
gas emissions and withstanding the impacts of climate change; and
located near good schools and with a reasonable commute
to their jobs.
END REDLINING AND OTHER DISCRIMINATORY AND UNFAIR PRACTICES IN THE
HOUSING MARKET
Protect homeowners and renters from abusive lenders and
landlords through a new Homeowner and Renter Bill of Rights. Modeled
on the California Homeowner Bill of Rights,
Biden will enact legislation to end many shortcomings in the mortgage and
rental markets. This new Bill of Rights will prevent mortgage brokers from
leading borrowers into loans that cost more than appropriate, prevent mortgage
servicers from advancing a foreclosure when the homeowner is in the process of
receiving a loan modification, give homeowners a private right of action to
seek financial redress from mortgage lenders and servicers that violate these
protections, and give borrowers the right to a timely notification on the
status of their loan modifications and to be able to appeal modification
denials. Building on the Obama-Biden Administration’s Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure
Act, the Bill of Rights will also expand protections for renters.
For example, the Bill of Rights will include a law prohibiting
landlords from discriminating against renters receiving federal housing
benefits.
Protect tenants from eviction. Housing evictions
can have devastating consequences for families and often stem from
relatively small shortfalls in
rent. As a former public defender, Biden appreciates the difference legal
representation can make for those facing eviction. As President, he will work
to enact Majority Whip James E. Clyburn and Senator Michael Bennet’s Legal Assistance to Prevent
Evictions Act of 2020, which will help tenants facing eviction
access legal assistance. He also will encourage localities to create eviction
diversion programs, including mediation, payment plans, and financial literacy
education programs.
Eliminate local and state housing regulations that
perpetuate discrimination. Exclusionary zoning has for decades been
strategically used to keep people of color and low-income families out of
certain communities. As President, Biden will enact legislation requiring any
state receiving federal dollars through the Community Development Block Grants
or Surface Transportation Block Grants to develop a strategy for inclusionary
zoning, as proposed in the HOME Act of 2019 by
Majority Whip Clyburn and Senator Cory Booker. Biden will also invest $300
million in Local Housing Policy Grants to
give states and localities the technical assistance and planning support they
need to eliminate exclusionary zoning policies and other local regulations that
contribute to sprawl.
Hold financial institutions accountable for
discriminatory practices in the housing market. The Obama-Biden
Administration held major national financial institutions accountable for
discriminatory lending practices, securing hundreds of millions of dollars in
settlements to help borrowers who had been harmed by their practices. And in
2013, the Obama-Biden Administration codified a
long-standing, court-supported view that lending practices that have a
discriminatory effect can be challenged even if discrimination was not
explicit. But now the Trump Administration is seeking to gut this
disparate impact standard by significantly increasing the burden of proof for
those claiming discrimination. In the Biden Administration, this change will be
reversed to ensure financial institutions are held accountable for serving all
customers.
Strengthen and expand the Community Reinvestment Act to
ensure that our nation’s bank and non-bank financial services institutions are
serving all communities. The Community Reinvestment Act currently
regulates banks, but does little to ensure that “fintechs” and non-bank lenders
are providing responsible access to all members of the community. On top of
that gap, the Trump Administration is proposing to weaken the law by
allowing lenders to receive a passing rating even if the lenders are excluding
many neighborhoods and borrowers. Biden will expand the Community
Reinvestment Act to apply to mortgage and insurance companies, to add a
requirement for financial services institutions to provide a statement
outlining their commitment to the public interest, and, importantly, to close
loopholes that would allow these institutions to avoid lending and investing in
all of the communities they serve.
Roll back Trump Administration policies gutting fair
lending and fair housing protections for homeowners. Biden will
implement the Obama-Biden Administration’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair
Housing Rule requiring communities receiving certain federal
funding to proactively examine housing patterns and identify and address
policies that have a discriminatory effect. The Trump Administration suspended this rule
in 2018. Biden will ensure effective and rigorous enforcement of the Fair
Housing Act and the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act. And, he will reinstate the
federal risk-sharing program which
has helped secure financing for thousands of
affordable rental housing units in partnership with housing finance
agencies.
Restore the federal government’s power to enforce
settlements against discriminatory lenders. The Trump Administration
has stripped the Office of Fair Lending
and Equal Opportunity, a division of the Consumer Financial
Protection Bureau, of its power to enforce settlements against lenders found to
have discriminated against borrowers – for example by charging significantly
higher interest rates for people of color than white individuals. Biden will
return power to the division so it can protect consumers from discrimination.
Tackle racial bias that leads to homes in communities of
color being assessed by appraisers below their fair value. Housing in
communities primarily comprised of people of color is valued at tens of thousands of dollars below
majority-white communities even when all other factors are the same,
contributing to the racial wealth gap. To counteract this racial bias, Biden
will establish a national standard for housing appraisals that ensures
appraisers have adequate training and a full appreciation for neighborhoods and
do not hold implicit biases because of a lack of community understanding. An
objective national standard for appraisals will also make it harder for
financial institutions to put pressure on appraisers to their benefit.
PROVIDE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO HELP HARD-WORKING
AMERICANS BUY OR RENT QUALITY HOUSING
Help families buy their first homes and build wealth by
creating a new refundable, advanceable tax credit of up to $15,000. Biden’s
new First Down Payment Tax Credit will help families offset the costs of
homebuying and help millions of families lay down roots for the first time.
Building off of a temporary tax credit expanded
as part of the Recovery Act, this tax credit will be permanent and advanceable,
meaning that homebuyers receive the tax credit when they make the purchase
instead of waiting to receive the assistance when they file taxes the following
year.
ProvideSection 8 housing vouchers to
every eligible family so that no one has to pay more than 30% of their income
for rental housing. Roughly three in four households eligible for
Section 8 rental assistance do not receive housing assistance because the
program is underfunded. Biden’s approach is straightforward: the Section 8
rental housing assistance program should be fully funded so that everyone
eligible gets the assistance they need to pay their rent for a safe home. Biden
will devote resources to both voucher-based rental assistance and the
project-based program. Over time, this approach will provide assistance to
at least 17 million low-income
families. And, as part of the Homeowner and Renter Bill of Rights, Biden will
enact a law prohibiting
landlords from discriminating against renters receiving federal housing
benefits.
Create a new renter’s tax credit to help more low-income
families. Biden will work with Congress to enact a new renter’s tax credit,
designed to reduce rent and utilities to 30% of income for low-income
individuals and families who may make too much money to qualify for a Section 8
voucher but still struggle to pay their rent. He will allocate $5 billion in
federal funding for the tax credit every year.
Expand housing benefits for first-responders, public
school educators, and other public and national service workers who commit to
living in persistently impoverished communities or who work in neighborhoods
with low affordable housing stock. Biden will expand the Good Neighbor Next Door program,
which is designed to help strengthen communities that have experienced
significant underinvestment and high rates of poverty while also providing
opportunities for first responders, educators, and those engaged in national
service to purchase homes in those same communities. Specifically, Biden will
expand the program through additional down-payment assistance, partnering with
state housing agencies, tribal governments, local governments, and state/local
banks to offer the program’s existing significant discount on the price of a
home on a larger pool of homes, and providing access to a low-interest loan to
rehabilitate these homes. And, he will ensure these resources are also
available to public servants who work in neighborhoods with low affordable
housing stock.
Create the Public Credit Reporting Agency. Being
able to obtain a credit report is a critical step for homeownership. But today
credit reports, which are issued by just three large private companies, are
rife with problems: they often contain errors, they leave many “credit invisible” due to the
sources used to generate a credit score, and they contribute to racial disparities.
Biden will create a new public credit reporting agency within the Consumer
Financial Protection Bureau to provide consumers with a government option that
seeks to minimize racial disparities, for example by ensuring the algorithms
used for credit scoring don’t have a discriminatory impact, and by accepting
non-traditional sources of data like rental history and utility bills to
establish credit.
Reducing Greenhouse Gases and Lowering Working
Families’ Electricity Bills
As Biden announced in his climate plan, he will set a target of reducing the
carbon footprint of the U.S. building stock 50% by 2035, creating incentives
for deep retrofits that combine appliance electrification, efficiency, and
on-site clean power generation. In addition to the $10 billion retrofitting fund
described below, other policies he will pursue to reduce the carbon footprint
of residential buildings include:
Directing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development to make housing for low-income communities more efficient.
Directing the U.S. Department of Energy to redouble
efforts to accelerate new efficiency standards for household appliances and
equipment.
Repairing and accelerating the building code process, and
creating a new funding mechanism for states and cities to adopt strict
building codes and train builders and inspectors.
Read Biden’s full plan to address the climate
emergency at joebiden.com/climate.
INCREASE THE SUPPLY, LOWER THE COST, AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF
HOUSING
Establish a $100 billion Affordable Housing Fund to
construct and upgrade affordable housing.
$65 billion in new incentives for state housing
authorities and the Indian Housing Block Grant program to construct or
rehabilitate low-cost, efficient, resilient, and accessible housing in areas
where affordable housing is in short supply. These funds will be
directed toward communities that are suffering from an affordability crisis and
that are willing to implement new zoning laws that encourage more affordable
housing.
$10 billion to make homes more energy efficient. This
retrofitting will lower families’ energy bills, create jobs for workers in the
trades in every state in the nation, and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.
$5 billion to increase the stock of affordable housing as
part of larger community development efforts. Specifically, these
funds will expand the HOME program, ensuring
that the program’s requirements are more conducive to supporting first-time
homebuyers, and the Capital Magnet Fund,
which spurs private investment in affordable housing and economic development
in distressed communities. Among other uses, localities can use these funds to
purchase vacant, underdeveloped, or underutilized property and construct
affordable housing.
Increase funding for the Housing Trust Fund by
$20 billion. Biden will increase the availability of affordable
housing through the Housing Trust Fund, paid for by an increase in the
assessment on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These additional dollars will support
the construction and rehabilitation of affordable housing units.
Provide tax incentives for the construction of more affordable
housing in communities that need it most. As President, Biden will
expand the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit –
a tax provision designed to incentivize the construction or rehabilitation of
affordable housing for low-income tenants that has created nearly 3 million affordable
housing units since the mid-1980s – with a $10 billion investment.
This investment will be designed to make the credit more efficient,
dramatically increasing the number of new or rehabilitated affordable housing
units. And, he will ensure that urban, suburban, and rural areas all benefit
from the credit. Biden will also invest in the development and rehabilitation
of single family homes across distressed urban, suburban, and rural
neighborhoods through the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act.
Invest in community development. In addition to
the community development Biden is proposing as part of his infrastructure initiative,
he will also expand flexible funding for the Community Development Block Grant
by $10 billion over ten years. The Community Development Block Grant funds
local efforts to expand affordable housing, improve infrastructure, and
increase economic opportunities for low-income individuals and communities.
These funds are flexible federal grants that localities receive to deal with
their specific challenges and support stabilization and infrastructure.
Eliminate local and state housing regulations that limit
affordable housing options and contribute to urban sprawl. Housing
policy can be used as a tool to battle climate change. Many lower- and
middle-income Americans are forced to live far away from job centers due to
high housing costs, leading not only to workers being overburdened by long
commutes and transportation costs, but also to higher greenhouse gas emissions.
Biden will tie new federal investments in housing to a requirement that states
and localities eliminate regulations that reduce the availability of affordable
housing and contribute to sprawl. He will direct his Secretaries of Housing and
Urban Development and Transportation to identify existing federal grant
programs that can be amended by adding zoning reform as a requirement. And,
Biden will expand investments in Local Housing Policy Grants to
give states and localities the technical assistance and planning support they
need to modernize housing regulations.
Ensure minority-owned businesses benefit from investment
in housing construction and repair. To further support wealth creation
among Black and Latino families, Biden will require his Administration to take
all available steps to make sure minority-owned businesses are able to benefit
from ongoing and new federal housing and infrastructure spending.
Use federal transit dollars to leverage local
investment in transit and affordable housing
Smart transit and regional planning policies are essential for ensuring
access to affordable housing, avoiding sprawl, improving quality of life by
reducing the distance between living and leisure areas, and mitigating
climate change. To meet these goals, Biden will ensure a portion of new
federal transit dollars are designed to leverage local investment in both
transit and affordable housing in transit corridors. Biden has proposed the
following new transit investments:
Offer tens of millions of Americans new transportation
options. Outside major cities, most Americans do
not have access to high-quality, reliable public transportation; and within
urban areas, it’s often in need of repair. As a result, workers and families
rely on cars, which can be a big financial burden, clog roadways, and –
along with light-duty trucks – significantly increase U.S. greenhouse gas
emissions. As President, Biden will aim to provide all Americans in
municipalities of more than 100,000 people with quality public transportation
by 2030. To that end, he’ll increase flexible federal investments, helping
cities and towns to install light rail networks and to improve existing
transit and bus lines. He’ll also help them to invest in infrastructure for
pedestrians, cyclists, and riders of e-scooters and other micro-mobility
vehicles. And, Biden will work to make sure that new, fast-growing areas are
designed and built with public transit in mind. Specifically, he will create
a new program that gives rapidly expanding communities the resources to build
in public transit options from the start.
Reduce congestion by working with metropolitan regions
to plan smarter growth. Biden will empower city, county, regional,
and state leaders to explore new, smarter, climate-friendly strategies to
help reduce average commute times and build more vibrant main streets.
Specifically, Biden will create a competitive grant program to help leaders
rethink and redesign regional transportation systems, to get commuters where
they are going safer, faster, and more efficiently. At the same time, Biden
will boost highway funding by 10% and allocate the new funding to states that
embrace smart climate design and pollution reduction, incentivizing them to
invest in greenhouse gas reduction. States will also be free to use existing
highway funding for alternative transportation options.
Connect workers to jobs. For too many
low-income workers, the cost of transportation and time it takes them to
commute to work every day are significant barriers. As President, Biden will
dedicate an additional $10 billion over 10 years specifically for transit
projects that serve high-poverty areas with limited transportation options,
so that workers seeking a better life won’t have to spend as much getting to
their jobs.
Read Biden’s full infrastructure plan at joebiden.com/infrastructure.
Ensure rural communities have access to affordable and
accessible homes. The Biden Administration will increase funding for
needed repairs of affordable rental housing properties and construction of new
property through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Housing Service,
including the Multi-Family Direct Loans and
the Single Family Direct Loans programs, which
support the construction of housing for low income, disabled, or elderly
individuals in rural communities. Majority Whip Clyburn’s 10-20-30 plan has already
been applied to a number of Rural Development programs in order to ensure a
portion of funds are dedicated to serving families living in areas facing
persistent poverty. As President, Biden will apply the
10-20-30 plan to all federal programs.
Expand funding for mission-driven, community-based
financial institutions that invest in building new housing in underserved
areas. As part of his plan to reinvest in communities across the
country, including in rural areas, Biden will expand funding for the Community Development Financial
Institutions Fund, which supports local, “mission-driven” financial
institutions in low-income areas around the U.S. – including those invested in
building new housing in underserved areas.
Drive additional capital into low-income communities to
spur the development of low-income housing. The New Markets Tax Credit
has drawn in $8 of private investment for every
$1 of federal investment in low-income communities by providing
tax credits to investors in community development organizations that support
everything from supermarkets to real estate projects to manufacturing
plants. Biden will expand the program
to provide $5 billion in support every year, and will make the program
permanent so communities can take the credit into account in their long-term
planning.
