Presidency of Joe Biden

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of the Joe Biden presidency.

Presidency of Joe Biden January 20, 2021 – present
Cabinet	See list
Party	Democratic
Election	2020
Seat	White House
Seal of the President
Official website

Joe Biden's tenure as the 46th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 2021. Biden, a Democrat from Delaware who previously served as vice president for two terms under President Barack Obama, took office following his victory in the 2020 presidential election over Republican incumbent president Donald Trump. Upon his inauguration, he became the oldest president in American history, breaking the record set by his predecessor Trump. Biden entered office amid the COVID-19 pandemic, an economic crisis, and increased political polarization. During the 2020 presidential campaign, then-candidate Joe Biden promised to transition away from the oil industry. Once in office, his policies shifted the U.S. economy away from domestic oil production while bolstering foreign oil industries, inadvertently strengthening President Vladimir Putin's position and leverage against the West, and likely leading up to his invasion of Ukraine.

On the first day of his presidency, Biden made an effort to revert President Trump's energy policy by restoring U.S. participation in the Paris Agreement and revoking the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. He also halted funding for Trump's border wall, an expansion of the Mexican border wall. On March 24, 2021 Biden appointed Vice-President Kamala Harris as border czar to lead the efforts on the southern border. Instead of regulating sustainable immigration, Harris sparked the worst border crisis in American history, and placed Americans’ lives at risk by abandoning deterrent-focused immigration policies and proven border enforcement tools. On his second day, Biden issued a series of executive orders to reduce the impact of COVID-19, including invoking the Defense Production Act of 1950, and set an early goal of achieving one hundred million COVID-19 vaccinations in the United States in his first 100 days.

The Biden administration has faced significant challenges and criticisms regarding its foreign policy. Biden's foreign policy goal was to restore the US to a "position of trusted leadership" among global democracies in order to address the challenges posed by Russia and China. However, Biden's withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Afghanistan ended with significant casualties at Kabul International Airport where a suicide bombing took the lives of 13 U.S. service members and approximately 170 Afghan civilians.

Biden began his term with over 50% approval ratings; however, his ratings fell significantly after the withdrawal from Afghanistan. His ratings remained low as a result of rising gas prices, and excessive government spending that typically leads to the high inflation Americans struggled with throughout his administration. His age and mental fitness have also been a subject of discussion. His verbal performances during public appearances have sparked widespread concern. Notably, during a press conference at the NATO summit, Biden made several significant verbal mistakes. Medical experts, and many others have speculated that Biden has shown signs of neurodegeneration, including cognitive decline, some of which may be typical of aging.

In July 2024, following internal party opposition after his poor debate performance in June, President Biden announced the end of his presidential campaign, drawing his extensive political career to a close. He endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor, and the Democrat Party agreed she would be their presidential candidate without the benefit of a competitive nominating process or democratic election.

In December 2024, outgoing President Biden went back on his vow not to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, sparking fresh questions about his already shaky legacy despite his earlier commitments to restore trust in the nation's institutions and uphold the rule of law. Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D) commented on X, stating, “This is a bad precedent that could be abused by later Presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation,” while acknowledging Hunter Biden’s struggles, underscoring that “no one is above the law, not a President and not a President’s son.” The pardon was particularly controversial as it was issued before Hunter had even been sentenced, covering not only his gun and tax offenses but also any other potential infractions dating back to early 2014. This action raises concerns that it may impede the Trump Justice Department's ability to investigate Hunter Biden's dubious foreign business dealings or pursue new criminal charges. In defense of his decision, President Biden expressed a desire for public understanding, stating, “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”

2020 election

Main articles: Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign and 2020 United States presidential election

Further information: 2020 United States elections, 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries, and 2020 Democratic National Convention

2020 Electoral College vote results

Biden announced his candidacy in April 2019, having previously sought the Democratic nomination in 1988 and 2008, being unsuccessful both times.

On November 7, four days after Election Day, Biden was projected to have defeated the incumbent president Donald Trump, becoming president-elect of the United States with 306 of the total 538 electoral votes, and 81,268,924 popular votes versus 74,216,154 votes for Trump. The Trump campaign launched at least 63 lawsuits against the results, especially in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, Nevada and Michigan, raising unevidenced claims of widespread voter fraud that were subsequently dismissed by courts.

Transition period, inauguration, and first 100 days

Main articles: Presidential transition of Joe Biden and Inauguration of Joe Biden

See also: First 100 days of Joe Biden's presidency

U.S. National Guard soldiers at the Capitol, January 20, 2021

Though Biden was generally acknowledged as the winner, General Services Administration head Emily W. Murphy initially refused to begin the transition to the president-elect, thereby denying funds and office space to his team. On November 23, after Michigan certified its results, Murphy issued the letter of ascertainment, granting the Biden transition team access to federal funds and resources for an orderly transition.

Two days after becoming the projected winner of the 2020 election, Biden announced the formation of a task force to advise him on the COVID-19 pandemic during the transition, co-chaired by former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, former FDA commissioner David A. Kessler, and Yale University's Marcella Nunez-Smith.

On January 5, 2021, the Democratic Party won control of the United States Senate, effective January 20, as a result of electoral victories in Georgia by Jon Ossoff in a runoff election for a six-year term and Raphael Warnock in a special runoff election for a two-year term. President-elect Biden had supported and campaigned for both candidates prior to the runoff elections on January 5.

On January 6, a mob of thousands of Trump supporters violently stormed the Capitol in the hope of overturning Biden's election, forcing Congress to evacuate during the counting of the Electoral College votes. More than 26,000 National Guard members were deployed to the capital for the inauguration, with thousands remaining into the spring.

Chief Justice John Roberts administers the presidential oath of office to Biden at the Capitol, January 20, 2021.

