Government/Health Spending
1.9T American Rescue Plan
$1400 stimulus checks for adults, children, and adult dependants
1 year child tax credit expansion - $3600 0-5, $3000 6-17, removed income reqs and made fully refundable
$350 billion state and local aid
$130 billion for schools for safe reopening
$40 billion for higher ed, half of which must go to student aid
Extended $300 supplemental UI through September 2021
Expanded eligibility for extended UI to cover new categories
Made $10,200 in UI from 2020 tax free
$24B Childcare stabilization fund
$15B in low-income childcare grants
One Year Child and Dependent Care credit expansion
$46.5B in housing assistance, inc:
$5B to fight homelessness
$5B for utilities assistance
Extended Eviction moratorium through Aug 2021 (SC struck down)
2 year ACA tax credit expansion and ending of subsidy cliff – expanded coverage to millions and cut costs for millions more
100% COBRA subsidy through Sept 30th, 2021
6 month special enrollment period from Feb-Aug 2021
Required insurers to cover PrEP, an HIV prevention drug, including all clinical visits relating to it
Extended open enrollment from 45 to 76 days
New year round special enrollment period for low income enrollees
Restored Navigator program to assist with ACA sign up
Removed separate billing requirement for ACA abortion coverage
Eliminated regulation that allows states to privatize their exchanges
Eliminated all Medicaid work requirements
Permanently removed restriction on access to abortion pills by mail
Signed the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act to fund increased ALS research and expedite access to experimental treatments
Rescinded Mexico City Policy (global gag rule) which barred international non-profits from receiving US funding if they provided abortion counseling or referrals
Allowed states to extend coverage through Medicaid and CHIP to post-partum women for 1 year (up from 60 days)
42 Lifetime Federal judges confirmed – most in 40 years
Named first openly LBGTQ woman to sit on an appeals court, first Muslim American federal judge, and record number of black women and public defenders
$1.2T infrastructure law, including $550B in new funding
$110B for roads and bridges
$66B for passenger and freight rail
$39B for public transit, plus $30.5B in public transit funds from ARP
$65B for grid expansion to build out grid for clean energy transmission
$50B for climate resiliency
$21 for environmental remediation, incl. superfund cleanup and capping orphan wells
$7.5B for electric charging stations
$55B for water and wastewater, including lead pipe removal
$65B for Affordable Broadband
$25B for airports, plus $8B from ARP
$17B for ports and waterways
$1B in reconnecting communities
Rejoined the Paris Climate Accords 50% emission reduction goal (2005 levels) by 2030
EO instructing all federal agencies to implement climate change prevention measures
Ordered 100% carbon free electricity federal procurement by 2030
100% zero emission light vehicle procurement by 2027, all vehicles by 2035
Net Zero federal building portfolio by 2045, 50% reduction by 2032
Net Zero federal procurement no later than 2050
Net zero emissions from federal operations by 2050, 65% reduction by 2030
Finalized rule slashing the use of hydrofluorocarbons by 85% by 2036 – will slow temp rise by 0.5°C on it’s own.
Set new fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks, raising the requirement for 2026 from 43mpg to 55mpg.
Protected Tongass National Forest, one of the world’s largest carbon sinks, from development, mining, and logging
Revoked Keystone XL permit
Used the CRA to reverse the Trump administration Methane rule, restoring stronger Obama era standards.
EPA proposed new methane rule stricter than Obama rule, would reduce 41 million tons of methane emissions by 2035
Partnered with the EU to create the Global Methane Pledge, which over 100 countries have signed, to reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030 from 2020 levels
US-EU trade deal to reward clean steel and aluminum and penalize dirty production
Ended US funding for new coal and fossil fuel projects overseas, and prioritized funding towards clean energy projects
G7 partnership for “Build Back Better World” – to fund $100s of billions in climate friendly infrastructure in developing countries
Restoring California’s ability to set stricter climate requirements
Signed EO on Climate Related Financial Risk that instructs rule making agencies to take climate change related risk into consideration when writing rules and regulations.