For all of these new housing
investments, those receiving assistance will be required to abide by
Davis-Bacon Act wage requirements so that jobs created with these investments
support family sustaining wages and benefits. And, the Biden Administration
will encourage the use of resources and materials that are sourced domestically,
as well as the use of project labor agreements.
Guarantee safe housing for our military families
The government has broken its trust with military families by providing
sub-par housing. Now, we have to work twice as hard to rebuild this trust.
That will require the utmost transparency and accountability from both the
government and the private sector partners charged with housing the families
of our service members. The Biden Administration will:
Enforce a comprehensive and standardized tenant Bill of
Rights for all military families, and as advocates have rightly demanded,
ensure U.S. Department of Defense senior leadership enforces compliance. We
won’t be making more empty promises to military families. We will hold these
landlords, and ourselves, accountable.
Require regular, standardized, objective, and published
reporting of military family satisfaction and concerns from all housing.
Establish a public-facing document outlining expectations
of quality and consequences for all housing providers and, when necessary,
terminate long-term leases held by private companies.
Read Biden’s full plan for military families at joebiden.com/militaryfamilies.
PURSUE A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO ENDING HOMELESSNESS
Develop a national strategy for making housing a right
for all. Biden believes everyone should have the right to a safe roof
over their head. On the first day of his Administration, he will direct his Secretary
of Housing and Urban Development to lead a task force of mayors and other local
elected officials to put on his desk within 100 days a roadmap for making this
right a reality nationwide. Mayors and local elected officials are on the front
lines of tackling homelessness, so Biden will use their expertise to help the
federal government identify best practices that should be replicated across the
country.
Provide emergency funding designed to tackle the
homelessness crisis. Biden will work with Congress to secure passage
of Congresswoman Maxine Waters’ Ending Homelessness Act.
This bill funds a comprehensive, holistic strategy to ending homelessness,
including everything from case management to emergency shelters to additional
housing vouchers for homeless individuals. In total, this law will invest $13
billion to tackle homelessness over five years, including $5 billion for
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants, and the law will create more than 400,000 additional
housing units for homeless individuals. In addition, Biden will ensure part of
this grant funding is specifically targeted to assist homeless children and
young adults.
Reform federal housing programs to ensure they take a
“housing first” approach to ending homelessness. The Trump
Administration has demonstrated acceptance of a
worldview that housing and food should be withheld until
homeless individuals tackle challenges such as addiction and mental illness.
This view isn’t just inhumane, it defies the evidence regarding what
works. More and more evidence is
making clear that a “housing first” approach – “guided by the belief that people
need basic necessities like food and a place to live before attending to anything
less critical, such as getting a job, budgeting properly, or attending to
substance use issues” – is an effective strategy for reducing
homelessness. So, while the Biden Administration will pursue a comprehensive
strategy addressing homelessness’ underlying causes – from making sure everyone
has access to quality mental health and addiction support, to increasing the
minimum wage and expanding workforce training, to changing the culture so more
LGBTQ teenagers are accepted in their homes – President Biden will make sure
our country commits to a “housing first” approach to ending homelessness. In
his first 100 days, Biden will direct his Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development to conduct a full review of federal housing policies to make sure
they pursue and incentivize the “housing first” approach. The Secretary will
identify all ways in which homelessness assistance grants can further support
rapid re-housing and long-term supportive housing. Supportive housing has been found to
have positive long-term impacts,
and rapid re-housing has been shownto lead to quick exits from
homelessness.
Reduce homelessness among veterans. The
Obama-Biden Administration cut the population of homeless
veterans by almost half. But with just over 23,000 veterans without shelter on
any given night, we have much more work to do. Biden will work with
Congress to continue to drive down veteran homelessness by permanently
authorizing the Supportive Services for Veterans Families program, which
provides critical funding for wrap-around services for those facing
homelessness. President Biden will also work to ensure that we better
understand the unique needs of women and LGBTQ veterans experiencing
homelessness. And, he will create safe, modern, clean, and recovery-oriented
housing for veterans being treated for substance use disorders and those who
are homeless by refurbishing buildings condemned or not in use, such as the
massive VA Los Angeles campus. Read Biden’s full plan to support our
veterans at joebiden.com/veterans.
Protect LGBTQ individuals. The Obama-Biden
Administration enforced the civil rights of the LGBTQ community, including by
ensuring federally funded homeless shelters provide housing according to an individual’s gender
identity and cannot refuse services based
on gender identity or sexual orientation. The Trump Administration has
since proposed allowing shelters to discriminate against transgender people
when determining their accommodations, for example by forcing transgender women
to sleep and use the bathroom in the same place as men. As President, Biden
will secure the passage of the Equality Act, ensuring
that no President can ever again single-handedly roll back civil rights
protections for LGBTQ individuals, including in housing and homeless shelters.
And, he will increase funding for the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act to
ensure LGBTQ individuals have access to transitional living programs that
provide essential services like job counseling and mental and physical health
care.
Expand access to supportive housing and services for
individuals with disabilities and the elderly. A Biden Administration
will increase the availability of supportive and accessible housing for seniors
and individuals with disabilities, including through the Supportive Housing for
the Elderly (“Section 202”) and
Supportive Housing for Individuals with Disabilities (“Section 811”) programs.
Biden also will increase resources for mental health services and substance use
disorder treatment, including through the Projects for Assistance in
Transition from Homelessness program.
Set a national goal of ensuring 100% of formerly
incarcerated individuals have housing upon reentry. If incarcerated
individuals do not find housing upon reentry, that lack of housing can be
completely destabilizing and limit their likelihood of successfully staying out
of the criminal justice system and fulfilling their potential. Biden will work
toward a goal of ensuring 100% of formerly incarcerated individuals – at the
federal and state level – have housing upon release. He’ll start by eliminating
barriers keeping formerly incarcerated individuals from accessing public
assistance, including housing support. He’ll direct the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development to only contract with entities that are open to
housing individuals looking for a second chance. And, he’ll expand funding for transitional
housing, which has been drastically cut under
the Trump Administration.
Ensure survivors of domestic and sexual violence have
safe, affordable housing
Biden has put forward a comprehensive plan to strengthen social supports for
survivors of domestic and sexual violence and human trafficking, including
helping victims secure housing, gain economic stability, and recover from the
trauma of abuse. The U.S. Conference of Mayors has identified domestic
violence as a top driver of family homelessness, and research points
to domestic violence as a key cause of homelessness for many women. And,
domestic violence survivors and their children often live in unstable housing
conditions, such as with relatives or friends in crowded and potentially
exploitative conditions or returning to abusive partners. Research demonstrates
that providing flexibility in eligibility, services, and support helps
survivors feel safer and rebuild their lives after violence.
The Biden plan will cut through the red tape that can slow down assistance
and limit options for survivors. Specifically, Biden will:
Establish a new coordinated housing initiative. Current
federal housing programs are insufficient for meeting the needs of domestic
and sexual violence survivors. Biden will bring federal agencies together to
create a comprehensive housing grant program tailored to survivors of
domestic and sexual violence. This grant program will include flexible
funding to support the practical needs of survivors; advocacy with landlords
and housing agencies to keep victims in housing; supportive services
including legal assistance, child care, and employment training; new
permanent housing vouchers; increased funding for the VAWA transitional
housing program; and home ownership opportunities.
Expand access to housing assistance. Biden
will strengthen the VAWA housing provisions, for example by making it easier for
victims to retain their federal housing subsidy when needed for safety
reasons.
Protect survivors from housing discrimination. The Fair Housing Act protects
women from gender discrimination in public and private housing, including
survivors who may be unfairly evicted from housing because of domestic
violence. The Trump Administration proposed rolling
back Fair Housing protections by making it harder to prove disparate impact
claims and allowing landlords and banks to use discriminatory practices. The
Biden Administration will vigorously enforce the Fair Housing Act. VAWA also
protects survivors from discrimination in subsidized housing and allows
survivors to transfer to new units if necessary for safety. But red tape
makes these provisions challenging to implement. The Biden plan will make it
easier for survivors to transfer their housing assistance and move to a new
home so that they can be safe.
Read Biden’s full plan to end violence against women at joebiden.com/VAWA.
Investing In Our Housing to Grow the Middle Class, Paid for by Making
Sure Corporations Pay Their Fair Share
Biden’s $640 billion investment in America’s housing is paid for by raising
taxes on corporations and large financial institutions. Specifically,
approximately $300 billion of the housing plan is devoted to new construction
and is encompassed in the $1.3 trillion infrastructure plan. The remaining
portion is paid for by instituting a financial fee on certain liabilities of
firms with over $50 billion in assets.
While most Americans give little consideration to foreign policy credentials of their candidates for president, over the “kitchen table” issues such as health care, education, taxes, foreign policy should loom largely over the 2020 election as Americans are waking up to the fact that while a president is for the most part constrained by the legislative branch (Congress) on what can be accomplished domestically (recall how Republicans obstructed Obama on health care, immigration reform, gun safety, climate action and infrastructure and why Medicare for All, a wealth tax may still be a pipe dream), a president is virtually unrestrained in making foreign policy at a time when the world is smaller and more globally interdependent, such as addressing climate change.
And while the Constitution theoretically gives Congress the power to declare war, presidents have found loopholes in addressing “imminent threats.” Trump has gone so much further in pulling out of treaties (the Iran nuclear deal), trade agreements and mutual assistance pacts like the Paris Climate Accord, while taking actions to weaken NATO alliance. The way he has dealt with North Korea has only made the world less safe and the list goes on: Iraq, Syria and ISIS, Turkey and the Kurds, Yemen, Venezuela, Australia.
Of the Democratic candidates for president, Vice President Joe Biden is hoping that voters will appreciate his vast experience (which Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg try to diminish because of his vote, along with just about every other Senator, to give George Bush power to address what they were told (lied) was an imminent threat of Saddam Hussein’s use of Weapons of Mass Destruction).
Now there are a few Democrats, like Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who are introducing legislation to rescind the 2002 AUMF and require the President to get Congress’ authorization for use of military force, make it specific and require reauthorization after a period of time. But that is already in the Constitution and they are faced with a president who has demonstrated over and over he does not respect the bounds or oversight on him by the Constitution, with Congress apparently unwilling to do anything about it.
Vice President returned to New York to speak again on foreign policy and the unfolding situation in Iran, drawing a contrast to how Trump has mishandled the situation. These are his prepared remarks:
Six months ago, here in New York City, I made the case that Donald Trump was “dangerously incompetent and incapable … of world leadership.”
In the past few days, in the wake of the killing of Iranian General Soleimani, Donald Trump has proven it beyond dispute.
The haphazard decision-making process that led up to it, the failure to consult our allies or Congress, and the reckless disregard for the consequences that would surely follow — was dangerously incompetent.
In the wake of such an enormous escalation that has exploded geo-politics in the region and put the United States and Iran on a collision course, what would we expect of an American President – and what have we heard from President Trump?
We have not heard a sober-minded explanation to reassure the American people about his decision and its consequences.
Not level-headed words meant to dial down tensions and take us off the path of conflict.
No press conference or consultation with Congress.
No — all we have heard from this president is tweets. Threats. Tantrums.
And all we have heard from his administration are shifting explanations, evasive answers, and repeated assertions of an imminent threat, without the necessary evidence to support that conclusion.
And since this is a president with a history of lying about everything — who has destroyed his own credibility, and that of the United States on the global stage — neither the American people, nor our allies, are inclined to take his word for it.
If there was an imminent threat that required extraordinary action, then we are owed that explanation — and the facts to back it up.
These are matters of deadly import, so let me be unmistakably clear: Donald Trump does not have the authority to go to war with Iran without Congressional authorization.
Working with Congress is not an optional part of the job. Presidential notification to Congress about the need to exercise war powers cannot be satisfied in 280 characters or less.
And no president should ever take the United States to war without securing the informed consent of the American people.
So — because he refuses to level with the American people about the danger in which he has placed American troops and our diplomatic personnel and civilians, as well as our partners and allies, or to demonstrate even a modicum of presidential gravitas — I will.
That starts with an honest accounting of how we got here.
Make no mistake: this outcome of strategic setbacks, heightened threats, chants of “death to America” once more echoing across the Middle East, Iran and its allies vowing revenge. This was avoidable.
The seeds of these dangers were planted by Donald Trump himself on May 8, 2018 — the day he tore up the Iran nuclear deal, against the advice of his own top national security advisors. The day he turned his back on our closest European allies, and decided it was more important to him to destroy any progress made by the Obama-Biden Administration than build on it to create a better, safer world.
When we had the Iran Deal, we had verifiably cut off every one of Iran’s pathways to a nuclear weapon. International inspectors repeatedly confirmed Iran’s compliance, as did our intelligence agencies. One of the greatest threats to stability in the region and global security was off the table.
And when the Iran Deal was in force, we did not have this dangerous cycle of tit-for-tat provocation and response.
There was a united front of allies and partners to address Iran’s other destabilizing actions throughout the region.
The Iran Deal was not only accomplishing the critical mission it was designed for, it created an environment where diplomacy was possible.
But Trump walked away — not Iran.
Trump made the United States the international outlier.
Trump re-imposed significant sanctions designed to exert “maximum pressure” on the regime, with claims that it would deter Iranian aggression and return Iran to the negotiating table to secure a much-promised “better deal.” And on both fronts, as many anticipated at the time, Trump’s promises were empty, baseless, and naïve.
And since then, all that has materialized is an utterly predictable cycle of escalating conflict with Iran.
Of course Iran would seek to demonstrate that the pressure we were exerting was not cost free – that it could take actions to make life more difficult for us, as well.
So Iran began again to enrich uranium beyond the limits allowed under the Iran deal. Iran attacked oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran shot down an unmanned U.S. surveillance drone.
Yet the administration had no plan to prevent, mitigate, or appropriately respond to these provocations. Instead, Trump acted erratically and impulsively. He ordered a retaliatory strike, then called it off at the last minute — feeding Iran’s sense of impunity.
Then, the administration imposed more sanctions, shot down an Iranian drone, issued a warrant to seize an Iranian oil tanker.
Before long, Iran attacked Saudi oil facilities and Iranian-backed militia in Iraq restarted rocket attacks against our bases. Until one of those attacks, against our base in Kirkuk, killed a U.S. citizen and wounded others. It was a tragic loss of life, and an act condemned by all Americans.
In response, Trump bombed five sites in Iraq and Syria tied to the militia group, killing at least 25.
Iraqi protestors, organized by Iranian-backed militia, assaulted our Embassy in Baghdad and breached the outer wall. No injuries were reported, but Trump was embarrassed by the images of a burnt-out reception area.
He ordered a drone strike to kill Soleimani — perhaps the second most important official in Iran — near the Baghdad airport. And rushed thousands more troops to the region to deal with the fallout.
Action and reaction. Provocation and response. All predictable — and, indeed, all predicted.
A president who says he wants to end endless war in the Middle East is bringing us dangerously close to starting a new one.
A president who says he wants out of the region sends more than 18,000 additional troops to deal with a crisis of his own making.
And an administration that claims its actions have made Americans safer in the same breath urges our citizens to leave Iraq and puts Americans throughout the region on notice because of the increased danger.
I have no illusions about Iran. The regime has long sponsored terrorism and threatened our interests. It continues to detain American citizens. They’ve ruthlessly killed hundreds of protesters, and they should be held accountable for their actions.
