In all the noise and heat of this election cycle, it’s easy to overlook the impressive number of things that President Biden and the Democrats have achieved in the last two years. These are policies close to the heart of most voters, designed to help rebuild our middle-class, our infrastructure, and the proud American manufacturing base. Pundits agree that Joe Biden has had one of the most effective presidencies of any Chief Executive. As we head to the polls, here’s a handy checklist to remind you.
THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT. This multi-pronged legislation helps people right where they need it most: their wallets. Among other things, it reduces drug prices (capping the price of insulin at $35, for example) and reduces health insurance premiums for 13 million Americans covered by Obamacare.
The Act also tackles the critical issue of climate change by investing in clean energy which will both create new jobs and increase our national security by reducing reliance on foreign oil.
One of the key tenets of the bill overhauls our tax system, finally making big corporations and the super-wealthy pony up their fair share to help our country (and FYI, this is where the money comes to pay for the Act; it’s estimated that the top 1 percent evade $163 billion in taxes every year).
THE CHIPS ACT. You may not understand what semiconductors do, but you know that they’re in everything – from your phone to your car. We felt the impact when the global supply chain couldn’t keep up with demand. With the CHIPS Act, the Democrats are putting the focus on developing and manufacturing them here in America. Not only does that provide jobs, but it gives us a global competitiveness we didn’t have.
INFRASTRUCTURE. The state of our highways, bridges, and airports has been a talking point for years. Biden and the Democrats actually got the $1.2 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed – and communities all over the country are seeing the result in new construction.
This year alone, repairs are being made on 1,500 bridges and 65,000 miles of roadways.
Another welcome result are improvements to broadband that will create access for our most remote areas.
A MAJOR STEP IN GUN LEGISLATION. Gun violence is at the top of concerns for most Americans. After a 30-year stalemate, President Biden and the Dems created bipartisan legislation that, among other things, requires those under 21 to undergo more rigorous background checks and puts tougher restrictions on “ghost guns.”
THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN. Biden took office as the harshest economic effects of the pandemic were being felt. Besides pushing hard to get Americans vaccinated against COVID, his administration also sent checks to American homes and delivered the Child Tax Credit which cut child poverty in half.
This is just a small sampling of the constructive things the Democrats and President Biden have achieved in the last two years. Despite the impact from the war in Ukraine and the ongoing effects of global inflation, there’s real progress being made in America. Let’s keep it going!
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Cindy Grogan is a writer, lover of history and "Star Trek" (TOS), and hardcore politics junkie. There was that one time she campaigned for Gerald Ford (yikes), but ever since, she's been devoted to Democratic and progressive policies.
Original source can be found here.
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