$100M for environmental justice initiatives
$1.1B for Everglades restoration
$100M for environmental justice initiatives
$1.1B for Everglades restoration
30 GW Offshore Wind Plan, incl:
Largest ever offshore wind lease sale in NY and NJ
Offshore wind lease sale in California
Expedited reviews of Offshore Wind Projects
$3B in DOE loans for offshore wind projects
$230M in port infrastructure for Offshore wind
Solar plan to reduce cost of solar by more than 50% by 2030 including $128M in funding to lower costs and improve performance of solar technology
Multi-agency partnership to expedite clean energy projects on federal land
Instructed Dept of Energy to strengthen appliance efficiency rules
Finalized rule to prevent cheating on efficiency standards
Finalized rule to expedite appliance efficiency standards
Repealed Federal Architecture EO that made sustainable federal buildings harder to build
Reversed size cuts and restored protections to Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monuments
Restoring NEPA regulations to take into account climate change and environmental impacts in federal permitting
Extended public health emergency through at least April 15, 2022
$50B in funding for FEMA for COVID Disaster Relief including vaccine funding
Set 100% FEMA reimbursement to states for COVID costs, retroactively to start of pandemic
$1.75B for COVID genome sequencing
$8.5B to CDC for vaccines
$7.6B to state and local health depts
$7.6B to community health centers
$6B to Indian Health Services
$17B to the VA, including $1B to forgive veteran medical debt
$3B to address mental health and substance abuse
Over 500 million vaccine shots administered in a year
Established 90,000 free vaccination sites
Raised federal reimbursement from $23 to $40 per shot for vaccine sites
6000 troops deployed for initial vaccination
Cash incentives, free rides, and free childcare for initial vaccination drive
400 million vaccines donated internationally, 1.2 billion committed
$2B contribution to COVAX for global vaccinations
Funded expansion of vaccine manufacturing in India and South Africa
Implemented vaccine mandate for federal employees, contractors, and employees at healthcare providers that receive Medicare/Medicaid funding.
Implemented vaccine/test mandate for large businesses (SC struck down)
Invoked DPA for testing, vaccine, PPE manufacturing
Federal mask mandate for federal buildings, federal employees, and public transportation
Implemented test requirement for international travel
Implemented joint FDA-NIH expedited process to approve at home tests more quickly
Over 20,000 free federal testing sites
8 at home tests per month required to be reimbursed by insurance
1B at home tests available for free by mail
50M at home tests available free at community health centers
25M high quality reusable masks for low-income residents in early 2021
400M free N95 masks at pharmacies and health centers
Military medical teams deployed to help overburdened hospitals
Ended the ban on trans soldiers in the military
Reversed Trump admin limits on Bostock ruling and fully enforced it
Prohibited discrimination against LGBTQ patients in healthcare
Prohibited discrimination against LGBTQ families in housing under the Fair Housing Act
Prohibited discrimination against LGBTQ people in the financial system to access loans or credit
Justice Department declared that Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in education.
Revoked ban on Federal Diversity Training
Instructed the VA to review its policies to remove barriers to care for trans veterans
First Senate confirmed LGBTQ Cabinet Secretary
First trans person confirmed by the Senate
Extended birthright citizenship to children of same sex couples born abroad
State Department allows X gender marker on passport for non-binary Americans
Banned new contracts with private prisons for criminal prisons
Justice Department reestablished the use of consent degrees with police departments
Pattern and Practice investigation into Phoenix, Louisville, and Minneapolis
Banned chokeholds and limited no-knock raids among federal law enforcement
Initiative to ban modern day redlining
Doubled DOJ Civil Rights Division staff
Increase percentage of federal contract for small disadvantaged businesses from 5% to 15% ($100B in additional contracts over 5 years)
Sued TX and GA over voting laws. Sued TX over abortion law. Sued GA over prison abuse.