But there is a smart way to counter them — and a self-defeating way. Trump’s approach is demonstrably the latter.
Soleimani was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American troops and thousands of innocent lives throughout the region. He was the mastermind, but he was not the whole of the regime or its capacity to strike back.
So the question is: was the reward of removing a bad actor worth the risk of what comes next?
We don’t have any evidence to suggest that Trump or anyone around him thought seriously about that calculus. It’s been reported that the Pentagon — which has long warned against taking a shot like this — was shocked that Trump would take such a risk.
This is not just a question of whether Iran will retaliate — it almost certainly will — but what it will mean for our troops and our personnel throughout the region. What it will mean for our allies and partners who also have troops in harm’s way that are impacted by this decision. What it will mean for our long-term mission to counter Iran and prevent ISIS from bouncing back, and our ability to pursue our broader strategic aims in the region.
Already, we are seeing the fall out.
Iran has declared it will no longer abide by any of the constraints set up under the nuclear deal — putting it back on track to obtaining material for a nuclear weapon, and pushing the region closer to a nuclear crisis.
Our forces in Iraq and Syria are now focused on protecting themselves and preparing to leave — putting the counter-ISIS mission on hold, and allowing a deadly terrorist organization the room to regroup and reactivate.
The Iraqi parliament has voted to eject all American and coalition forces from the country. And however you may feel about an American military presence in the Middle East, there is a right way and a wrong way to draw down our troop presence. Getting unceremoniously kicked out is unequivocally the wrong way. And if we do end up having to leave, that would be another boon to Iran — tipping the balance of power in the region.
Where, just weeks ago, there were spontaneous protests across Iran against the regime, the killing of Soleimani has taken that pressure off the regime.
Trump’s impulsive decision may well do more to strengthen Iran’s position in the region, than any of Soleimani’s plots could have ever accomplished.
Whether or not we see more loss of life, more threats against American interests and assets — this is already a debacle.
And at what is possibly the most dangerous time in recent American history — at precisely the moment when we should be rallying our allies to stand beside us and hold the line against threats — Donald Trump’s short-sighted “America First” dogmatism has come home to roost.
Our closest allies are calling for restraint and de-escalation — on both sides. Making a moral equivalence between us and Iran.
Russia and China are quietly reveling in the prospect that the United States may once more be bogged down in another major conflict in the Middle East. They would love nothing more than to be able to pursue their own interests, and carve out their own spheres of influence, without the United States challenging them on human rights, on abusive trade practices, or on meddling in other nations’ democracies — because we are too busy fighting Iran.
We are alone. And we alone will have to bear the costs of Donald Trump’s folly.
This is also the moment when we most feel the lack of a functioning national security process or any investment in diplomacy.
After three years of hollowing out the State Department; disrespecting and dismissing our intelligence community; destroying the relationship between the White House and Capitol Hill; throwing out the deliberate policy making process that has served Republican and Democratic administrations for decades; corroding the value of the word of the United States; abusing our allies; embracing dictators; creating, not solving, foreign policy crises on the international stage — we are in a much worse position to meet the demands of this crisis than we were when President Obama and I left office.
President Trump has no strategy here. No endgame. And here’s the hardest truth of all: His constant mistakes and poor decision making have left us with a severely limited slate of options for how to move forward — and most of the options are bad.
But there are some key steps that any responsible commander in chief would take. And, while I don’t expect Donald Trump will listen to me, I hope he listens to those around him who understand the gravity of the threats we now face.
He should take all necessary steps to protect our forces and ensure the security of our diplomats, civilians, and overseas facilities — not just in the Middle East, but anywhere that Iran might strike back.
He should ensure that federal authorities are working with states, local governments, and private institutions to guard against the heightened risk of cyber attacks.
He should stop tweeting so he doesn’t box us in with his threats, such that the only options left to us or Iran are increasingly damaging strikes and counterstrikes.
And he should immediately reach out to our European partners and others to send private signals of deterrence and de-escalation to Iran and find a way to avoid the onrush of war.
The best way to do that, of course, would be for President Trump, to rejoin the Iran Deal and build on it — if Iran also moves back into compliance with its obligations — and re-establish international consensus about how to confront the threats from Iran.
The only way out of this crisis is through diplomacy — clear-eyed, hard-nosed diplomacy grounded in strategy, that’s not about one-off decisions or one-upsmanship. Diplomacy that is designed to de-escalate the crisis, protect our people, and secure our regional interests — including our counter-ISIS campaign.
No one wants war. But it’s going to take hard work to make sure we don’t end up there by accident.
Finally, and this one’s not optional, Mr. President, you have to explain your decisions and your strategy to the American people.
That is your job as President — Not Dear Leader, not Supreme Leader.
Democracy runs on accountability. And nowhere is that more important than in the power to make war and bring peace. You are required to work with Congress. You are required to abide by the War Powers Resolution. You cannot pursue a war with Iran absent Congressional authority. The existing AUMFs — the Congressional Authorizations for the Use of Military Force — do not apply.
The American people do not want, and our Constitution will not abide, a president who rules by fiat and demands obedience.
I served in the executive branch of our government for eight years, but I served in the legislative branch for 36 prior to that, and I understand better than anyone that the system will not hold unless we find ways to work together to advance our national interests — not the political interests of one person or one party.
We need to restore the balance of powers between the branches of government.
We need checks and balances that actually serve to check and balance the worst impulses of our leaders — in any branch.
We need to use our system to bring us together as a nation — not abuse it to rip us apart.
That’s not a naïve or outdated way of thinking. That’s the genius and timelessness of our democratic system, which has, for more than 240 years, allowed us to remake ourselves, reckon with our shortcomings, and move ever forward.
That’s what we owe to those brave men and women who step forward to wear the uniform of these United States; who dedicate their lives to diplomatic service; who choose to join the Peace Corps or to work in development; who represent the best of our country all around the world — and who are, today, doing so at greater risk because of the actions of our president.
Thank you — and in these dangerous times — may God protect our troops.
At a fundraiser before his speech, he told the gathering:
“Did you ever think you’d see the time when we would be engaged in potential conflict and our NATO allies would be applying a moral equivalence between what we do and what the Iranians do? I never thought I see that day I spent my entire professional career dealing with NATO and dealing with foreign policy…Now the president says he did this to make us safer. Make Americans safer. Yet, we’re surging another roughly 18,000 forces in the region. And we find ourselves in position where there’s no evidence that they thought through how to protect our diplomats and our military personnel.”
Mr. Biden used the Iran situation to argue “the next president better be able to on day one, know how to begin to bring things together.”
Later in the day, at another fundraising event, news of an Iranian air strike on a US military base in Iraq started breaking. Without more details about the event, Biden said he would only speak briefly and generally about what happened:
“What’s happening in Iraq and Iran today was predictable – not exactly what’s happening but the chaos that’s ensuing,” he said, faulting Trump for withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal and the recent order of a missile strike killing a high ranking Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani, according to the pool report by Julia Terruso of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“Some of the things he’s done and said in the meantime have been close to ludicrous, including threatening to bomb holy sites…And I just pray to God as he goes through what’s happening, as we speak, that he’s listening to his military commanders for the first time because so far that has not been the case.”
As Second Lady in the Obama Administration, Dr. Jill Biden worked closely with First Lady Michelle Obama on behalf of bettering lives for military families. VP Joe Biden, candidate for President, is proposing a plan to reinvigorate and expand that program for military families, caregivers and survivors. This is from the Biden campaign:
FACT SHEET: The Biden Plan to Fulfill Our Commitment to Military Families, Caregivers and Survivors
As parents of a service member who deployed to Iraq, Vice
President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden understand that it’s not just military
members who sign up to serve our nation, their families do too. The Bidens
understand the sleepless nights, wondering if your deployed loved one is safe;
the difficulties children experience while their parent is serving far away;
and all the added sacrifices and challenges, big and small, military families
face because they choose selfless service. Our military families never fail to
give their best to the United States, and we owe them our best in return.
Less than one percent of Americans sign up to serve. They volunteer to
shoulder the sacrifices necessary to keep our country safe. That’s why Vice
President Biden has long been adamant that, as a nation, our one truly sacred
obligation is to properly prepare and equip our troops when we send them to
war, and to take care of them and their families — during deployments and when
they return home.
Building on the Biden Commitment to Military Families
The Obama-Biden Administration made support for our military families a
signature issue–and a personal priority. Together with First Lady Michelle
Obama, Dr. Biden created Joining Forces, a national initiative driving
top-level focus on the issues that matter to military families, service
members, and veterans including employment, education, and wellness. Joining
Forces supported opportunities that led to the hiring or training of more
than 1.5 million veterans and
military spouses and drove reforms in all 50 states to reduce credentialing
barriers for qualified military spouses seeking employment. Dr. Biden also
supported the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) Military Spouse Employment
Partnership, which brought together hundreds of companies to help 100,000 military spouses find
jobs.
As a life-long educator, Dr. Biden spearheaded “Educate the Educators”–a
commitment from more than 100 colleges and universities to
take steps to meet the unique needs of military-connected children–and championed the GI Comparison tool to
help veterans and military family members choose high-quality post-secondary
educational institutions. She also worked to make sure that all 50 states signed the Interstate
Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children to better
address relocation challenges facing military school-aged children.
Vice President Biden and Dr. Biden continued this commitment after leaving
office, making support for military families a key focus of their continued
public service. The Biden Foundation sought to drive
economic opportunity for military spouses, create supportive educational
environments for military-connected children, and change the conversation
around mental health for service members, veterans, and their families.
As President and First Lady, the Bidens will ensure we keep our national
commitment to military families by relaunching and strengthening Joining
Forces, making it a priority for a Biden Administration.
We know that many future service members come from military families. So family
readiness is integral to mission readiness, both now and in the future. This
cannot be an afterthought. It is a national security imperative, and it should
be resourced and supported as such.
Providing Resources for Military Spouses, Caregivers, and
Survivors
Prioritizing Support for Military Children
President Biden will inspire a future generation of
Americans to volunteer for military service by ensuring we fulfill our
obligations to the generations who have already answered the call to serve our
country and by supporting the well-being of ALL military families.
Modernize Compensation to
Keep Pace with the Current Economy: Today,
more military families are struggling to make ends meet, and
some report food insecurity, lack of quality childcare, and poor financial health.
That is totally unacceptable. Military service members and their families risk
everything for our country–they must be guaranteed a living wage. But the
existing compensation framework simply does not allow military
families–especially those who are young and more vulnerable–to thrive in
today’s modern economy. President Biden will work aggressively to update the
federal workforce compensation framework for service members so that the
government leads the way in ensuring hard-working families can attain a middle
class life, and he will support legislation which will, in the meantime,
provide an additional allowance for military families living below the poverty
line.
Create Stability by
Increasing Time between Permanent Change of Station (PCS) Moves: Every year, more than 400,000 Permanent Change of Station
(PCS) moves occur for service members and their families. This
system is expensive, and it is broken. Military families consider frequent
relocation as a driver for negative outcomes in career opportunities for military
spouses, military child education, and the
development of supportive social networks. While every service member and
family understands that mission is paramount, we must invest in solutions that
build stability for families and set conditions for service member retention
and military family well-being.
As president, Biden will commission research and develop solutions to support
the increase of time between PCS moves while ensuring we meet targets for
Operational and Personnel Tempo in order to meet our national security demands.
This will require that we comprehensively examine the potential positive and
negative impacts of any changes to deployment cycles, unit assignment policies,
and force size calculations. One such solution could be investing in the
creation of virtual or hybrid learning scenarios for mandatory Professional
Military Education (PME) so that service members and their families can remain
in place, rather than PCS to a new base for a short educational tour.
Ensure Military Spouse
Professional and Economic Opportunity: Military
spouses are often more highly educated than their civilian peers, yet they face
an unemployment rate of around 30%. Frequent relocation
and high operational tempos often stifle their career trajectory. The military
personnel system was designed with the single-earner family in mind, but many
military families, like their civilian counterparts, depend on earning a second
income or simply want the opportunity for the military spouse to pursue a
career. Military families are increasingly experiencing challenges such
as food insecurity or insufficient savings for
emergencies, and with far too many military spouses unemployed or
underemployed, meeting these needs is a challenge. LGBTQ military spouses may
also be disproportionately affected when they reside in states that are allowed
to discriminate based on an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Trump Administration has not only allowed but encouraged these
discriminatory practices, all while claiming to support the military. It’s
hypocritical and just plain wrong.
To increase economic opportunity for military spouses, President Biden will:
Invest $500 million in a 3-year Department of Defense (DOD)
military spouse entrepreneurship pilot program, which will provide
micro-grants, mentorship, and technical assistance to military spouses who are
interested in starting or growing small businesses.
Ensure that the DoD’s Military Spouse Education and Career
Opportunity office is fully funded and staffed so that effective programming
such as the Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP), My Career
Advancement Account (MyCAA) scholarships, and the Military Spouse Transition
Program (MySTeP) have the opportunity to deliver results and raise awareness
and utilization among military families.
Build bridges between the private sector and the U.S.
government to help educate employers about the value of military spouse talent,
drive commitments to hire, retain, and promote them, and create concrete career
opportunities, as Joining Forces did.
Expand the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) to include
military spouses.
Undo the Trump administration’s discriminatory policies and
redouble efforts with state officials to ensure that LGBTQ military spouses
have the support they need to pursue successful careers.
Continue efforts begun during the Obama-Biden Administration
to put an end to unnecessary occupational licensing requirements. While
licensing is important in some occupations to protect consumers, in many
occupations licensing does nothing but thwart economic opportunity. If a
military spouse who works in an occupation that requires a license or
credential and has to move because of their military member’s career, they may
have to get certified all over again. As president, Biden will build on the
Obama-Biden Administration’s efforts to incentivize states to reduce unnecessary
licensing requirements and to ensure licenses are transferable from one state
to the next.
Fully fund installation-based child care facilities and
expand awareness of the DoD fee assistance program, as supported by leading advocates
for military families,, so that military spouses can more easily
pursue their educations and careers and tap into respite care to relieve
stressors of deployments.
Improve Support
for Caregivers:Caregivers of
wounded, ill, or injured service members and veterans face a variety of
challenges, including negative health outcomes, lost wages, and difficulties
planning their future. They are essential to military families and our
veterans, and we owe them the same commitment and support that they show to our
wounded, ill, or injured service members and veterans.
As president, Biden will:
Ensure that caregivers of active duty service members
receive adequate professional and peer support, including competent mental
health care, financial readiness training, and transition support throughout
the rehabilitation timeline (whether that is leading to the service member’s
medical retirement or a return to duty).
Provide transparency and high-touch case management via
in-person or telehealth sessions with caregiver coordinators for those
caregivers enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Caregiver
Support Program, especially to provide personalized assistance as they navigate
dual eligibility for benefits and services from both the DoD and VA.
A critical part of meeting our commitment to military
families is to do so on time, something the Trump Administration has failed to
do. President Biden will ensure that the eligibility expansion for the VA
Caregiver Support Program meets its timelines and collects longitudinal
satisfaction data through regular surveying of those enrolled or enrolling in
the program.
Help caregivers of wounded, ill, injured, or elderly
veterans pay for long-term care by providing relief through the creation of a
$5,000 tax credit for informal caregivers, modeled off of legislation supported
by AARP. This tax credit will be in addition to the financial support provided
by the VA Caregiver program.