On January 20, 2021, Biden was sworn in by U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts as the 46th president of the United States, completing the oath of office at 11:49 am EST, eleven minutes before the legal start of his term.

Inaugural address

Biden's inaugural speech laid out his vision to unite the nation, prefaced by the various impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic strife, climate change, political polarization, and racial injustice. Biden called for an end to the "uncivil war" of political, demographic, and ideological American cultures through a greater embrace of diversity. He cited the American Civil War, Great Depression, world wars, and September 11 attacks as moments in American history where citizens' "better angels" prevailed, saying that the unity, the solution, must again be invoked to rise from the "cascading" crises of the present; this unity, he proclaimed, exists in the "common objects" that define America: "opportunity, liberty, dignity, respect, honor, and ... truth." He explicitly decried white supremacy and nativism, calling them an "ugly reality" of American life he vows to defeat that clouds the "American ideal" set out in the U.S. Declaration of Independence — that all Americans are equal. Biden pledged that the U.S. would "engage with the world once again", "repair our alliances", and act as a "trusted partner for peace and security". Near the conclusion of his speech, Biden held a moment of silence for those who died in the COVID-19 pandemic. Quoting the Gene Scheer composition "American Anthem", he implored Americans to consider their legacy in answering the "call of history" to protect "democracy, hope, truth, and justice", "secure liberty", and make America a "beacon to the world", insisting that generations of their descendants would judge them on their actions.

Administration

The Biden cabinet
Office	Name	Term
President	Joe Biden	2021–present
Vice President	Kamala Harris	2021–present
Secretary of State	Antony Blinken	2021–present
Secretary of the Treasury	Janet Yellen	2021–present
Secretary of Defense	Lloyd Austin	2021–present
Attorney General	Merrick Garland	2021–present
Secretary of the Interior	Deb Haaland	2021–present
Secretary of Agriculture	Tom Vilsack	2021–present
Secretary of Commerce	Gina Raimondo	2021–present
Secretary of Labor	Marty Walsh	2021–present
Secretary of Health and Human Services	Xavier Becerra	2021–present
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development	Marcia Fudge	2021–present
Secretary of Transportation	Pete Buttigieg	2021–present
Secretary of Energy	Jennifer Granholm	2021–present
Secretary of Education	Miguel Cardona	2021–present
Secretary of Veterans Affairs	Denis McDonough	2021–present
Secretary of Homeland Security	Alejandro Mayorkas	2021–present
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency	Michael S. Regan	2021–present
Director of the Office of Management and Budget	Shalanda Young	2021–present
Director of National Intelligence	Avril Haines	2021–present
United States Trade Representative	Katherine Tai	2021–present
Ambassador to the United Nations	Linda Thomas-Greenfield	2021–present
Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers	Cecilia Rouse	2021–present
Administrator of the Small Business Administration	Isabel Guzman	2021–present
Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy	Eric Lander	2021–2022
Chief of Staff	Ron Klain	2021–present

Biden was inaugurated alongside Kamala Harris, the first woman, first African American, and first Asian American vice president.

On November 11, 2020, Biden selected Ron Klain, who served as his vice presidential chief of staff, to serve as his White House Chief of Staff. Biden chose Jen Psaki, deputy White House press secretary and U.S. Department of State spokesperson during the presidency of Barack Obama, as his White House press secretary. Psaki announced, and has held, daily press briefings for White House reporters. On March 25, 2021, Biden held his first solo press conference after 64 days in office, unlike his most recent predecessors (back to Herbert Hoover in 1929), who all held their first solo press conferences within 33 days of taking office.

On November 17, 2020, Biden announced that he had selected Mike Donilon as senior advisor and Steve Ricchetti as counselor. Jen O'Malley Dillon, who had served as campaign manager for Biden's successful presidential campaign, was named as deputy chief of staff.

Cabinet

Main article: Cabinet of Joe Biden

Biden selected Antony Blinken to be secretary of state, Linda Thomas-Greenfield as ambassador to the United Nations, and Jake Sullivan as national security advisor.

On November 23, 2020, Biden announced Alejandro Mayorkas to be his choice for Secretary of Homeland Security and Avril Haines as Director of National Intelligence. Throughout December and January, Biden continued to select cabinet members, including Marty Walsh, the then current mayor of Boston, as his Secretary of Labor.

Biden altered his cabinet structure, elevating the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and ambassador to the United Nations as cabinet-level positions. Biden removed the director of the Central Intelligence Agency from his official cabinet at the onset of his presidency, but he restored it to the cabinet in 2023.

While administering the oath of office to hundreds of White House officials through video conferencing, Biden called for more civility in politics, saying: "If you ever work with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect, talk down to someone, I promise you I will fire you on the spot. ... No ifs, ands, or buts."

Judicial appointments

Further information: Joe Biden Supreme Court candidates and List of federal judges appointed by Joe Biden

United States Supreme Court nominations

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson with President Joe Biden in 2022

On January 26, 2022, it was reported that Justice Stephen Breyer planned to step down at the end of the court's current term, giving Biden his first opportunity to name a justice to the court. On January 27, Biden reiterated his intention to keep his campaign promise to nominate a Black woman. On February 22, it was reported that Biden had met with his top three contenders, Ketanji Brown Jackson, J. Michelle Childs and Leondra Kruger. On February 25, it was announced that Biden would nominate Judge Jackson. On April 7, 2022, Jackson was confirmed by a vote of 53–47. She was then sworn in on June 30, 2022 at noon, when Breyer's retirement went into effect.