Signed law making Juneteenth a federal holiday
Signed EO to use the federal government to improve voting access through federal programs and departments.
Signed COVID-19 Hate Crime Act, which made more resources available to support the reporting of hate crimes
Signed EO for diversity in the federal workplace
Increased federal employment opportunities for previously incarcerated persons
New regulations on pistol-stabilizing braces
First annual gun trafficking report in 20 years
New zero tolerance policy for gun dealers who wilfully violate the law
Signed COPS act, ensuring confidentiality for peer counselling for police officers
Signed Protecting America’s First Responders Act, expediting benefits for officers disabled in the line of duty
Signed bill making it a crime to harm US law enforcement overseas
Student loan freeze through April 30th, 2022
Changed criteria so an additional 1.14M borrowers qualified for the loan pause (retroactively forgave interest and penalties)
Forgiven $11.5B in student loans for disabled students, students who were defrauded, and PSLF
Fixed PSLF so that it is much easier for previous payments to apply. Determined that the paused months will apply to PSLF
Student loan debt forgiveness is tax free through 2025
Ended Border Wall emergency and cancelled all new border wall construction and contracts
Repealed Trump’s Muslim Ban
Set FY 2022 refugee cap to 125,000, the highest in almost 30 years
Prohibiting ICE from conducting workplace raids
Family reunification taskforce to reunite separated families. Reunited over 100+ families and gave them status to stay in US
Granted or extended TPS for Haitians, Venezuelans, Syrians, and Liberians
Lifted moratorium on green cards and immigrant visas
Ended use of public charge rule to deny green cards
Loosened the criteria to qualify for asylum
Changed ICE enforcement priorities
Re-initiated the CAM Refugee program for Northern Triangle minors to apply for asylum from their home countries
$1B+ in public aid and private investment for addressing the root causes of migration
Ended family detention of immigrants and moved towards other monitoring
HHS prohibited working with ICE on enforcement for sponsors of unaccompanied minors
Got rid of harder citizenship test
Allowed certain visas to be obtained without an in person consulate interview
Rescinded “metering” policy that limited migrants at ports of entry
Ended the War in Afghanistan
First time in 20 years US not involved in a war
Ended support for Saudi offensive operations in Yemen
Airstrikes down 54% in 2021 from 2020.
Issued policy restricting drone strikes outside of warzones
Restored $235M in aid to Palestinians
AUKUS defense pact with Australia and UK
New rules to counter extremism within the military
Signed law funding capitol police and Afghan Refugees
EO on competitiveness to write consumer friendly rules, such as right to repair
EO on improving government experience, incl
Social Security benefits will be able to be claimed online
Passports can be renewed online
Makes it easier for low-income families to apply for benefits
Increase telehealth options
WIC recipients can use benefits online
$7.25B in additional PPP funds
Signed PPP extension law to extend the program for 2 months
Changed criteria to make it easier for small and minority businesses to qualify for PPP loans
$29B Restaurant Recovery Fund to recover lost revenue
$1.25B Shuttered Venue fund
30 year bailout of multi-employer pension funds that protects millions of pensions through 2051.
Pro-labor majority appointed to NLRB
Established task force to promote unionization
Restored collective bargaining right for federal employees
Negotiated deal for West Coast Ports to run 24/7 to ease supply chain
Signed EO to secure and strengthen supply chains
Investing $1B in small food processors to combat meat prices
Extended 15% SNAP benefit increase through Sept 30, 2021
Made 12 million previously ineligible beneficiaries eligible for the increase
Public health emergency helps keep benefits in place
Largest permanent increase in SNAP benefit history, raising permanent benefits by 27% ($20B per year)
Made school lunches free through for all through the 2021-2022 school year
Extended the Pandemic EBT program
Largest ever summer food program in 2021 provided 34 million students with $375 for meals over the summer.