Support proposals to expand opportunities for much needed
respite care for caregivers, to include those offered within DoD, VA, and
through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Institute a waiver for the Survivors’ and Dependents’
Educational Assistance Program (Chapter 35), so that spouses and survivors who
have not accessed their benefits in the allotted time frame will have the
opportunity to request additional time.
Improve Military Child
Education: There are more
than 1 million children of active
duty service members worldwide. Whether they are educated in Department of
Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools, local school districts, parochial
schools, home schools, or online schools, military children require support to
ensure they have every opportunity to succeed in their education.
As president, Biden will:
Propose legislation to expand the Military Student
Identifier (MSI) to all military-connected
children (to include children of National Guard and Reserve personnel
regardless of activation/order status), children of veterans, and children of
deceased service members or veterans, who are often impacted by the service of
their parents. Under the Obama-Biden Administration, we passed into law the
Every Student Succeeds Act, which included the MSI, a designation that allows
educators and schools to better understand where military-connected children
are receiving their education, and how we can better support
them. Currently, the MSI extends only to children of active duty service
members, excluding children of National Guard, Reserve, veterans, caregivers,
and children of the fallen. But these children face unique challenges too,
and we need to know who they are so we can determine what support they need .
Promote efforts across states to streamline enrollment
requirements, standardize educational resources, and train teachers and
school-based leadership to ensure we are meeting the unique needs of military
children effectively, no matter where they study or how often they have to
move.
Promote greater awareness of the Interstate Compact on
Educational Opportunity for Military Children among military families,
teachers, and administrators.
Create and disseminate training tools that empower
military-connected parents to better advocate for their children.
Provide financial incentives for school districts to train
educators on the unique needs and barriers faced by military-connected youth so
that they are able to help military children thrive, no matter where they
receive their education.
Support and protect post-9/11 GI benefits for veterans and
qualified family members by strengthening the GI Bill Comparison Tool and
School Feedback Tool to help put an end to post-secondary institutions’
predatory practices.
Enact legislation eliminating the so-called 90/10 loophole
that gives for-profit schools an incentive to enroll veterans, service members,
and military family members who are using the GI Bill or Tuition Assistance in
programs that aren’t delivering results.
Expand and
Improve Behavioral Health Services for Military Dependents: Children and spouses in military families are
resilient, but they do experience high levels of stress, whether due to
frequent moves, deployment and training schedules of the service member, or
weak social/emotional support networks. School-age children and adolescents who
experience separation from a parent (either through deployment or other
assignments) show higher levels
of emotional and behavioral distress. About 25 percent of high
school freshmen and juniors in a military family have reported suicidal
thoughts during the previous year, and the stresses of military life can exacerbate health issues,
among them depression, anxiety, or substance use disorders.
Biden has committed to achieving mental health parity, expanding access to
behavioral health care, and removing the stigma surrounding behavioral health
issues. He will redouble our efforts to ensure enforcement of mental health
parity laws and expand funding for mental health services.
It is also essential that we invest in an infrastructure that promotes health
and well-being, reduces risky behaviors, and provides timely, convenient access
to high-quality mental health and substance use/abuse services for military
dependents. We must ensure that DoD facilities are fully staffed, equipped,
resourced, and able to support the behavioral health of military dependents. If
this capacity is not in place, we must invest in solutions to create additional
affordable, accessible, and high-quality capacity in the civilian sector. Care
must be effective and grounded in evidence-based treatments. Providers must be
culturally competent, educated in the unique needs of military families. And
families who seek support should never go into debt for treatment or be
concerned about confidentiality.
The Biden Administration will:
Increase funding for and expand access to telehealth for
military families, particularly in areas not able to access timely care.
Expand the number of free, non-medical Military OneSource
counseling sessions for military families from 12 sessions to 18
and expand access to Coast Guard families regardless of activation status.
Invest in recruiting and retaining behavioral health care
professionals in military treatment facilities to ensure there are enough
clinicians to support the needs of not only our active duty force, but military
dependents.
Redefine the federal “Health Professional Shortage Areas”
(HPSAs) to specifically include military-impacted geographies.
Expand the National Health Services Corps to incentivize
early professional behavioral health providers to serve this population.
Re-prioritize and expand the work of the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) interagency task force on the
behavioral health needs of veterans and military families, to include issues
related to traumatic brain injury, substance use disorder and addiction, and
other related conditions. Additionally, President Biden will fully restore SAMHSA’s focus on
evidence-based solutions and appoint a specific position on the
Domestic Policy Council to drive a whole-of-government focus on these
issues.
Direct the Department of Defense to produce a robust, annual
report on the state of military family behavioral health, in coordination with
VA and SAMHSA.
Guarantee Safe
Housing: The government has
broken its trust with military families by providing sub-par housing. Now, we
have to work twice as hard to rebuild this trust. That will require the utmost
transparency and accountability from both the government and the private sector
partners charged with housing the families of our service members.
The Biden Administration will:
Enforce a comprehensive and standardized tenant bill of
rights for all military families, and as advocates have rightly demanded,
ensure DoD senior leadership enforces compliance. We won’t be making more
empty promises to military families. We will hold these landlords, and
ourselves, accountable.
Require regular, standardized, objective, and published
reporting of military family satisfaction and concerns from all housing.
Establish a public-facing document outlining expectations of
quality and consequences for all housing providers and, when necessary,
terminate long-term leases held by private companies.
Know our
Families: Long periods of
sustained war-fighting have made us reactive in our responses to military
family needs. To best support these families and optimize their health and
well-being, we must improve our understanding of their current and emerging
needs. We can’t be caught on our heels. We must anticipate and prepare
solutions that respond to the evolving needs of military families across the
military life cycle. We must be able to track and identify emerging trends so
that we can be nimble and responsive to the changing needs of our military
families.
As president, Biden will:
Convene a multi-disciplinary working group of policy makers,
program leaders, and research and subject-matter experts to construct a
strategic research plan to inform solutions to support military families.
Designate specific resources for research and development
related to military families outcomes within the budget of the Office of the
Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, to include resources
for research within both the Military Family and Community Policy and the
Defense Health Program.
Require that DoD work across the federal government to
leverage national and state-level assessments of health and well-being to
ensure they appropriately assess military affiliation in ongoing data
collections across the United States. It is imperative that all national
surveys include variables that allow us to examine how well military families
fare relative to others.
Vice President Joe Biden, candidate for president, with Dr. Jill Biden, issued a statement on Veterans Day, and his campaign issued a detailed plan about what a Biden Administration would do for veterans. Here are is the statement and fact sheet from the campaign:
John Steinbeck
memorably wrote that, “A soldier is the most holy of all humans, because [they
are] the most tested.” From Fort McHenry to San Juan Hill, from the Argonne
Forest to Midway, from the Mekong Delta to Fallujah, and on every battlefield
between, America’s veterans have always been the most tested among us — and
they have never failed in their duty.
In each generation, a small fraction of Americans serve and sacrifice on behalf
of us all. Less than one percent of our population risks everything to protect
our country, incurring in the rest of us a debt far greater than our nation
could ever repay. We have always believed that the most sacred obligation of
our government is to do right by the men and women who defend our nation at war
— to care for them and their families, both while they are deployed and after
they come home. It’s an obligation we are honor-bound to keep.
Veterans Day offers us a moment to reflect on that obligation, and to recommit
ourselves to all that it truly means. Every one of our veterans deserves
timely, world-class health care — the very best of what our country has to
offer. They deserve comprehensive mental health support, and a thoughtful,
well-funded plan to address the ongoing tragedy of veteran suicides. They deserve
a serious approach to ending veteran homelessness, and greater resources to
help them readjust to life at home once their service concludes. Not only
do they deserve
these things — their families and caregivers do, too.
Our veterans also deserve a leg up when it comes to educational and economic
opportunities — everything from tuition assistance to skills training to
entrepreneurship programs. That isn’t just for their benefit; America benefits
enormously from the leadership, talent, and experience of veterans who gird
every sector of our economy with sinew and smarts. The GI Bill was one of the
greatest engines of widespread prosperity our country has ever conceived,
helping to cement the most resilient middle class in the history of the world
in the wake of World War II. Our veterans and our country deserve that
commitment to be upheld and advanced.
Most of all, our veterans deserve leaders who will fight for them as ardently
and as forcefully as they have fought for us.
That’s why, on this Veterans Day, we are proud to release a detailed and
comprehensive plan to honor the full breadth of our obligation to veterans and their families — and to restore the sacred commitments
that this White House has seen fit to ignore.
This plan and this cause are personal to us. Over the course of many years, it
has been our honor to visit our troops in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, and
Afghanistan, and to witness their incredible strength of character firsthand.
We have been blessed to visit with wounded veterans in Landstuhl, Germany, and
at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, and to welcome troops to our
home for Thanksgiving dinners and spend many Christmas Days with the heroes at
Walter Reed. When our son Beau was deployed to Iraq for a year, we whispered
prayers, and learned a small portion of what sacrifice means to the families of
those who serve.
Every one of the more than 18 million veterans in our country has earned our
admiration and our gratitude — but it is our duty to repay them with something
more than that. We must honor their service with bold policies that meet our
sacred obligation, with opportunities commensurate to the sacrifices they and
their families have made, and with trustworthy national leadership.
FACT SHEET:
The Biden Plan to Keep Our Sacred Obligation to Our Veterans
Joe Biden
believes that as a nation, we have many obligations, but we have only one truly
sacred obligation: to properly prepare and equip our troops when we send them
into harm’s way, and to care for them and their families–both while they are
deployed and after they return home. As the parents of a son who deployed to
Iraq, Joe and Jill Biden understand the gravity of this promise. Our service
members ensure our freedoms, our security, and the very future of our country.
They are willing to sacrifice everything. Many do. And each of them deserves
our respect and enduring gratitude, both while on active duty and after
separating from service.
President Trump has repeatedly failed our veterans and ignored this sacred
obligation. From the outrage of deporting undocumented veterans without
checking their record of military service, to allowing his wealthy Mar-a-Lago
friends to drive veterans policy, to pursuing policies designed to privatize
and dismantle the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Trump neither
understands nor respects the idea of “duty, honor, country” that inspires our
brave military members to serve and imbues our veterans with pride.
The
Biden Record of Delivering for Our Veterans
Joe Biden has fought aggressively for our service members and veterans
throughout his career in public service. His record speaks for itself. On the
broad range of issues that matter to our brave military members and our
veterans, Joe Biden has always had their back.
As a senator, Joe Biden was an early advocate for Vietnam veterans who were
exposed to Agent Orange and other toxins to be able to access the care and
benefits they deserve.
He championed funding for prosthetics for veterans and mammogram coverage for
female veterans, fought for proper burial allowances, and supported the
concurrent receipt of retirement and disability pay for veterans. He
co-sponsored the legislation to establish the Vietnam, Korean, and WWII
memorials in Washington, D.C., as well as the post-9/11 GI Bill to provide
educational benefits to a new generation of heroes.
Biden also led the way in the Senate on critical issues to protect the health
of our military, most notably driving the fight to increase funding for
up-armored Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles (MRAPs)
by $23.6 billion, which saved thousands of lives and limbs of U.S. service
members in Iraq and Afghanistan. And he introduced legislation to prohibit
cuts to military medical care during times of war.
In the White House, Biden continued to be a clarion voice advocating for our
veterans. The Obama-Biden Administration accomplished major milestones, including cutting the population of homeless veterans by
almost half and reducing the unemployment rate for veterans by more than half.
In 2013, when an unacceptable backlog of veterans’ disability claims was
uncovered at the VA, the Obama-Biden Administration took aggressive action to
rectify the failures and ultimately reduced the backlog by nearly 90 percent in
just over three years. The Obama-Biden Administration also increased the
overall funding request for the VA by more than 85 percent during its years in office,
including a 76 percent increase in funding devoted to the
critical issue of veterans’ mental health. It successfully implemented the
new GI Bill and approved the long overdue expansion of benefits to those
suffering from Agent Orange-related conditions.
During the Obama-Biden Administration, the VA also led in creating the Blue Button app to help veterans access their
health data and medical records more easily. Today, Blue Button is used by
more than 2 million veterans.
Additionally, Dr. Jill Biden and First Lady Michelle Obama created and led
the Joining Forces initiative to build support for
our veterans and military families, including a focus on increasing
employment opportunities. Between April 2011 and the end of the
Administration, Joining Forces supported programs and secured commitments
from employers that led to the hiring or training of more than 1.5 million
veterans and military spouses.
Our longest wars have taken their toll, both on our newest generation of
veterans and on the system built to support them and previous generations of
veterans. According to the most recent census data, there are more than 18 million veterans in the United States, and today’s
veterans population has needs that the VA has never before addressed. This is
reflected both in the growing interest for “anywhere, anytime” health care
service models and in our growing understanding of behavioral health challenges,
the harmful impacts of burn pits, environmental toxins, traumatic brain injury,
and the devastating epidemic of opioid addiction and suicide. The VA must adapt
to meet the ever-evolving needs of the veteran community.
At the same time, the VA continues to struggle with poor organizational
performance, staff shortfalls, leadership gaps, and IT systems failures. The
integration of a new generation of veterans into the VA system has added a
substantial number of veterans eligible for health care and other benefits as
overall demand for services has surged, with the combination creating capacity
challenges across the system. Too often, the VA’s performance in terms of
access, outcomes, cost, and accountability is mixed. There have been both important
successes and intolerable failures or gaps in service. Solving these challenges
will require a substantial investment in talent, leadership time, budget, and
public attention. It’s what we owe our veterans. It is past time to rethink and
reinvent a better VA.
There is nothing partisan about improving support for service members,
veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors. As president,
Joe Biden will unite the country and restore the VA as the premier agency for
ensuring our veterans’ overall well-being by:
Providing
Veterans World Class Health Care to Meet Their Specific Needs
Driving
Progress to Eliminate Veterans Homelessness and Bring Down Suicide Rates
Creating
Meaningful Employment and Educational Opportunities
Improving VA
Management and Accountability.
To
support the VA mission, a Biden Administration will ensure coordination with
the Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD), state agencies, and the thousands of non-governmental organizations that
support this vital community. It will work faithfully to restore public trust
in the VA so that no one in the military community or beyond will ever again
question whether the United States of America keeps its promises to those who
serve our country.
Providing Veterans World Class Health Care to Meet Their
Specific Needs
The Veterans Health Administration serves upwards of 9 million veterans and is responsible for their
whole health, physical and mental. Studies have found that health outcomes at VA hospitals are often better than their non-VA counterpart, and more
than 90 percent of those who receive their health
services through the VA report that they would recommend it to a fellow
veteran. As president, Joe Biden will work to ensure that the VA provides the
world class health care that our veterans have earned and deserve and sets the
example for private sector care.
In the area of mental health, the VA and DoD have done pioneering work to
address the specific needs of veterans, deploying innovative treatment
solutions such as telehealth and other platforms to address a variety of
conditions. The private sector trails the VA in its ability to provide
behavioral health services to the nation as a whole, much less to understand
the unique needs of veterans.
At the same time, the VA is also struggling with a rapidly deteriorating
infrastructure, and many VA facilities are more than 60 years old. Further,
across the system, the variance in quality of — and access to — care is
unacceptable. As the demand for treatment has increased, the VA must
continually strive to improve services and outcomes for veterans, especially in
the areas of pain, polytrauma recovery, substance-use disorder (SUD),
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and
general behavioral health, in the most effective and cost-efficient way
possible.