Domestic affairs

President Biden addresses a joint session of Congress, with Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, April 28, 2021

Health care

Main article: COVID-19 pandemic in the United States

On his first day in office, President Biden implemented a federal mask mandate and reversed the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization, appointing Dr. Anthony Fauci to lead the U.S. delegation. He released a comprehensive "National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness" and invoked the Defense Production Act to expedite vaccine production. Throughout early 2021, Biden signed multiple executive orders related to vaccination efforts, reinstated travel bans, and required masks on public transportation. By mid-March, he refused a European Union request to export unused AstraZeneca vaccines, emphasizing the need for the U.S. to remain over-prepared. In May, the administration supported waiving vaccine patent protections and ordered increased investigations into the virus's origins. As vaccination rates declined amidst the spread of the Delta variant, Biden mandated vaccines or weekly testing for large businesses and health facilities in September, facing significant backlash from Republicans who claimed federal overreach. In response to the Omicron variant, the administration faced criticism over a lack of COVID-19 tests and revised CDC guidelines on quarantine, which some experts deemed insufficient for controlling the virus's spread.

Cancer research

President Biden announces the revival of the Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot, February 2, 2022

Biden gave a speech at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum on September 12, 2022, the 60th anniversary of Kennedy's We Choose to Go to the Moon speech, promoting his administration's revival of the Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot, including the new Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health.

Economy

See also: Economic policy of the Joe Biden administration

On January 22, 2021, Biden signed an executive order that removed schedule F, overturning a number of Trump's policies that limited the collective bargaining power of federal unions. Biden's executive order also promotes a $15 minimum wage for federal workers and repeals three of Trump's executive orders which made the employee discipline process stricter and restricted union representatives' access to office space. As well as promoting a $15 minimum wage, Biden's executive order increases the amount of money going to the families of children who are missing meals because of school closures due to the pandemic by 15%. The repealing of Trump's three executive orders comes as the orders were used to transfer civil servants and career scientists and replace them with employees friendly to the Trump administration.

Build Back Better Plan

Main article: Build Back Better Plan

American Rescue Plan Act of 2021

President Biden signs the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 into law, March 11, 2021

On January 14, 2021, Biden revealed a $1.9 trillion stimulus bill, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The plan includes $1 trillion in direct aid, including $1,400 per-person checks, for working Americans, and would provide for direct housing and nutrition assistance, expanding access to safe and reliable childcare and affordable healthcare, increasing the minimum wage, extending unemployment insurance, and giving families with kids and childless workers an emergency boost this year. It would also expand the eligibility of these checks to adult dependents who have been left out of previous rounds of relief. The plan additionally includes $440 billion in community support, providing $350 billion of community support to first responders while the rest goes to grants for small businesses and transit agencies; $400 billion for a national vaccination plan and school reopenings; and $10 billion for information technology, modernizing federal cybersecurity infrastructure. In her first press briefing, press secretary Psaki said the plan was likely to change as negotiations continued, with the provision to increase the minimum wage later being excluded from the relief plan. Biden signed the Plan into law on March 11, 2021 passing through both chambers of Congress with a party-line vote.

The plan invokes the Defense Production Act of 1950 to ensure the production of personal protective equipment, glass vials, syringes, and other supplies exceeds the demand. It allows partners of states to create vaccine centers in stadiums, convention centers and pharmacies. The federal government would identify communities that have been hit hardest by COVID-19, and ensure the vaccine does not reach them at an unfair pace. In addition, the plan would launch a national campaign to educate Americans about the vaccine and COVID-19, targeting misinformation related to the pandemic. Vaccines would also be freely available to all citizens regardless of immigration status. In Biden's plan, he would issue a national testing strategy that attempts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 by increasing laboratory capacity and expanding testing. The plan would also develop new treatments for COVID-19.

American Families Plan

Main article: American Families Plan

On 28 April, during Biden's speech to Congress he unveiled the American Families Plan, a roughly $1.8 trillion proposal to significantly increase federal spending in areas related to childcare, paid leave, pre-kindergarten, community college, and healthcare. It is considered to be the third part of Biden's "Build Back Better" agenda (the first being the American Rescue Plan and the second being the American Jobs Plan). The bill was effectively merged with climate change and other provisions that didn't make it into the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, for a total $3.5 trillion Build Back Better Act. However, the bill did not have Republican support, and Democrats struggled to win the support of Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia to pass it on a party-line vote through budget reconciliation, even as the price was lowered to $2.2 trillion. After the bill ultimately failed to match his envisioned cost, Manchin publicly rejected it, dooming its passage.

Labor

On inauguration day 2021, Biden fired pro-business Peter Robb, then general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board, replacing him with pro-union Jennifer Abruzzo in February 2021. Biden's NLRB has pursued action against Starbucks' and Amazon's alleged anti-union activities. On August 24, 2023, the NLRB reinstated Obama-era policies regarding union elections, speeding up the timeline by removing restrictions such as resolving litigation before holding an election.

In late 2022, Biden signed a bill forcing an agreement between union workers and rail companies in order to prevent a strike, earning him criticism from progressives and rail workers. Afterwards, Biden pressured the rail companies to offer paid sick leave to workers, which had been a key demand in the original planned strike. More than 60% of rail workers had sick leave agreements in June 2023.

On the 2023 United Auto Workers strike, Biden repeated union leader Shawn Fain's motto "record profits, record contracts" and expressed support for the workers in negotiations. Biden assigned two White House officials to aid in negotiation efforts, senior adviser Gene Sperling and acting Labor Secretary Julie Su. On September 26, Biden joined striking UAW workers on the picket line in Michigan, becoming the first President to do so.

Biden became the first US president to run for election with a unionized campaign staff for his 2024 election run.

Banking

See also: 2023 United States banking crisis

Following the Collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in 2023, Biden expressed opposition to a bailout that was borne by taxpayers. He also claimed that the partial roll-back of Dodd-Frank regulations contributed to the bank failures.

Domestic manufacturing

Biden signed an executive order intended to support domestic manufacturers by increasing a federal preference for purchasing goods made wholly or partly in the U.S. Using the broad term "Made in America laws", the executive order's stated goal is to strengthen "all statutes, regulations, rules, and Executive Orders relating to Federal financial assistance awards or Federal procurement, including those that refer to 'Buy America' or 'Buy American.'"

On August 9, 2022, Biden actively promoted and signed into law the CHIPS and Science Act, which authorized $52 billion for domestic semiconductor research and manufacturing. On August 16, 2022, Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 into law, which included provisions to support the domestic production of solar panels, wind turbines, and other infrastructure. Due to incentives from the CHIPS and Science Act, Micron Technology will invest billions in new semiconductor manufacturing in New York.

Trade

The Wall Street Journal reported that instead of negotiating access to Chinese markets for large American financial-service firms and pharmaceutical companies, the Biden administration may focus on trade policies that boost exports or domestic jobs. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the administration wants a "worker-centered trade policy". U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said she planned to aggressively enforce trade rules to combat unfair practices by China.

In March 2021, in her first interview since taking office, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai told The Wall Street Journal the U.S. would not lift tariffs on Chinese imports in the near future, despite lobbying efforts from "free traders" including former U.S. Secretary of Treasury Hank Paulson and the Business Roundtable, a big-business group in the U.S., that pressed for tariff repeal.

In 2021, the U.S. suspended its diplomatic trade engagement with Myanmar following an escalation in violence perpetrated by the Burmese military against anti-coup protesters.

Infrastructure

See also: Build Back Better Plan, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and Infrastructure policy of the Joe Biden administration

President Biden signs the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law, November 15, 2021

As a part of the Build Back Better Plan, the Biden administration aimed for massive spending on the nation's infrastructure on the order of $2 trillion. Several of the physical infrastructure provisions featured in the proposal were included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Biden signed the Act into law on November 15, 2021.

This final version included approximately $1.2 trillion in spending, with $550 billion being newly authorized spending on top of what Congress was planning to authorize regularly.

International taxation

Finance officials from 130 countries agreed on July 1, 2021, to plans for a new international taxation policy. All the major economies agreed to pass national laws that would require corporations to pay at least 15% income tax in the countries they operate. This new policy would end the practice of locating world headquarters in small countries with very low taxation rates. Governments hope to recoup some of the lost revenue, estimated at $100 billion to $240 billion each year. The new system was promoted by the Biden administration and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Secretary-General Mathias Cormann of the OECD said: "This historic package will ensure that large multinational companies pay their fair share of tax everywhere."

Inflation

See also: 2021–2023 inflation surge

Inflation rate, United States and eurozone, January 2016 through June 2022

Average cost of rent in the US

Wages in the United States

  Nominal wages

  Adjusted for inflation wages

During Biden's first year in office, inflation rose to 7.5%, the highest rate in forty years. Many other major global economies also experienced similarly higher inflation. By June 2022, the United States inflation rate had reached 9.1%. Biden stated during his first State of the Union Address on March 1, 2022, that addressing inflation was his "top priority", while touting an anti-inflation plan that he said would address ocean shipping costs and prescription drug prices.

In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration announced a ban on Russian oil and gas imports to the United States, an action that one analyst said risked "higher oil prices for American consumers".

Biden advocated more domestic production to lower inflation, but at the same time, he designed stringent import stops for Russian energy. As of March 2022, Iran and Venezuela were still barred by sanctions from selling much of their crude oil into the international market. Political analysts fear that such posturing on Russian energy and international sanctions would only lead to a wider conflict. Similarly, wheat prices hit a 14-year high, as food shortage fears rose worldwide. Economists warn that both a reduction in wheat supply from the Ukraine and strict financial sanctions against Russia would lead to a worsening of the global food supply.

In August 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law.

Energy, environment, and climate

See also: Environmental policy of the Joe Biden administration

President Biden and Texas governor Greg Abbott visit the Harris County Emergency Operations Center in Houston following the 2021 Texas power crisis, February 2021

General

During his first week in office, Biden established the position of White House National Climate Advisor, appointing Gina McCarthy, and created the position of U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, appointing John Kerry.

On January 20, 2021, Biden signed an executive order to rejoin the Paris Agreement, enabling countries responsible for two-thirds of global greenhouse gas emissions to pledge carbon neutrality. The same day, he cancelled the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline and directed a review of over 100 environmental actions taken by Trump.

On March 27, 2021, Biden invited over forty world leaders to a climate summit.

In August 2022, Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, focusing on clean energy investments and aiming to reduce U.S. carbon emissions by 40% by 2030.

In May 2022, the White House Council on Environmental Quality reported on the administration's adherence to recommendations from the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, detailing achievements in areas such as energy efficiency, transit-oriented development, and collaborations with Indigenous peoples.

Oil, gas extraction and transportation

On January 21, 2021, the Biden administration issued a 60-day ban on oil and gas leases and permits on federal land and waters. On January 27, 2021, Biden signed executive orders to combat climate change, highlighting it as a national security concern. He also directed the U.S. Department of State to submit the Kigali Amendment for ratification.

In March 2021, 21 Republican state attorneys general sued the Biden administration for revoking the Keystone XL pipeline permit.

In May 2021, the EPA ended a Trump-era rule limiting the use of certain studies for pollution reduction policies.

On June 1, 2021, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland suspended all oil and gas drilling leases in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, pending further review of their environmental impacts.

Environmental science

In May 2021, the EPA rolled back a Trump administration rule that prohibited the EPA from using certain studies. The previous rule, which made it more difficult to use major scientific studies to justify pollution reduction policies, had already been invalidated by a federal court.