In addition to protecting and building on the Affordable Care Act with a public option to expand access to quality,
affordable health care and lower costs, and commitments to keep rural hospitals open and expand health care
delivery models for rural areas, a Biden Administration will:
Rebuild trust
in the Department of Veterans Affairs. During the Obama-Biden Administration,
we improved access to health care offerings for veterans in their communities,
but there is still more work to do. Private sector points of care were designed
to provide care to veterans when it was faster, closer, or offered superior
services for a particular veteran’s needs. We must ensure that health care
purchased in the community actually improves access and convenience and does
not compromise the health of our veterans. President Biden will establish the
right balance of VA care and purchased care, region by region, based on veteran
needs, existing VA capacity, and availability of market alternatives.
Conduct a
thorough assessment of the staffing needs and requirements across the VA to
inform specific hiring initiatives and programs for attracting and retaining
medical professionals. This includes ensuring that professionals are working to
the full scope of their license and creating incentives to support health care
professionals joining the VA workforce.
Refine and
update Community Care Guidelines, ensuring that if a veteran
is referred to a community care provider that does not meet the same level of
access and quality as the VA, the veteran will be referred back to the VA.
This full-circle referral process will better ensure that veterans are seen in
a timely manner and receive the best possible quality of care.
Establish
cultural competency training protocols to ensure that providers in VA
facilities and in community care settings understand and are equipped to
support the needs of LGBTQ veterans in the health care setting.
Work with
Congress to improve health services for women veterans. Biden will ensure that
each VA Medical Center has at least one full-time women’s primary care
physician; and, within 200 days of taking office, make available a women
veterans training module for community health care providers. And, Biden will
work with Congress to enact the Deborah Sampson Act and ensure that the safety
and privacy concerns of women veterans are addressed throughout his
Administration.
Provide funding
to ensure there is safe, reliable child care at all VA Medical Centers.
Work with Congress to eliminate co-pays for preventive
health care for veterans, which can create unnecessary barriers to seeking
basic preventive care.
Expand the list
of presumptive conditions to ensure no veteran who experienced a TBI or had
exposure to burn pits or other environmental toxins goes without access to VA
health care and benefits. We cannot ask our veterans who are suffering to wait
decades, as we did with Agent Orange. President Biden will also increase access
to VA care beyond the 5-year eligibility window for combat veterans, as
conditions related to toxic exposure may take many years to manifest.
Increase
research dollars by $300 million to invest in better understanding the impact
of TBI and toxic exposures (including burn pits) on long-term health outcomes,
and continue to drive research focused on the needs of disabled veterans.
Ensure that
disabled veterans that require a prosthesis are able to access the most modern
prosthetics technology available, and that they are able to upgrade their
equipment at no cost as new developments occur.
Expand funding
for direct and purchase-care treatment for disorders related to the misuse of
alcohol and opioids in order to reduce unacceptably long wait-times for
treatment.
A Biden
Administration will support the legalization of cannabis for medical purposes
and reschedule cannabis as a schedule II drug so researchers can study its
positive and negative impacts. This will include allowing the VA to research
the use of medical cannabis to treat veteran-specific health needs.
Ensure the full
integration of veteran caregivers as members of the health care team for
veterans. The VA offers a diverse array of programs and supports for
caregivers, however, we must ensure that the VA remains a caregiver-friendly
environment and respects their role in ensuring the recovery and rehabilitation
of their loved one.
Increase
funding for and expand access to telehealth through the VA, particularly in
rural areas not able to access timely care.
Modernize VA
hospitals and clinics to serve our veterans better through a nationwide
infrastructure plan that provides a comprehensive refresh of VA health
facilities. Biden will retrofit VA’s existing brick and mortar physical
locations, where patient volume warrants, and repurpose older facilities to
meet new needs such as assisted-living facilities and long-term care
alternatives. Biden will improve both the buildings and equipment, so the VA
continues to lead in providing 21st century care.
Create safe,
modern, clean, and recovery-oriented housing for veterans being treated for
SUDs and those who are homeless by refurbishing buildings condemned or not in
use, such as the massive VA Los Angeles campus.
Driving Progress to Promote Veterans’ Mental Health and
Well-Being
Suicide is a public health crisis–the 10th leading cause of death in the
United States. As a society, we need to work together to eliminate the stigma
felt by those who are suffering and struggling with their mental health. There
is no shame in asking for help. As president, Joe Biden will increase access to
mental health treatment by enforcing full mental health parity and ensuring all
Americans have access to high-quality mental health care, regardless of their
insurance coverage status. Service members and veterans are at an elevated risk
of dying by suicide. Recent data show that, on average, 20 veterans and service members die by suicide every day,
and among some groups, the rate of suicide is rising alarmingly. Even one death
by suicide is devastating, and we must do more to stem the tide. The Trump
administration has grossly mismanaged this crisis, at one point leaving millions of VA dollars dedicated to suicide prevention efforts
unused, and that’s just not right. This is a serious challenge, and
our goal must be to remove the stigma in military communities to seek help,
ensure that every veteran that reaches out is immediately connected to support
and services, and to ultimately end the suicide crisis among veterans. As
president, Biden will ensure a multi-faceted, substantive, and sustained
commitment that addresses this as the public health emergency that it is.
The same is true when it comes to veterans experiencing homelessness. The
Obama-Biden Administration proved that we can make huge inroads to address this
persistent challenge with sustained attention and cross-coordination among
government departments. But with just over 23,000 veterans without shelter on any given night,
we have much more work to do.
A Biden Administration will:
Publish within
the first 200 days in office a comprehensive public health and cross-sector
approach to addressing suicide in veterans, service members, and their
families.
Work
aggressively to facilitate immediate access to mental health services for
veterans in crisis, to include standardizing performance expectations around
same day, walk-in and urgent mental health services; hiring more ER psychiatric
staff and peer specialists; expanding crisis line capacity to ensure all calls
are answered and appropriate referrals occur within hours; and implementing
specific programs to encourage veterans to prioritize their mental health by
reaching out to the VA when they need support. Within the first year in office,
President Biden will have a goal of completely eliminating wait times for
veterans who reach out with suicidal ideation so that they are immediately
taken into treatment.
Together with
states, community-based organizations, and employers, implement public
education and outreach initiatives to help veterans understand that care is
available and effective. We must work to end the culture of silence around
mental health issues and remove the stigma associated with getting mental
health treatment, particularly among service members who are more used to
helping others than asking for it themselves.
Ensure the
DoD’s Suicide Prevention Office and the VA have the resources and staff they
need to make smart investments with allocated funds–and that money dedicated
to suicide prevention efforts never goes unused.
Create a
national center of excellence for reducing veteran suicide, similar to the
National Center on Homelessness among Veterans. Biden will recruit top-level
leadership to build strategic partnerships and solutions that extend beyond the
VA’s health care system.
Require all
providers of veterans services funded by the VA to receive training on suicide
risk identification and safety planning, to include lethal means restriction
and appropriate response and reporting about suicide.
Enact policies
that promote the value and dignity of life by supporting programs that increase
economic stability; promote connectedness through structured social support; and
reduce risky behaviors, such as substance use, poor sleep, and improper firearm storage.
Expand capacity
at Vet Centers to ensure veterans in communities can access readjustment
counseling services and resources, including financial and long-term planning.
President Biden will specifically expand outreach and resources for veterans as
they experience periods of transition, not just out of the military, but
throughout their life, including into post-career retirement.
Tackle issues
that contribute to higher suicide risk. This includes implementing programs to
disseminate high-quality treatments for PTSD, ensuring that veterans have
access to the best treatments available no matter where they receive care, and
instituting policies that seek to eliminate discrimination, end harassment and
hold perpetuators of sexual assault in the military accountable. A Biden
Administration will not tolerate the sexual assault culture that has become all
too common in the military and veteran sector.
Work with
Congress to continue to drive down veteran homelessness by permanently
authorizing the Supportive Services for Veterans Families (SSVF) program, which
provides critical funding for wrap-around services for those facing
homelessness. President Biden will also work to ensure that we better
understand the unique needs of women and LGBTQ veterans experiencing homelessness.
Reform the
policy and review processes for veterans so that less-than-honorable discharges
will not be unjustly awarded for conduct directly linked to the behavioral
health effects of PTSD, TBI, or other trauma experienced while serving.
Creating Civilian Lives of Meaning and Opportunity
The Obama-Biden Administration worked tirelessly to bring down high
unemployment levels among our veterans. Over the course of 8 years, the
Obama-Biden administration cut the veteran unemployment rate by more than half.
That is vitally important progress, but now, we have to think about empowering
our veterans and their future employers with the tools they need to build
pathways to successful, long-term careers. Recent data indicate that veterans
are more likely than their civilian counterparts to take a job at lower skill-level. As president, Biden will
keep his foot on the gas to ensure that service members transitioning back to
civilian lives have the best opportunities to succeed and build fulfilling
futures.
A Biden Administration will:
Work closely
with DoD to ensure that the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) is implemented effectively
and that outcomes are regularly reported.
Ensure that
more transitioning service members are able to access job training and
placement services prior to their end of active duty service. By expanding
private sector relationships through programs like the SkillBridge program, Biden will give qualified
transitioning service members the opportunity to start building a meaningful
civilian career as early as possible.
Work with the
Department of Labor to enforce the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance
Act (VEVRAA) hiring benchmark among federal contractors
and subcontractors, and provide preferences and incentives to corporations that
meet the benchmark.
Promote
corporate mentorship programs between veteran-owned businesses and existing
contractors to support veteran entrepreneurship.
Ensure careful
implementation of the Forever GI Bill so that veterans receive the educational
benefits they have earned on time.
Implement
annual reporting to be led by the VA in partnership with the Department of
Education and promote interagency cooperation and data sharing to better
understand academic outcomes for all GI Bill users.
Develop
best-practice guidelines for supporting veterans in higher education to assist
higher education institutions to improve graduation rates among GI Bill
recipients and provide financial incentivizes for campuses that follow
guidelines and transparently report their outcomes.
Work
aggressively to close the 90/10 loophole on GI Bill and Tuition Assistance
dollars to keep for-profit bad actors from raiding the benefits service members
and veterans have earned.
Protect
undocumented members of our armed services, veterans, and their spouses from
deportation, because if you are willing to risk your life for this country, you
and your family have earned the chance to live safe, healthy, and productive
lives in America.
Work with DoD
and the Department of Homeland Security to provide timely naturalization for
those who have served honorably in our military, with an earned path to
citizenship prior to discharge or retirement.
Improving VA Management and Accountability
The agency charged with meeting the needs of our veterans–not only their
health care needs, but administering their full range of benefits and
overseeing the cemeteries that guard their honor in death–should not be
limited by outdated management tools and practices. Our veterans deserve the
best services available. As president, Biden will enhance the capacity of the
VA to serve our veterans as efficiently as possible by overseeing a
generational upgrade to clinical and management systems, by leveraging
commercial best-practices and modern technologies to meet the unique demands of
public sector mission.
A Biden Administration will:
Improve health
care access, quality, and customer experience by seamlessly augmenting direct care
with purchase care enabled under the Mission Act. Enhance the administrative,
financial, and operational systems that underpin the provision of care in the
network model by improving vital case management systems, quality oversight,
integrative health treatments and supporting administrative, financial and IT
systems. These reforms will help ensure access to high-quality care and a
first-rate customer experience that satisfies all veterans, regardless of where
they receive care.
Create
standards of health record interoperability that ensure a comprehensive health
record is provided by community care organizations back to the VA.
Invest in
improving human resource and management practices across the VA to strengthen
the customer experience for our veterans and deliver services more efficiently.
This will include a focus on workforce training and cultivating a culture
across the VA that places a premium on quality and service.
Leverage
options under the Mission Act to pilot alternative payment models and
prioritize care models that improve the quality of care, not just the volume of
services. Veterans should be able to access care in a way that works best
for them, not the way that is most convenient for the system, in particular
when it comes to meeting specific needs such as rehabilitation services, SUD,
and behavioral health.
Reduce delays
and errors in claims processing and in scheduling the medical exams necessary
for veterans to complete their disability claims. This has been a constant
source of frustration for veterans. The long delays in the system, and
rates of error — in both Regional Offices and the Board of Veterans’ Appeals —
are too long and too high, and unfairly delay adjudication of veterans
claims. A Biden VA will identify the sources of the problem and undertake
the investments in personnel and training needed to ensure that veterans
receive accurate decisions in a more timely manner.
Help more
veterans gain access to their own health data and medical records through
the Blue Button app. Blue Button has been downloaded by more than 2
million veterans and is increasingly being used by Medicare beneficiaries
and the private sector. By making Blue Button easier to use, the VA will
continue to lead the movement of patient-centered models of care.
Implement a
VA-hosted health record that can serve any and every American who wants one. We
can leverage Blue Button to access health information no matter where it is, to
allow veterans and citizens to manage and use it as they see fit. By putting
our veterans first, we can make the VA the nexus of the best care everywhere.
Create a
national health database for non-profit research scientists and the commercial
sector that would accelerate discovery of the best therapies against the
devastating diseases of our time: cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s, and
dementia. Biden will direct the VA to support the database using its
infrastructure, making access available to all. Veterans will be able to
choose, on an individual basis, whether or not to contribute their data. This
national repository for longitudinal health data will enable us to use
technological innovations to see patterns that people don’t easily recognize
and make connections we don’t normally make for the U.S. population as a whole.
Former Vice
President Joe Biden, in a hotly contested race for President, attacked Donald
Trump for his failed foreign policy in the wake of yet another missile test by
North Korea. Foreign policy is Biden’s
greatest strength among the Democratic rivals for 2020. Here is his statement:
This morning, North Korea fired two missiles in a
deliberate attempt to provoke its neighbors and intimidate the United States —
again. It was the 12th such test the regime has conducted since May in
violation of UN resolutions, and which President Trump has down-played. After
the latest round of denuclearization talks collapsed almost immediately in
Stockholm earlier this month, these tests are a stark reminder that Donald
Trump — a self-proclaimed deal maker — has achieved nothing but a string of
spectacular diplomatic failures that are making the American people less safe.
His “love letters” to murderous dictator Kim Jong Un have delivered little more
than made-for-TV moments. North Korea today has more fissile material and more
capability than when talks began, and Trump has given away our leverage —
including suspending military exercises with our allies and granting Kim
co-equal status at two summits with the president of the United States of
America — for practically nothing in return. Now a more confident Kim is
ticking up the pace of his violations because he believes he can pressure Trump
to bend to his will. There is no deal, because there is no strategy and no
patience for the kind of tough, hard diplomacy that actually produces results.
It’s a pattern we see over and over again. Donald Trump talks a big game,
promises the greatest deal ever, then gives away America’s best negotiating
tools in exchange for a photo op for himself. He only cares about his own
self-aggrandizement and self-enrichment. And every single time, it’s the
American people who end up paying.
He pulled us out of the successful Iran nuclear deal, promising he’d get a
better one. He hasn’t. And now, Iran has taken its nuclear program out of the
deep-freeze and ramped up its aggressive acts across the region — and Trump has
no strategy to deal with these predictable responses.