Renewable energy

The Biden administration set a goal of achieving 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy generated in the U.S. by 2030 (sufficient to provide electricity to about 10 million homes). In 2021, the Biden administration approved the South Fork Wind project, a major (130 MW, 12-turbine) commercial offshore wind power project located southeast of Rhode Island's Block Island and east of New York's Montauk Point, the wind farm is projected to provide electricity to proved 70,000 Long Island homes. The project is the country's second large-scale offshore wind project (after a similar wind-power development in Massachusetts).

Nature conservation

According to a report from the Center for American Progress during the first 3 years of his presidency Biden broke several records in conservation, which is "a proven defense against the changing climate". In the year 2023 alone, he turns into protected areas 12.5 million acres and made 200 agreements with indigenous people about co-management of the protected areas. He advanced a proposal to ban logging in old growth forests from 2025 which is also important for the climate.

In November 2021, Biden promised to end and reverse deforestation and land degradation by 2030, joining more than 100 other global leaders in the COP26 climate summit's first major agreement.

Electoral and ethical reform

See also: Electoral and ethics policy of the Joe Biden administration

In response to what Biden describes as the growing influence of special interests and gerrymandering in elections, he has pledged to seek electoral and government ethics reforms. Biden supported the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. In January 2022, he endorsed a change to senate filibuster rules after they both failed to invoke cloture. However, the rules change failed when two Democratic senators joined Senate Republicans in opposing it.

Known for his generally bipartisan tone, Biden avoided directly referring to his predecessor during his first year in office. Beginning in 2022, Biden condemned Trump and Trumpism in stronger terms; he likened the "MAGA philosophy" to "semi-fascism" and, in a 2022 speech outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia, said the "extreme ideology" of Trump, and a Republican Party dominated by him, "threatens the very foundation of our republic." Biden specifically condemned Trump and "MAGA Republicans" for promoting authoritarian leaders, using violent rhetoric, refusing to disavow political violence, and refusing to acknowledge election losses. Biden suggested that the 2022 United States elections could be illegitimate if federal laws are not passed to combat enacted voter-suppression legislation from state legislatures.

Following the attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election, Biden called for reforms to the 1887 Electoral Count Act to clarify the roles of Congress and the Vice President in certifying electoral votes. The Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022 raised the threshold for objections to electoral votes, clarified that the vice president cannot decertify electoral votes, and modified the process for which electors are certified. It was included as part of the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act.

Immigration

See also: Immigration policy of the Joe Biden administration and Mexico–United States border crisis § Biden administration

Presidential Proclamation 10141 – Ending Discriminatory Bans on Entry to the United States

On January 20, 2021, Biden halted the construction of the U.S.–Mexico barrier and ended a related national emergency declared by Trump. He also ended the Trump travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries and reaffirmed protections for recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Additionally, Biden reinstated Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberians.

On the same day, the Biden administration issued a moratorium on deportations from the U.S. for the first 100 days. However, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued over this pause, leading to a federal judge temporarily blocking it due to lack of justification.

On January 21, 2021, Biden proposed a bill to replace "alien" with "noncitizen" in immigration law. The next day, he discussed immigration with Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, proposing to address root causes of migration and pledging $4 billion for development in Central America.

On January 23, Biden proposed an immigration bill that aimed to provide a path to citizenship for eleven million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. It would also streamline processes for certain foreign workers to remain in the country. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin called the bill "aspirational" and it was expected to need significant revision to pass.

Biden directed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to focus on violent immigration offenders rather than all offenders.

In February 2021, it was reported that DHS agents were resisting Biden's immigration policies. The ICE union signaled opposition to reversing Trump-era policies.

In March 2021, the Biden administration granted temporary protected status to Venezuelans fleeing their country amidst a dystopian situation.

On June 1, 2021, the DHS officially terminated the Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" policy, which required asylum seekers from Central America to wait in Mexico during their court proceedings. However, a March 2020 health order allowing authorities to send migrants back during the COVID-19 pandemic remained in effect. On August 14, 2021, a federal judge ordered the Biden administration to reinstate the policy, leading the Supreme Court to pause the ruling for administrative arguments. On August 24, 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that the Biden administration must comply with the lower court's order to reinstate the policy.

Unaccompanied minors

Vice President Kamala Harris meets with State Department Special Envoy for the Northern Triangle, Ricardo Zúñiga, and other officials on the surge of migrants from Central America, March 2021

Early on in Biden's tenure, a surge in unaccompanied minors at the U.S. border stirred controversy. According to a 2021 Politico report, Republicans expected prior to Biden taking office that there would be a border surge at the start of 2021 (due to seasonal patterns and regional crises) and coordinated to make it a central issue in the lead-up to the 2022 mid-term elections. The number of migrants arriving in the U.S. from Central America had been rising since April 2020 due to ongoing violence, natural disasters, food insecurity, and poverty in the region. In February 2021, the U.S. Border Patrol reported a 61% increase in encounters with unaccompanied children from the month before. The reported 5,858 encounters in January to 9,457 in February constituted the largest one-month percentage increase in encounters with unaccompanied children since U.S. Customs and Border Protection began recording data in 2010. By the end of April 2021, the number of children held in Border Patrol facilities fell by 84%, placing them under HHS care.

Biden appoints VP Harris as "border czar"

On March 24, 2021, Biden tasked Vice President Harris to reduce the number of unaccompanied minors and adult asylum seekers. She is also tasked with leading the negotiations with Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.

The Border Patrol union criticized Harris for not fulfilling her immigration-related responsibilities. An NBC News review indicated that her notable travel to address the situation took place mainly in June 2021, including a visit to El Paso, Texas, and trips to Mexico and Guatemala, with another visit to Honduras in January 2022. In Guatemala, Harris drew criticism for advising migrants not to come to the U.S., while her discussions in Mexico led to the signing of a memorandum aimed at enhancing cooperation to address the root causes of migration. This agreement facilitated U.S. funding and private sector investments totaling $5.2 billion, supporting initiatives in various sectors in the region.