He pulled us out of the Paris climate accord and dismisses climate change as a
hoax. In less than a week, we will officially notify our departure from Paris,
even as California is on fire and states throughout the Midwest are still
recovering from record flooding over the summer.
He scuttled negotiations with the Taliban that might have opened the door to a
peace settlement, reportedly because he didn’t get the Camp David moment of
glory he wanted. Meanwhile he’s significantly weakened our negotiating position
by imposing a possibly politically-motivated timeline for removing our troops
from Afghanistan, without extracting any concessions from the Taliban in
return.
His vaunted Middle East peace deal has yet to emerge. He gave away our
strongest asset to take on ISIS by precipitously withdrawing our troops from
Northeast Syria. He promised to get tough with China, saying trade wars
were “good and easy to win.” But at more than a year in, what do we have to
show for it? Nothing but pain for American farming and manufacturing, and vague
promises that would only restore trade levels with China back to where they
were before Trump’s irresponsible trade war.
The American people can’t afford four more years of Donald Trump’s art of no
deals.
Vice President Joe Biden, candidate for the 2020 candidate
for President, issued a statement criticizing Trump’s “lack of strategy to
secure our nation against terrorist threats.”
The
successful operation to take Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi off the battlefield was a win
for American national security. And it’s an important reminder of the skill and
commitment of our military, intelligence, and national security professionals.
They are beyond compare.
I’m glad President Trump ordered the mission. But as more details of the raid
emerge, it’s clear that this victory was not due to Donald Trump’s leadership.
It happened despite his ineptitude as Commander-in-Chief.
It’s been reported that Trump’s reckless decision to withdraw our troops from
northern Syria forced the planning for the mission to be accelerated and the
timeline compressed. His erratic behavior made it harder and more dangerous for
the special forces carrying it out. And they had to fly through territory that
is now hostile to the U.S., taking fire along the way—including territory we
controlled just weeks ago.
Trump has also made it less likely we will be able to successfully replicate a
mission like this in the future. The operation leveraged a limited presence of
U.S. counterterrorism capabilities in the region, which he keeps trying to
dismantle. It was made possible by the work of intelligence professionals, who
he has relentlessly attacked. It relied on allies he has belittled, undermined,
and in some cases betrayed and abandoned.
Trump’s total disregard for our alliances and partnerships endanger any future
intelligence sharing or cooperation. In fact, the first people he saw fit to
thank after our brave troops were the Russians and the Iranian-backed Syrian
government. All this makes us less safe and less prepared for whatever
terrorist leader emerges next.
And make no mistake, the threat is not gone. One man does not constitute an
organization, and Trump has opened a path for ISIS to reconstitute itself under
new leadership by withdrawing troops from the region. In doing so, he has given
up our best asset to keep the pressure on ISIS during a dangerous period of
organizational chaos. His fixation on keeping troops in the region to defend
the oil fields betrays his true priorities—profit seeking—and will surely serve
as a tool for future terrorist recruitment. And with his decision to slash
humanitarian assistance to the region, it’s more likely that ISIS will be able
to insinuate itself back into areas where we had successfully rooted it
out.
There is a difference between deploying hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops to
the Middle East indefinitely, and keeping small numbers of special operations
and intelligence assets in place to maintain local partnerships and keep
pressure on terrorists. That’s the smart, strong, and sustainable strategy we
pioneered during the Obama-Biden Administration. That’s the effective policy we
put in place, which laid the groundwork to end ISIS’s territorial caliphate.
That’s the way we built the very relationships that ultimately delivered this
victory.
Now, Trump wants to tear it all down and walk away.
He has no strategy for securing our nation against terrorist threats. He has no
strategy for anything. Every day that Donald Trump directs American national
security is a dangerous day for the United States.
The
vigorous contest of Democrats seeking the 2020 presidential nomination has
produced excellent policy proposals to address major issues. In a recent poll,
Americans have indicated that education is a top issue. Vice President
Joe Biden has announced a detailed plan for education
beyond high school in order to build a stronger, more inclusive
middle class. This is from the Biden campaign:
For many, earning a bachelor’s degree, associate’s degree, or other credential
after high school is unaffordable or saddles them with so much debt it prevents
them from buying a home, saving for retirement. Or, it puts financial stress on
their parents and grandparents. In an increasingly globalized and
technology-driven economy, 12 years of education is no longer enough for
American workers to remain competitive and earn a good income. While 6 in 10
jobs require some education after high school, not all require a bachelor’s degree.
Biden is proposing a bold plan for education and training beyond high school
that will give hard-working Americans the chance to join or maintain their
place in the middle class, regardless of their parents’ income or the color of
their skin. Four years of college shouldn’t be the only path to the middle
class. Biden’s plan ensures every child in the U.S. can afford the path that
makes sense for them – whether its an industry credential, associate’s degree,
or bachelor’s degree. Coupled with his proposals to make sure there are quality
jobs ready for our workers, Biden is putting forward a bold plan to rebuild the
backbone of our country – the middle class – and this time make sure everyone
has the chance to come along.
As president, Biden will:
Invest in community colleges and training
to improve student success and grow a stronger, more prosperous, and more
inclusive middle class.
Strengthen college education as the
reliable pathway to the middle class, not an investment that provides
limited returns and leaves graduates with mountains of debt they can’t
afford.
Support colleges and universities that
play unique and vital roles in their communities, including Historically
Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions.
Earlier this
week, the campaign announced Women for Biden, highlighting how Trump’s
administration has turned its back on women. The Trump Administration’s failure
to deal with the student debt crisis is a perfect example. Women hold two
thirds of the nation’s $1.5 trillion student debt. Instead of reducing the debt
burden or expanding educational opportunities for women, Trump’s administration
– with Secretary Betsy DeVos leading the U.S. Department of Education – has
worked to cut access to education and sided with for-profit colleges and loan
companies over students and graduates.
Biden’s plan builds on his and Dr. Biden’s work to give hard working Americans
access to two years of community college without debt. A majority of community
college students are women and face unique barriers to completing their
degrees. Biden will expand these students’ access to needed services like child
care, and ensure that Pell Grants can be used for other costs like housing and
books.
This plan builds on Vice President Biden’s comprehensive plan to invest in our children’s
education from birth through 12th grade. And, in the months ahead, Biden will
also outline in further detail his proposals to make sure there are quality
jobs ready for our workers.
FACT SHEET: THE BIDEN PLAN FOR EDUCATION BEYOND HIGH SCHOOL
Joe Biden is
running for president to rebuild the backbone of the United States – the middle
class – and this time make sure everyone has a chance to come along. In
today’s increasingly globalized and technology-driven economy, 12 years of
education is no longer enough for American workers to remain competitive and
earn a middle class income. Roughly 6 in 10
jobs require
some education beyond a high school diploma. And, because technology continues
to change, American workers – whether they have an industry-recognized
credential, an associate’s degree, a bachelor’s degree, or a PhD – will need
opportunities to continue to learn and grow their skills for career success and
increased wages in the 21st century economy.
But for too many, earning a degree or other credential after high school is
unaffordable today. For others, their education saddles them with so much debt
it prevents them from buying a home or saving for retirement, or their parents
or grandparents take on some of the financial burden.
Biden is proposing a bold plan for education and training beyond high school
that will give hard-working Americans the chance to join or maintain their
place in the middle class, regardless of their parents’ income or the color of
their skin. President Biden will:
Invest in
community colleges and training to improve student success and grow a stronger,
more prosperous, and more inclusive middle class.
Strengthen
college as the reliable pathway to the middle class, not an investment that
provides limited returns and leaves graduates with mountains of debt they can’t
afford.
Support
colleges and universities that play unique and vital roles in their
communities, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities and
Minority-Serving Institutions.
All of these
proposals will be implemented in partnership with states as well as school
faculty and staff. Educators must play a key role in decisions affecting
teaching and learning.
Of course, increasing the quality and affordability of post-secondary education
system alone is not enough to make sure our middle class succeeds. This plan
builds on Vice President Biden’s comprehensive plan to invest in our children’s
education from birth through 12th grade. And, in the months ahead, Biden will
also outline in further detail his proposals to make sure there are quality
jobs ready for our workers.
INVEST IN COMMUNITY COLLEGES AND
TRAINING TO IMPROVE STUDENT SUCCESS AND GROW A STRONGER, MORE PROSPEROUS, AND
MORE INCLUSIVE MIDDLE CLASS
Dr. Jill Biden, a current community college professor, refers to community
colleges as America’s best kept secret. They are a proven, high-quality tool
for providing hard-working Americans access to education and skills and a
pathway to the middle class. In fact, today in the United States there
are an estimated 30
million quality jobs,
with an average salary of $55,000, that don’t require a bachelor’s degree.
Every year, millions of Americans attend community
colleges to get the credentials they need to obtain these jobs. And, community
colleges offer affordable, quality ways for students to complete the first two
years of a four-year degree.
Part of what makes community colleges so extraordinary is that, working with
limited resources, they have figured out how to provide a high-quality,
cost-effective education to students often juggling additional
responsibilities, such as jobs or child care. But as a country, we haven’t
invested enough in making sure community colleges can reach all the Americans
who could benefit from their programs, or improve their quality and completion
rates.
The Biden Administration will build on community colleges’ success and unleash
their full potential to grow a stronger, more inclusive middle class by:
Providing
two years of community college or other high-quality training program without
debt for any hard-working individual looking to learn and improve their skills
to keep up with the changing nature of work. In 2015, President Obama and Vice
President Biden proposed to make two years of community
college tuition-free for hard-working students. Since then, Vice President
Biden and Dr. Biden have championed progress toward this goal, and hundreds of state and local College Promise programs have expanded access
to free two-year or four-year college educations. As president, Biden will
build on this progress by enacting legislation to ensure that every
hard-working individual, including those attending school part-time and DREAMers
(young adults who came to U.S. as children), can go to community college for up
to two years without having to pay tuition. Individuals will also be able to
use these funds to pursue training programs that have a track record of
participants completing their programs and securing good jobs. Importantly,
this initiative will not just be for recent high school graduates; it will also
be available to adults who never had the chance to pursue additional education
beyond high school or who need to learn new skills. And, students who do want a
bachelor’s degree could then transfer to a four-year school, including to
Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions
that play vital roles in their communities. This plan will be a federal-state
partnership, with the federal government covering 75% of the cost and states
contributing the remaining obligation. The federal government will cover up to
95% of the cost for Indian Tribes operating community colleges serving
low-income students.
Creating
a new grant program to assist community colleges in improving their students’
success. The
Biden Administration will support community colleges implementing
evidence-based practices and innovative solutions to increase their students’
retention and completion of credentials. Reforms could include academic and
career advising services; dual enrollment; credit articulation agreements;
investing in wages, benefits, and professional development to recruit and
retain faculty, including teacher residencies; and improvements to remediation
programs. The Biden plan will also help community colleges around the country
scale successful programs to help a larger number of students.
Tackling
the barriers that prevent students from completing their community college
degree or training credential. There are too many Americans who don’t complete their
education or training programs not because of a lack of will, but because of
other responsibilities they are juggling, such as a job to pay their bills or
caring for children. Often these students and their families also face housing
and food insecurity. The Biden Administration’s community college initiative
will be a first-dollar program, meaning that students will be able to use their
Pell grants, state aid, and other aid to help them cover expenses beyond
tuition and fees. In addition, the Biden plan will give states financial
incentives to foster collaboration between community colleges and
community-based organizations to provide wraparound support services for
students, especially veterans, single parents, low-income students, students of
color, and students with disabilities who may face unique challenges.
Wraparound support services can range from public benefits and additional
financial aid to cover textbook and transportation costs that often keep
students from staying enrolled, to child care and mental health services,
faculty mentoring, tutoring, and peer support groups. And, Biden will establish
a federal grant program to help community colleges create emergency grant
programs for students who experience an unexpected financial challenge that
threatens their ability to stay enrolled.
Make
a $50 billion investment in workforce training, including community-college
business partnerships and apprenticeships. In 2014, President Obama asked Vice President Biden to develop
a national strategy for reforming our nation’s workforce training programs
designed to prepare “ready-to-work
Americans with ready-to-be-filled jobs.” Building on the successful models championed through that
initiative, President Biden will make an investment of $50 billion in
high-quality training programs. These funds will create and support
partnerships between community colleges, businesses, unions, state, local, and
tribal governments, universities, and high schools to identify in-demand
knowledge and skills in a community and develop or modernize training programs
– which could be as short as a few months or as long as two years – that lead
to a relevant, high-demand industry-recognized credential. These funds will
also exponentially increase the number of apprenticeships in this country
through strengthening the Registered Apprenticeship Program and partnering with
unions who oversee some of the best apprenticeship programs throughout our
nation, not watering down the quality of the apprenticeship system like
President Trump is proposing.
Invest
in community college facilities and technology. Biden will invest $8 billion to help
community colleges improve the health and safety of their facilities, and equip
their schools with new technology that will empower their students to succeed
in the 21st century.
STRENGTHEN
COLLEGE AS A RELIABLE PATHWAY TO THE MIDDLE CLASS
This challenge is also intergenerational. Almost one in ten Americans in their 40s and 50s
still hold student loan debt. But, college debt has especially
impacted Millennials who
pursued educational opportunities during the height of the Great Recession and
now struggle to pay down their student loans instead of buying a house, opening
their own business, or setting money aside for retirement.
There are several drivers of this problem. The cost of higher education has
skyrocketed, roughly
doubling since
the mid-1990s. States have dramatically decreased investments in higher education, leaving
students and their families with the bill. And, too often individuals have been
swindled into paying for credentials that don’t provide value to graduates in
the job market. As president, Biden will address all of these challenges.
Biden’s plan to make two years of community college without debt will
immediately offer individuals a way to become work-ready with a two-year degree
or an industry certification. It will also halve their tuition costs for
obtaining a four-year degree, by earning an associate’s degree and then
transferring those credits to a four-year college or university. And, as a
federal-state partnership, it will ensure states both invest in community
colleges and give states some flexibility to also invest in college readiness
or affordability at four-year institutions. In addition, President Biden will:
Target
additional financial support to low-income and middle-class individuals by
doubling the maximum value of Pell grants, significantly increasing the number
of middle-class Americans who can participate in the program. Pell grants help 7 million
students a year
afford college, but they have not kept up with the rising cost of college. In
the 1970s, Pell grants covered roughly 70 to 80
percent of the
cost of a four-year degree at a public institution; today, that percentage has
been cut in more than half, to roughly 30 percent. Biden will double the maximum value of the Pell
grant, a level of investment experts say is necessary to close the gap
between the rich and poor so that everyone has the opportunity to receive an
education beyond high school, and will automatically
increase the value based on inflation.
Doubling the maximum value of Pell grants will increase the grant value for
individuals already eligible for Pell and, given the program’s formula for
determining eligibility, expand the benefits of Pell to more middle class
Americans. As president, Biden will also take care of young immigrants by
ensuring DREAMers are eligible for financial aid if they meet other
requirements for that aid. And, he will restore formerly incarcerated
individuals’ eligibility for Pell.
More
than halve payments on undergraduate federal student loans by simplifying and
increasing the generosity of today’s income-based repayment program. Under the Biden plan, individuals
making $25,000 or less per year will not owe any payments on their undergraduate
federal student loans and also won’t accrue any interest on those loans.