Despite these efforts, the strategy has not produced new commitments, prompting Mexican President López Obrador to express concerns about the slow pace of private investments. After the inauguration of Honduran President Xiomara Castro, Harris focused on issues like corruption and gender-based violence as factors contributing to migration. Since March 2021, immigration from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras has decreased but experts attribute this decline to various factors, including stricter U.S. asylum policies and increased interdictions by Mexico, rather than solely to Harris's interventions. While some have acknowledged her leadership, they emphasize that the efforts made thus far are insufficient to fully resolve the underlying problems, underscoring the need for congressional support.

In a press release issued August 6, 2024, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability was conducting a probe into Vice President Kamala Harris's role in what is labeled the worst border crisis in U.S. history during her tenure as President Biden’s "border czar." Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) requested documents and communications from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Vice President's Executive Office regarding the southwest border and illegal immigration.

The investigation was prompted by a notable surge in illegal immigration since the Biden-Harris Administration took office, with over 8 million illegal aliens encountered and more than 1.6 million “gotaways” reported. Comer stated that this influx has contributed to increased violence, including murders and assaults by illegal immigrants. He criticized Harris's track record on border security, noting her past calls for reforming U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and her opposition to the border wall. Comer argued that Harris's focus on addressing the root causes of migration has not been effective, as encounters at the southwest border remain historically high.

Separation of church and state

Biden, a practicing Catholic, has taken a public position of dissent against the Church's position opposing free-choice in the abortion issue. This has raised the question of whether his public office might allow him to influence the outcomes of current debates with the Church concerning abortion. The Vatican has taken a mediating position concerning Biden's dissent by allowing him to take Communion in Rome while visiting the Pope.

Social issues

Main article: Social policy of the Joe Biden administration

President Biden signs executive orders expanding the Affordable Care Act and revoking Trump administration health policies, January 2021

President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, June 17, 2021

In his early presidency, Biden prioritized issues of equity and civil rights, focusing on racial equality more than any previous president since Lyndon B. Johnson. He signed an executive order on January 25, 2021, lifting the ban on transgender military service members, reversing a Trump-era policy.

Additionally, the Biden administration expressed intentions to place Harriet Tubman on the twenty-dollar bill, a request previously stalled by the Trump administration.

Biden also issued an Executive Order aimed at advancing racial equity and directed the Department of Justice to phase out private prisons to reduce profit-driven incentives for incarceration.

In response to the Atlanta spa shootings in March 2021, which killed eight individuals, including six Asian women, Biden and Harris visited Atlanta to speak with Asian American leaders and condemn racism and sexism.

LGBT rights

The United States Department of Agriculture unveiled efforts in 2022 to prevent anti-LGBT discrimination in food programs, including school lunch programs, resulting in 20 lawsuits from 20 Republican attorneys general.

In December 2022, Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act, which repealed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), required states to recognize other states' marriage certificates for LGBT Americans, and ensured some religious liberties. The bill came from a push from Democrats to codify same-sex marriage after the Dobbs decision, particularly Clarence Thomas's push to reconsider other precedents.

In January 2023, the Biden administration released an "evidence agenda" for LGBTQI+ Americans to learn about "their experiences engaging with federal agencies and the disparities they face in their daily lives," as well as documenting how many LGBT people live in the United States.

Abortion

In December 2021, the Biden administration ended a long-standing restriction on sales of abortion pills through the mail. This decision came amidst legal cases and Supreme Court decisions that jeopardized abortion access in the United States.

Following the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey on June 24, 2022, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Biden addressed the nation in the Cross Hall of the White House. He mentioned that "it's a sad day ... for the country" and "with Roe gone, ... The health and life of women in this nation are now at risk." In addition, he attacked the Court saying "With this decision, the conservative majority of the Supreme Court shows how extreme it is" and "They have made the United States an outlier among developed nations in the world." Regarding action, Biden stated that his administration will defend the right of women to seek an abortion in another state where abortion is legal and help protect a woman's access to contraception and abortion pills approved by the FDA. He also called on Congress to codify Roe v. Wade, saying "No executive action ... can do that.". But stated that if Congress did not have the votes to codify, that the voters would have to take action by "elect[ing] more senators and representatives who will codify a woman's right to choose into federal law."

The Biden administration rejected the call from progressives to allow abortions on federal land, with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre saying, "in states where abortion is now illegal, women and providers who are not federal employees, as you look at the federal land, could be potentially – be prosecuted."

During a press conference at the 2022 Madrid NATO Summit, Biden expressed support for providing an exception to the filibuster to codify Roe v. Wade.

Criminal justice

The Biden administration rescinded a Trump administration policy that curtailed the use of consent decrees that had been used by previous administrations in their investigations of misconduct in police departments.

Biden proposed in his fiscal 2022 budget to more than double funding for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program, which helps state and local governments to hire law enforcement officers.

Gun control

President Biden announces new executive measures on gun control with Vice President Kamala Harris and Attorney General Merrick Garland in the White House Rose Garden, April 8, 2021

President Biden addresses the nation following the Robb Elementary School shooting

In a national address in March 2021, following mass shootings in the Atlanta area and Boulder, Colorado, Biden advocated for further gun regulations, such as a restored ban on assault weapons and a high-capacity magazine ban, as well as reinforcing preexisting background checks.

Following the Robb Elementary School shooting on May 24, 2022, President Biden addressed the nation. The following week, he again called on Congress to pass an assault weapons and high-capacity magazine ban, as well as red flag laws and other legislation. As a result of the shooting, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was eventually passed by Congress and signed into law. It marked the first federal gun safety law to have been enacted in 30 years.

Following the Colorado Springs nightclub shooting, Biden called again for an assault weapons ban.

Space policy

The Biden administration reversed the Trump administration's method of using the National Space Council to coordinate commercial, civil, and military space policies, instead using the National Security Council to issue national security memoranda instead of the Space Council's space policy directives. The Biden administration renewed the National Space Council, chaired by Vice President Harris, "to assist the president in generating national space policies, strategies, and synchronizing America's space activities." Harris held meetings with the leaders of five countries to discuss international cooperation on space issues.

The Biden administration continued the Artemis program to send people back to the Moon. The administration also emphasized the role of NASA in studying climate change.

Biden appointed Bill Nelson, an astronaut and former U.S. Senator, to the post of NASA administrator. Nelson was confirmed unanimously by the Senate in April 2021.

In April 2021, as part of his first annual budget request, Biden proposed a $24.8 billion budget for NASA in 2022, a $1.5 billion increase on what Congress allocated to 2021. The proposal includes funding for the Artemis program for a new crewed Moon landing mission. The proposal also included a 12.5% increase for NASA's Earth Science Division, as well as a 22% increase for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which operates a fleet of weather satellites; both measures aimed to use space tools to study and mitigate climate change.

On December 1, 2021, Biden announced his new framework for US space policy, the United States Space Priorities Framework, which explains Biden's approach for commercial, civil, and military space activity. There is a new emphasis on combating climate change and investing in STEM education.

Education

In August 2022, Biden announced that the Department of Education would cancel certain federally owned student debt. Borrowers earning under $125,000 per year, or under $250,000 for married couples who file jointly, would be eligible for up to $10,000 in loan forgiveness. Borrowers who received a Pell Grant while attending college could qualify for up to an additional $10,000 in loan forgiveness, for a total of $20,000. The administration estimated that about 43 million borrowers would be covered by the plan, including about 20 million individuals whose student debt would be completely forgiven. On August 9, 2022, Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act, which supports STEM education with funding.

Trump wall

On October 5, 2023, Joe Biden's administration said on Thursday it will add sections to a border wall to stave off record migrant crossings from Mexico, carrying forward a signature policy of former President Donald Trump. One of Biden's first actions after taking office in January 2021 was to issue a proclamation pledging that "no more American taxpayer dollars be diverted to construct a border wall" as well as a review of all resources that had already been committed. The administration said Thursday's action did not deviate from Biden's proclamation because money that was allocated during Trump's term in 2019 had to be spent now.

Former president Trump was quick to claim victory and demand an apology: "As I have stated often, over thousands of years, there are only two things that have consistently worked, wheels, and walls!" Trump wrote on social media. "Will Joe Biden apologize to me and America for taking so long to get moving...". Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called the move "a step backwards."

Foreign affairs

Main article: Foreign policy of the Joe Biden administration

See also: Antony Blinken § Foreign policy positions

As of October 2023, Biden had made 16 international trips to 23 different countries during his presidency.

Defense

President Biden signs his first bill, H.R. 335

On January 22, 2021, Biden signed his first bill, H.R. 335 into law, providing a waiver to the law preventing appointment of a Secretary of Defense who had been on active duty in the armed forces within the past seven years; this was the third time such a waiver was granted by Congress. Retired army four-star general Lloyd Austin was confirmed by the Senate in a 93–2 vote that same day, making Austin the first African-American Defense Secretary.

President Biden delivers remarks at The Pentagon, February 2021

Austin has said his number one priority is to assist COVID-19 relief efforts, pledging he would "quickly review the Department's contributions to COVID-19 relief efforts, ensuring that we're doing everything that we can to help distribute vaccines across the country and to vaccinate our troops and preserve readiness."

On February 10, 2021, Biden visited the Pentagon for the first time as U.S. president. In remarks to service members alongside Vice President Kamala Harris and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Biden announced a U.S. Department of Defense-led China task force "to provide a baseline assessment of department policies, programs and processes in regard to the challenge China poses."

On June 18, 2021, the administration removed eight MIM-104 Patriot anti-missile batteries from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, and Iraq, removed the THAAD anti-missile defense system from Saudi Arabia, and announced that most jet squadrons and hundreds of American troops would be withdrawn from the region. The changes come in light of both de-escalating tensions with Iran and the administration changing its focus on countering China.

After taking office, Biden heavily restricted the use of armed drones and drone strikes. After Biden's first year in office, drone strikes had hit a 20-year low and were heavily limited by the administration.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the welcoming ceremony for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Q. Brown Jr.(left) on September 29, 2023. Outgoing chairman General Mark Milley (right) and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (center-right) are present.

In October 2023, President Biden asked Congress for nearly $106 billion in funding for Israel, Ukraine, countering China in the Indo-Pacific, and operations on the southern U.S. border. Biden signed a record $886 billion defense spending bill into law on December 22, 2023.

Antony Blinken was nominated as Secretary of State and confirmed on January 26, 2021. During his confirmation, he acknowledged past optimistic approaches to China were flawed and endorsed the designation of genocide against Uyghur Muslims.

Americans detained abroad

In July 2022, President Biden signed an executive order aimed at deterring the wrongful detention of Americans abroad. According to an estimate by The James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, there are at least 67 U.S. citizens who are currently imprisoned abroad. The foundation further estimates that 90% of those are wrongly detained by foreign governments hostile to the U.S., including Venezuela, Russia, China, Iran, and others. Dozens of families of Americans who are detained abroad say President Biden has failed to adequately address the crisis. They formed a group called "Bring Our Families Home Campaign" to pressure Biden to do more.