Everyone else will pay 5% of their discretionary income (income minus taxes and
essential spending like housing and food) over $25,000 toward their loans. This
plan will save millions of Americans thousands of dollars a year. After 20
years, the remainder of the loans for people who have responsibly made payments
through the program will be 100% forgiven. Individuals with new and existing
loans will all be automatically enrolled in the income-based repayment program,
with the opportunity to opt out if they wish. In addition to relieving some of
the burden of student debt, this will enable graduates to pursue careers in
public service and other fields without high levels of compensation. Biden will
also change the tax code so that debt forgiven through the income-based
repayment plan won’t be taxed. Americans shouldn’t have to take out a loan to
pay their taxes when they finally are free from their student loans.
Make
loan forgiveness work for public servants. Public servants do the hard work that
is essential to our country’s success – protecting us, teaching our children,
keeping our streets clean and our lights on, and so much more. But the program
designed to help these individuals serve without having to worry about the
burden of their student loans – the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program –
is broken. Biden will create a new, simple program which offers $10,000 of
undergraduate or graduate student debt relief for every year of national or
community service, up to five years. Individuals working in schools,
government, and other non-profit settings will be automatically enrolled in
this forgiveness program; up to five years of prior national or community
service will also qualify. Additionally, Biden will fix the existing Public
Service Loan Forgiveness program by securing passage of the What You Can Do
For Your Country Act of
2019. Biden
will ensure adjunct professors are eligible for this loan forgiveness,
depending on the amount of time devoted to teaching.
Create
a “Title I for postsecondary education” to help students at
under-resourced four-year schools complete their degrees. The Biden Administration will
establish a new grant program to support under-resourced four-year schools that
serve large numbers of Pell-eligible students. The funds will be used to foster
collaboration between colleges and community-based organizations to provide
wraparound support services for students, especially veterans, single parents,
low-income students, students of color, and students with disabilities who may
face unique challenges. Wraparound support services can range from public
benefits and additional financial aid to cover textbook and transportation
costs that often keep students from staying enrolled, to child care and mental
health services, faculty mentoring, tutoring, and peer support groups. And,
Biden will ensure that these funds can be used to help colleges create
emergency grant programs for students who experience an unexpected financial
challenge that threatens their ability to stay enrolled.
Create
seamless pathways between high school, job training, community college, and
four-year programs to help students get their degrees and credentials
faster. The
Biden Administration will provide grants to states that work to accelerate
students’ attainment of credentials, including bachelor’s degrees, while still
ensuring quality and accountability. For example, some communities have adopted
the early college model, allowing students to begin earning credits towards an
associate’s degree while still in high school. And, in some areas students can
be dual enrolled in the community college and the four-year program they wish
to complete. Biden will challenge more communities to expand on these
accelerated pathways and create a seamless transition between high school,
community college, other job training, and four-year programs, enabling
students to obtain an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in less time. Approaches
to accelerating degree attainment include guided pathways that provide a
sequence of classes for a specific area of study; shifting toward a 12-month
academic calendar; better aligning high school, community college, and
four-year college courses; providing college credits for quality,
degree-related on-the-job training; and offering degree-related paid
internships for course credit. Read more about Joe Biden’s plan for education from birth
through 12th grade here.
Prioritize
the use of work-study funds for job-related and public service roles. Biden will work to reform federal
work study programs to ensure that more of these funds place students in roles
where they are either learning skills valuable for their intended careers, or
contributing to their communities by mentoring students in K-12 classrooms and
community centers.
Stop
for-profit education programs from profiteering off of students. Students who started their
education at for-profit colleges default on their student loans at a rate three times
higher than
those who start at non-profit colleges. These for-profit programs are often
predatory – devoted to high-pressure and misleading recruiting practices and
charging higher costs for lower quality education that leaves graduates with
mountains of debt and without good job opportunities. The Biden Administration
will require for-profits to first prove their value to the U.S. Department of
Education before gaining eligibility for federal aid. The Biden Administration
will also return to the Obama-Biden Borrower’s Defense Rule, forgiving the debt
held by individuals who were deceived by the worst for-profit college or career
profiteers. Finally, President Biden will enact legislation eliminating
the so-called 90/10 loophole that gives for-profit schools
an incentive to enroll veterans and servicemembers in programs that aren’t
delivering results.
Crack
down on private lenders profiteering off of students and allow individuals
holding private loans to discharge them in bankruptcy. In 2015, the Obama-Biden Administration
called for Congress to pass a law permitting the discharge of private student
loans in bankruptcy. As president, Biden will enact this legislation. In
addition, the Biden Administration will empower the Consumer Financial
Protection Bureau – established during the Obama-Biden Administration – to take
action against private lenders who are misleading students about their options
and do not provide an affordable payment plan when individuals are
experiencing acute periods
of financial hardship.
Support
and protect post-9/11 GI benefits for veterans and qualified family members. Veterans and their family
members served our country and as a nation, we must maintain our commitment to
GI benefits. The Obama-Biden Administration took groundbreaking action to
ensure that veterans and their family members were empowered to make informed
decisions regarding their education and, in turn, ensure that programs
educating them met high quality standards. President Biden will build and
convene coalitions of experts and advocates to continue this work. He’ll also
strengthen the GI Bill Comparison Tool and School Feedback
Tool to put an
end to post-secondary institutions’ predatory practices.
SUPPORT
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES THAT PLAY UNIQUE AND VITAL ROLES IN THEIR COMMUNITIES
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges And
Universities (TCUs), Hispanic-serving Institutions (HSIs), Asian American And
Native American Pacific Islander-serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), Alaska
Native-serving Institutions and Native Hawaiian-serving Institutions (ANNHs),
Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs), and Native American-serving Nontribal
Institutions (NASNTIs) serve a disproportionate number of students of color and
low-income students, yet are severely under-resourced, especially when compared
to other colleges and universities.
As president, Biden will take steps to rectify the funding disparities faced by
HBCUs, TCUs, and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) so that the United States
can benefit from their unique strengths. Students at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs will
benefit from Biden’s proposals to double Pell grants, slash the income-based
repayment of loans to 5% of income, and provide free tuition for students at
all community colleges, including those that are MSIs. In addition, Biden will
invest over $70 billion in these colleges and universities to:
Make
HBCUs, TCUs, and under-resourced MSIs more affordable for their students. The Biden plan will invest $18
billion in grants to these four-year schools, equivalent to up to two years of
tuition per low-income and middle class student, including DREAMers and
students who transfer to a four-year HBCU, TCU, or MSI from a tuition-free
community college. Schools must invest in lowering costs, improving retention
and graduation rates, and closing equity gaps year over year for students of
color.
Invest
in the diverse talent at HBCUs, TCUs and MSIs to solve the country’s most
pressing problems. The Biden Administration will invest $10 billion to create at least
200 new centers of excellence that serve as research incubators and connect
students underrepresented in fields critical to our nation’s future – including
fields tackling climate change, globalization, inequality, health disparities,
and cancer – to learning and career opportunities. These funds will provide
additional work study opportunities and incentivize state, private, and
philanthropic dollars for these centers. Biden will also boost funding for
agricultural research at land-grant universities, many of which are HBCUs and
TCUs, as outlined in his Plan for Rural
America. As
president, Biden will also dedicate additional and increased priority funding
streams at federal agencies for grants and contracts for HBCUs and MSIs. And,
he will require any federal research grants to universities with an endowment
of over $1 billion to form a meaningful partnership and enter into a 10%
minimum subcontract with an HBCU, TCU, or MSI.
Build
the high tech labs and facilities and digital infrastructure needed for
learning, research, and innovation at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs. Biden will invest $20 billion in
infrastructure for HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs to build the physical research
facilities and labs urgently needed to deliver on the country’s research and
development, to update and modernize deteriorating facilities, including
by strengthening the Historic
Preservation program,
and to create new space for increasing enrollments, especially at HSIs. While
schools will be able to use these funds to upgrade the digital infrastructure,
Biden will also support TCUs and other institutions in rural areas by investing
$20 billion in rural broadband infrastructure and tripling funding to expand
broadband access in rural areas. Additionally, as president, Biden will ensure
all HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs have access to low-cost federal capital
financing programs and
will work with states to ensure they can take advantage of these programs. And,
he will work to incentivize further public, private, and philanthropic
investments in school infrastructure.
Provide
support to continuously improve the value of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs by investing
$10 billion in programs that increase enrollment, retention, completion, and
employment rates. These programs may include partnerships with both high
schools, other universities, and employers; evidence-based remedial courses;
academic and career advising services; and investing in wages, benefits, and
professional development and benefits to recruit and retain faculty, including
teacher residencies. Additionally, Biden will incentivize states, private, and
philanthropic dollars to invest in these programs, while ensuring schools that
do not receive matches increase their competitiveness.
Expand
career pathways for graduates of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs in areas that meet
national priorities, including building a diverse pipeline of public school
teachers. Biden
will invest $5 billion in graduate programs in teaching, health care, and STEM
and will develop robust internship and career pipelines at major research
agencies, including Department of Energy National Laboratories, National
Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and the Department of
Defense.
Triple
and make permanent the capacity-building and student support for HBCUs, TCUs,
and MSIs in Title III and Title V of the Higher Education Act. These funds serve as a lifeline to
under-resourced HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs year over year, ensuring that the most
vulnerable students have the support they need to succeed. The Biden
Administration will make permanent $750 million per year in Title III and Title
V funding, which will provide a dedicated revenue stream of $7.5 billion over
the first ten years.
Reduce
disparities in funding for HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs. Biden will require federal agencies
and states to publish reports of their allocation of federal funding to
colleges and universities. When inequities exist between HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs
and similar non-HBCU, TCU, MSI colleges, federal agencies and states will be
required to publish robust rationale and show improvements in eliminating
disparities year over year. To ensure funding is more equitably distributed
among HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs, the Biden Administration will require that
competitive grant programs make similar universities compete against each
other, for example, ensuring that HBCUs only compete against HBCUs. And,
President Biden will require higher education accreditors to provide increased
transparency in their processes.
Additionally,
Biden recognizes the critical role low-endowment private colleges and universities
play in providing educational opportunities and jobs in many rural communities.
As president, he will establish an innovation competitive grant fund for these
institutions, giving them additional funds to invest in increasing graduation
rates; closing ethnic, racial, and income disparities; and increasing career
outcomes for low-income students, students of color, first-generation students,
and students with disabilities..
SUPPORTING LEARNERS AND WORKERS,
NOT REWARDING WEALTH
The Biden plan for education beyond high school is a $750 billion investment
over ten years targeted at growing a stronger, more inclusive middle class. It
will be paid for by making sure that the super-wealthy pay their fair share.
Specifically, this plan will be paid for by eliminating the stepped-up basis
loophole and capping the itemized deductions the wealthiest Americans can take
to 28%.
For more on Vice President
Biden’s plan, see HERE. To
see how Vice President Biden’s plan would impact you, click HERE.
Vice President Joe Biden announced a detailed plan to end the epidemic of gun violence. (c) Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
Former Vice President Joe Biden became the latest 2020 Democratic Candidate to come out with a detailed plan to end the epidemic of gun violence, once again proving that there is no shortage of pragmatic plans to solve the most intransient, important issues we face as a nation and a world – what has been lacking is political will. Have you seen a plan from Donald Trump? Me neither. – Karen Rubin, News-Photos-Features.com
This is from the Biden 2020 campaign:
Former
Vice President Joe Biden announced a detailed plan to end America’s gun
violence epidemic ahead of his participation in the Giffords
and March for Our Lives presidential gun safety forum in Las Vegas,
Nevada.
While Democratic leaders and the American public have reached an undeniable and
broad consensus about what needs to be done to address the gun violence
epidemic that has engulfed communities across America, Donald Trump, Mitch
McConnell, Congressional Republicans, and the NRA refuse to take any sensible
action. As president, Biden will not let anyone hold our nation’s children,
families, and communities hostage to the scourge of gun violence Americans face
every day.
Biden is introducing a bold, comprehensive plan that
not only calls for common sense gun safety reform, but outlines how he is going
to get it done for the American people. Biden’s plan calls for universal
background checks, closing loopholes in the background check system, banning
assault weapons and high capacity magazines, incentivizing states to establish
red flag law, holding gun manufacturers accountable, and investing in public
health research regarding the causes and prevention of gun violence.
As a leader who has championed common sense gun safety laws both as a United
States Senator and Vice President, Biden has unmatched substantive expertise on
addressing gun violence. He has been pushing the conversation on ending gun
violence for at least 25 years. And he has taken on the NRA twice and won –
first with the Brady Bill, which established firearms background check system,
and then securing the passage of a ten-year ban on assault rifles and high-capacity
magazines together with Senator Dianne Feinstein.
Based on his expertise and experience on this issue, Biden’s plan also includes
three standout sections that further demonstrate how he will end the gun
violence epidemic:
Addressing
the daily combination of guns and domestic violence;
Tackling
urban gun violence with targeted, evidence-based community interventions; and
Supporting
survivors of violence and their communities.
On
the second anniversary of the deadliest mass shooting in modern American
history, Vice President Biden released a statement decrying Donald Trump’s
continued inaction on sensible gun reform and his capitulation to the NRA.
Biden also declared, “We can beat the NRA; we can get those weapons of war
off our streets; and we can make sure our children don’t grow up in constant
fear. Real leadership — moral leadership — can get these reforms done.”
Today’s plan follows Biden for President’s release of “Purpose,” a video
of gun safety advocate Fred Guttenberg who credits Biden for helping inspire
his mission as a gun safety advocate after his 14-year-old daughter was killed
in Parkland, Florida.
FACT SHEET:
THE BIDEN PLAN TO END OUR GUN VIOLENCE EPIDEMIC
Vice President Joe Biden presents a plan to address gun violence as a public health epidemic. (c) Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com.
Joe Biden knows that gun violence is a public health epidemic. Almost 40,000 people die as a result of firearm injuries every year in the United States, and many more are wounded. Some of these deaths and injuries are the result of mass shootings that make national headlines. Others are the result of daily acts of gun violence or suicides that may not make national headlines, but are just as devastating to the families and communities left behind.
Joe Biden has taken on the National Rifle Association (NRA) on the national stage and won – twice. In 1993, he shepherded through Congress the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, which established the background check system that has since kept more than 3 million firearms out of dangerous hands. In 1994, Biden – along with Senator Dianne Feinstein – secured the passage of 10-year bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. As president, Joe Biden will defeat the NRA again.
Joe Biden also knows how to make progress on reducing gun violence using executive action. After the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, President Obama tasked Vice President Biden with developing both legislative proposals and executive actions to make our communities safer. As a result of this effort, the Obama-Biden Administration took more than two dozen actions, including narrowing the so-called “gun show loophole,” increasing the number of records in the background check system, and expanding funding for mental health services.
It’s within our grasp to end our gun violence epidemic and respect the Second Amendment, which is limited. As president, Biden will pursue constitutional, common-sense gun safety policies. Biden will:
Hold gun manufacturers accountable. In 2005, then-Senator Biden voted against the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, but gun manufacturers successfully lobbied Congress to secure its passage. This law protects these manufacturers from being held civilly liable for their products – a protection granted to no other industry. Biden will prioritize repealing this protection.