Investigations of Biden

Hur special counsel investigation

Further information: Hur special counsel investigation

Soon after Biden's attorneys informed the National Archives Administration in November 2022 that classified documents from before Biden's presidency had been found at the Penn Biden Center, Attorney General Garland tasked U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch Jr. with conduct an initial investigation. On January 5, 2023, Lausch advised Garland that the assignment of a special counsel was warranted. On January 12, Garland announced that he was appointing a special counsel to investigate "possible unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or other records", and appointed Robert K. Hur as special counsel.

Congressional investigations

See also: United States House Oversight Committee investigation into the Biden family, United States House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, and Joe Biden classified documents incident

Impeachment inquiry

Main article: Impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden

See also: Efforts to impeach Joe Biden

On September 12, 2023, Speaker McCarthy acceded to the right wing of the House Republican Conference and announced the launch of an impeachment inquiry into Biden.

McCarthy claimed that earlier findings of House investigations "paint a picture of corruption" involving Biden and his relatives. Prior investigations have failed to find evidence of wrongdoing by the president.

Elections during the Biden presidency

Democratic seats in Congress

Congress	Senate	House
117th	50	222
118th	51	213

2022 midterm elections

Main article: 2022 United States elections

Despite Biden's low approvals, a red wave did not occur during the president's first midterm as many had anticipated. Democrats expanded their narrow Senate majority while Republicans took control of the House of Representatives by a far smaller margin than expected. This was largely attributed to a backlash against the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, as well as the perceived extremeness of certain Republican candidates in competitive races.

It was the first midterm election since 1986 in which the party of the incumbent president achieved a net gain in governorships, and the first since 1934 in which the president's party didn't lose any state legislative chambers or incumbent senators.

Many pundits had failed to predict the Democrats' resilient performance; Simon Rosenberg was one exception. Polls for the election cycle were the most accurate since 1998, though Republican-aligned pollsters such as the Trafalgar Group had a notable polling miss.

The results drew praise from the Democratic Party, and Biden celebrated the results as a strong day for democracy.

2024 re-election campaign

Main articles: Joe Biden 2024 presidential campaign and 2024 United States presidential election

Further information: 2024 United States elections, 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries, and 2024 Democratic National Convention

Congressional party leaders

		Senate leaders		House leaders
Congress	Year	Majority	Minority	Speaker	Minority
117th	2021–2022	Schumer	McConnell	Pelosi	McCarthy
118th	2023	Schumer	McConnell	McCarthy	Jeffries
	2023–present	Schumer	McConnell	Johnson	Jeffries

After speculation Biden would not seek re-election due to his advanced age and poor job approval, Biden officially announced his re-election campaign on April 25, 2023.

Approval ratings and image

Main articles: 2021 opinion polling on the Joe Biden administration, 2022 opinion polling on the Joe Biden administration, and 2023 opinion polling on the Joe Biden administration

Very early in Biden's presidency, opinion polls found that Biden's approval ratings were steadier than Trump's, with an average approval rating of 55% and an average disapproval rate of 39%. Biden's early approval ratings have been more polarized than Trump's, with 98% of Democrats, 61% of independents and 11% of Republicans approving of Biden's presidency in February 2021, a party gap of 87%. Around the end of his first hundred days in office, Biden's approval rating was higher than Trump's but was the third worst since the presidency of Harry Truman; only Trump and Gerald Ford scored lower.

Following the fall of Kabul and the surge of COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant in July and August 2021, Biden's approval rating began to steadily decline, from a high of 52.7% approval on July 26, 2021, to 45.9% approval by September 3, 2021, according to FiveThirtyEight. While the White House emphasized COVID-19 as causing his low approval rating, inflation, the highest in nearly 40 years, has also been described as a cause. Biden's lowest approval rating on record comes from a Quinnipiac University poll in July 2022, which showed just 31% of respondents approving of his performance as president.

By the one-year anniversary of Biden's presidency on January 20, 2022, Gallup recorded the average approval rating for Biden's first year as 49%, which was the second-lowest first-year average approval rating for any American president since World War II; only Trump's first-year average of 38.4% was lower. Gallup further noted that there was greater political polarization in Biden's approval ratings than any other first-year president in modern history, with 91% of Democrats supporting Biden while just 8% of Republicans supported him, resulting in a party gap of 83%. The only other year of any presidency that saw greater polarization was Trump's final year in office. The July 2022 Gallup survey saw Biden's sixth quarter approval rating of 40%, the lowest sixth quarter rating of any president in modern history dating back to Dwight Eisenhower. Until April 23, according to figures compiled by FiveThirtyEight, Biden's approval rating stood at 42.3 percent, a slight improvement from the sub-40 percent level reached in the summer of 2022, but still well below the peak of 53 percent when he began his presidency in January 2021.

According to Gallup, in October 2023, Biden's approval rating dropped to 37% and dropped 11 points among Democrats. An October 30, 2023 poll by the Arab American Institute, support for Biden among Arab Americans dropped from 59% in 2020 to 17%. The drop in support has been attributed to the administration's handling of the 2023 Israel-Hamas War.

  Percentage that approve   Percentage that disapprove   Percentage of unsure respondents

Further reading

• Foer, Franklin (2023). The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House and the Struggle for America's Future. New York: Penguin Press. ISBN 978-1-101-98114-6. OCLC 1395141546. Excerpt.
• Wayne, Stephen J. (2022). The Biden Presidency: Politics, Policy, and Polarization. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-032-01007-6. OCLC 1306538369. Excerpt; covers first 18 months.
• Whipple, Chris (2023). The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden's White House. New York: Scribner. ISBN 978-1-9821-0643-0. OCLC 1333841502. Excerpt; comprehensive history of first two years.

External links

• Coverage of Joe Biden's presidency at the Miller Center of Public Affairs