Get weapons of war off our streets. The bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines that Biden, along with Senator Feinstein, secured in 1994 reduced the lethality of mass shootings. But, in order to secure the passage of the bans, they had to agree to a 10-year sunset provision and when the time came, the Bush Administration failed to extend them. As president, Biden will:
Ban the manufacture and sale of assault
weapons and high-capacity magazines. Federal law prevents
hunters from hunting migratory game birds with more than three shells in their
shotgun. That means our federal law does more to protect ducks than children.
It’s wrong. Joe Biden will enact legislation to once again ban assault weapons.
This time, the bans will be designed based on lessons learned from the 1994
bans. For example, the ban on assault weapons will be designed to prevent
manufacturers from circumventing the law by making minor changes that don’t
limit the weapon’s lethality. While working to pass this legislation, Biden
will also use his executive authority to
ban the importation of assault weapons.
Regulate possession of existing assault
weapons under the National Firearms Act. Currently, the National Firearms
Act requires individuals possessing machine-guns, silencers, and short-barreled
rifles to undergo a background check and register those weapons with the Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Due to these requirements,
such weapons are rarely used in
crimes. As president, Biden will pursue legislation to regulate possession of existing
assault weapons under the National Firearms Act.
Buy back the assault weapons and
high-capacity magazines already in our communities. Biden will also
institute a program to buy back weapons of war currently on our streets. This
will give individuals who now possess assault weapons or high-capacity
magazines two options: sell the weapons to the government, or register them
under the National Firearms Act.
Reduce stockpiling of weapons. In order
to reduce the stockpiling of firearms, Biden supports legislation restricting
the number of firearms an individual may purchase per month to one.
Keep guns out of dangerous hands. The
federal background check system (the National Instant Criminal Background Check
System) is one of the best tools we have to prevent gun violence, but it’s only
effective when it’s used. Biden will enact universal background check
legislation and close other loopholes that allow people who should be
prohibited from purchasing firearms from making those purchases. Specifically,
he will:
Require background checks for all gun
sales. Today,
an estimated 1 in 5 firearms are
sold or transferred without a background check. Biden will enact universal
background check legislation, requiring a background check for all gun sales
with very limited exceptions, such as gifts between close family members. This
will close the so-called “gun show and online sales loophole” that the
Obama-Biden Administration narrowed, but which cannot be fully closed by
executive action alone.
Close other loopholes in the federal
background check system. In addition to closing the “boyfriend
loophole” highlighted below, Biden will:
Reinstate the Obama-Biden policy to keep
guns out of the hands of certain people unable to manage their affairs for
mental reasons, which President Trump reversed. In 2016, the
Obama-Biden Administration finalized a rule to make sure
the Social Security Administration (SSA) sends to the background check system
records that it holds of individuals who are prohibited from purchasing or
possessing firearms because they have been adjudicated by the SSA as unable to
manage their affairs for mental reasons. But one of the first actions Donald
Trump took as president was to reverse this rule.
President Biden will enact legislation to codify this policy.
Close the “hate crime loophole.” Biden will
enact legislation prohibiting
an individual “who has been convicted of a misdemeanor hate crime, or received
an enhanced sentence for a misdemeanor because of hate or bias in its
commission” from purchasing or possessing a firearm.
Close the “Charleston loophole.” The Charleston
loophole allows people to complete a firearms purchase if their background
check is not completed within three business days. Biden supports the proposal
in the Enhanced Background Checks Act of
2019, which extends the timeline from three to 10 business days.
Biden will also direct the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to put on his
desk within his first 100 days as president a report detailing the cases in
which background checks are not completed within 10 business days and steps the
federal government can take to reduce or eliminate this occurrence.
Close the “fugitive from justice”
loophole created by the Trump Administration. Because of actions by the
Trump Administration, records of almost 500,000 fugitives from justice who are
prohibited from purchasing firearms were deleted from the background check
system. The Biden Administration will restore these records, and enact
legislation to make clear that people facing arrest warrants are prohibited
from purchasing or possessing firearms.
End the online sale of firearms and
ammunitions. Biden
will enact legislation to
prohibit all online sales of firearms, ammunition, kits, and gun parts.
Create an effective program to ensure
individuals who become prohibited from possessing firearms relinquish their
weapons. Federal
law defines categories of individuals who are prohibited from purchasing or
possessing firearms, and the federal background check system is an effective
tool for ensuring prohibited persons cannot purchase firearms. But we lack any
serious tool to ensure that when someone becomes newly prohibited – for example,
because they commit a violent crime – they relinquish possession of their
firearms. There are some promising models for how this could be enforced. For example, California
has a mandatory process for ensuring relinquishment by any individual newly
subject to a domestic violence restraining order. As president, Biden will
direct the FBI and ATF to outline a model relinquishment process, enact any
necessary legislation to ensure relinquishment when individuals newly fall
under one of the federal prohibitions, and then provide technical and financial
assistance to state and local governments to establish effective relinquishment
processes on their own.
Incentivize state “extreme risk”
laws. Extreme risk laws, also
called “red flag” laws, enable family members or law enforcement officials to
temporarily remove an individual’s access to firearms when that individual is
in crisis and poses a danger to themselves or others. Biden will incentivize
the adoption of these laws by giving states funds to implement them. And, he’ll
direct the U.S. Department of Justice to issue best practices and offer
technical assistance to states interested in enacting an extreme risk law.
Give states incentives to set up gun
licensing programs. Biden will enact legislation to give
states and local governments grants to require individuals to obtain a license
prior to purchasing a gun.
Adequately fund the background check
system. President
Obama and Vice President Biden expanded incentives for
states to submit records of prohibited persons into the background checks
system. As president, Biden will continue to prioritize that funding and ensure
that the FBI is adequately funded to accurately and efficiently handle the NICS
system.
ADDRESSING
THE DEADLY COMBINATION OF GUNS AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
The statistics tell a devastating and overwhelming story. The likelihood that a
woman in a domestic violence situation will be killed increases by a factor of five if a
gun is nearby. Half of mass
shootings involve an individual shooting a family member or former intimate
partner. This deadly connection tragically impacts children as well: 86% of children
killed in shootings with four or more victims were involved in domestic or
family violence.
Biden recognizes that the gun violence and domestic violence epidemics are
linked and cannot be solved in isolation. Addressing the interconnectedness of
these challenges will be a core focus of Biden’s anti-violence work as
president.
The Violence Against Women
Reauthorization Act of 2019, which Leader McConnell refuses to bring
to the floor for a vote, includes a number of reforms to keep firearms out of
the hands of abusers. Senator McConnell should ensure this legislation gets
passed long before President Biden would take the oath of office. But if
McConnell refuses to act, Biden will enact legislation to close the so-called
“boyfriend loophole” and “stalking loophole” by prohibiting all individuals
convicted of assault, battery, or stalking from purchasing or possessing
firearms, regardless of their connection to the victim. This proposal is
modeled after existing laws in California,
Connecticut, Hawaii, Nevada, New York, and Pennsylvania. Biden also supports
enacting the proposal to
prohibit anyone under a temporary restraining order from purchasing or
possessing a firearm before their hearing.
In addition, President Biden will:
Establish a new Task Force on Online
Harassment and Abuse to focus on the connection between mass shootings, online
harassment, extremism, and violence against women. As President,
Joe Biden will convene a national Task Force with federal agencies, state
leaders, advocates, law enforcement, and technology experts to study rampant
online sexual harassment, stalking, and threats, including revenge porn and
deepfakes — and the connection between this harassment, mass shootings,
extremism and violence against women. The Task Force will be charged with developing
cutting-edge strategies and recommendations for how federal and state
governments, social media companies, schools, and other public and private
entities can tackle this unique challenge. The Task Force will consider
platform accountability, transparent reporting requirements for incidents of
harassment and response, and best practices.
Expand the use of evidence-based
lethality assessments by law enforcement in cases of domestic violence. Lethality
assessments, sometimes called “risk” or “danger” assessments, are a proven
strategy to help law enforcement officers identify domestic violence survivors
who are at high risk of being killed by their abusers. These survivors are then
connected with social service programs that can offer services and safety
planning. An evaluation of the Lethality Assessment Program (LEP) created by
the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence showed promising results.
Increased federal funding will incentivize jurisdictions to take advantage of
implementing these programs more widely.
Make sure firearm owners take on the responsibility
of ensuring their weapons are used safely.
Put America on the path to ensuring that
100% of firearms sold in America are smart guns. Today, we have
the technology to allow only authorized users to fire a gun. For example,
existing smart gun technology requires a fingerprint match before use. Biden
believes we should work to eventually require that 100% of firearms sold in the
U.S. are smart guns. But, right now the NRA and gun manufacturers are bullying
firearms dealers who try to sell these guns. Biden will stand up against these
bullying tactics and issue a call to action for gun manufacturers, dealers, and
other public and private entities to take steps to accelerate our transition to
smart guns.
Hold adults accountable for giving
minors access to firearms. Biden supports legislation holding
adults criminally and civilly liable for directly or negligently giving a minor
access to a firearm, regardless of whether the minor actually gains possession
of the firearm.
Require gun owners to safely store their
weapons. Biden
will pass legislation requiring firearm owners to store weapons safely in their
homes.
Empower law enforcement to effectively
enforce our gun laws.
Prioritize prosecution of straw
purchasers. “Straw
purchasers” buy a firearm on behalf of an individual who cannot pass a
background check. Biden will end those loopholes by enacting a law to make all
straw purchases a serious federal crime and ensure the U.S. Justice Department
has sufficient resources to prioritize their prosecution.
Notify law enforcement when a potential
firearms purchaser fails a background check. Too often, when prohibited
persons attempting to buy a firearm fail a background check, state and local
law enforcement is never informed of the attempt. As president, Biden will
direct the FBI to set up a process to ensure timely notification of denials to
state and local law enforcement, and he’ll support legislation to
codify this process. This empowers law enforcement to follow up and ensure
prohibited persons do not attempt to acquire firearms through other means.
Require firearms owners to report if
their weapon is lost or stolen. Responsible gun owners have a responsibility
to inform law enforcement if their weapon is lost or stolen. Biden will enact
legislation to make this the law of the land.
Stop “ghost guns.” One way people
who cannot legally obtain a gun may gain access to a weapon is by assembling a
one on their own, either by buying a kit of disassembled gun parts or 3D
printing a working firearm. Biden will stop the proliferation of these
so-called “ghost guns” by passing legislation requiring that purchasers of gun
kits or 3D printing code pass a federal background check. Additionally, Biden
will ensure that the authority for firearms exports stays with the State
Department, and if needed reverse a proposed rule by
President Trump. This will ensure the State Department continues to block the
code used to 3D print firearms from being made available on the Internet.
Reform, fund, and empower the U.S.
Justice Department to enforce our gun laws. Biden will direct his
Attorney General to deliver to him within his first 100 days a set of
recommendations for restructuring the ATF and related Justice Department
agencies to most effectively enforce our gun laws. Biden will then work to secure
sufficient funds for the Justice Department to effectively enforce our existing
gun laws, increase the frequency of inspections of firearms dealers, and repeal
riders that get in the way of that work.
Direct the ATF to issue an annual
report on firearms
trafficking. This report will provide officials with critical
information to better identify strategies for curbing firearms trafficking.
TACKLE URBAN
GUN VIOLENCE WITH TARGETED, EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNITY INTERVENTIONS
Daily acts of gun violence in our communities may not make national headlines,
but are just as devastating to survivors and victims’ families as gun violence
that does make the front page. And, these daily acts of gun violence
disproportionately impact communities of color. But there is reason to be
optimistic. There are proven strategies for
reducing gun violence in urban communities without turning to incarceration.
For example, Group Violence Intervention organizes
community leaders to work with individuals most likely to commit acts of gun
violence, express the community’s demand that the gun violence stop, and
connect individuals who may be likely perpetrators with social and economic
support services that may deter violent behavior. These types of interventions
have reduced homicides by as much as 60%. Hospital-Based Violence
Intervention engages young people who have been injured by gun
violence while they are still in the hospital, connecting them to social and
economic services that may decrease the likelihood they engage in or are
victims of gun violence in the future. Biden will create a $900 million, eight-year
initiative to fund these and other types of evidence-based
interventions in 40 cities across the country – the 20 cities with the highest
number of homicides, and 20 cities with the highest number of homicides per
capita. This proposal is estimated to save more than 12,000
lives over the eight-year program.
Dedicate the brightest scientific minds
to solving the gun violence public health epidemic. In 2013, President Obama issued a memorandum clarifying
that a longstanding appropriations rider that prohibited the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other federal scientific agencies from
using federal dollars to “advocate or promote gun control”
does not prohibit those agencies from researching the causes and prevention of
gun violence. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) subsequently embarked on funding
some of this research, though Republican leadership in Congress refused to
appropriate any funds to the CDC for this work. Biden will call for Congress to
appropriate $50 million to
accelerate this research at the CDC and NIH.
Prohibit the use of federal funds
to arm or train educators to discharge firearms. We should be passing rational gun laws, not requiring educators
who already have too much on their plates to also protect the safety of their
students. Biden supports barring states from using federal dollars to arm or
train educators to discharge firearms.
Address the epidemic of suicides
by firearms. Biden believes any plan to
address the gun violence epidemic must address suicides by firearms, which
account for 6 in 10 gun-related
deaths but are often left out of the conversation. Many of the policies noted
above – including safe storage requirements and extreme risk protection orders
– will have a serious impact on efforts to reduce gun violence. But there’s so
much more we need to do to support people experiencing suicidal ideation. In
the months ahead, Biden will put forward a comprehensive plan to improve access
to mental health services.
SUPPORTING
SURVIVORS OF VIOLENCE AND THEIR COMMUNITIES
Violence causes ripples of trauma throughout our communities, impacting not
just the victims of violence but also their communities and first responders.
Fear of school shootings is having a noticeable impact on
the mental health of Gen Z. Intimate partner violence is linked to
depression, post-traumatic stress, and other mental health challenges among
survivors. And, this trauma can be intergenerational. Science now shows that young
children who witness violence – including in their home – literally alters the
parts of their brains that affect “reasoning, planning, and behavioral
control.”
We need to reduce violence to prevent trauma from happening in the first place.
But we also must treat the resulting trauma as a serious crisis in its own
right.
As president, Biden will:
Make federal programs more
trauma-informed. During his first 100 days, Biden will direct his
Cabinet to conduct a review of all federal programs that directly serve
communities likely to experience violence and identify reforms to make sure
those programs effectively address resulting trauma. Biden will then invest
significant federal funds in expanding and improving the federal government’s
support for trauma-informed and culturally responsive care.
Create a network of trauma care centers. Biden will
bring together offices within the federal government to establish specialized
trauma care centers for survivors of violence, with a special focus on
survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Domestic violence services are
focused on meeting the emergency needs of survivors, including safety planning
and crisis intervention. As a result, frontline providers lack the resources
they need to offer therapeutic services to help survivors heal from trauma.
These trauma care centers will be flexible in meeting the needs of communities,
and could be housed at rape crisis centers, domestic violence programs,
universities, and existing mental health centers.
Train health care and other service
providers in trauma-centered care. To prevent
revictimization and secondary trauma, Biden will align training efforts
throughout relevant federal programs to include a focus on understanding the
traumatic effects of violence, providing appropriate care to avoid furthering
the trauma, linking survivors with evidence-based trauma therapies, and
reducing myths about domestic and sexual violence. This will be accomplished
through agency directives, policy guidance, and special conditions for grantees
and contractors.
For more on Vice President
Biden’s plan, see HERE.
