What Did Joe Biden Do Today?
December 19 Recap
Vice President Kamala Harris is set to launch a comprehensive nationwide tour advocating for reproductive freedoms, aiming to counteract intense opposition across America. Taking to the road in early 2024, she plans to host a series of events in various states, uniting thousands of individuals in the cause of defending every American's right to make personal decisions about their own bodies. Commencing on January 22 in Wisconsin, marking the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Vice President's "Fight for Reproductive Freedoms" tour will be expanded with additional dates and locations to be announced shortly. Read more…
The President is declaring his intention to nominate five highly qualified individuals to federal district courts and one individual to the Court of Federal Claims. All of these nominees possess exceptional qualifications, extensive experience, and a strong commitment to upholding the rule of law and our Constitution.
These selections align with the President's commitment to ensuring that the composition of the nation's courts mirrors the diversity that enriches our country, encompassing a range of personal and professional backgrounds.
This marks the forty-third round of nominees for federal judicial positions under President Biden, bringing the total number of announced federal judicial nominees to 209. Read more…
The Biden-Harris Administration has taken unprecedented measures to implement President Biden's directive, as outlined in his Earth Day 2022 Executive Order on Strengthening the Nation's Forests, Communities, and Local Economies. The aim is to preserve and rejuvenate the mature and old-growth forests across America. Recognizing the pivotal role of the nation's forests as a climate solution, these ecosystems absorb carbon dioxide, mitigating over 10% of the annual greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. President Biden is at the forefront of an ambitious climate agenda, having already safeguarded more than 26 million acres of lands and waters. The actions taken today will further advance this historic progress. Read the fact sheet.
A brief titled Building a Thriving Clean Energy Economy in 2023 and Beyond was released by Heather Boushey, Chief Economist, Investing in America Cabinet, and Justina Gallegos, Deputy Director for Industrial Innovation, Office of Science and Technology Policy, highlighting progress toward deploying these clean energy technologies. It describes how the President’s Investing in America agenda translates into tangible outcomes and progress toward the President’s climate goals, and it outlines how the deployment of clean energy technologies will lower greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy security, and spur economic growth.
A fact sheet titled Biden-Harris Administration Announces American Climate Corps Listening Sessions, New Actions to Mobilize the Next Generation of Clean Energy, Conservation, and Resilience Workers. Beginning in January, senior Biden-Harris Administration officials will convene a series of virtual listening sessions to hear directly from prospective American Climate Corps applicants and implementing partners, including conservation and service corps partners, labor unions, educational institutions, employer partners, and state, local, territorial and Tribal governments about their priorities for the American Climate Corps. Each listening session will last roughly 90 minutes and will allow participants to engage directly with Administration officials overseeing the initiative as the Administration works to establish the first cohort of American Climate Corps members by next summer.
The Homeland Security Advisor to the President of the United States, Liz Sherwood-Randall, convened a virtual meeting of the Trilateral Fentanyl Committee (TFC), along with her Mexican and Canadian counterparts. This committee, established by President Joe Biden, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the North American Leaders’ Summit on January 9-10, 2023, is aimed at guiding priority actions to address the illicit fentanyl threat in North America.
The TFC builds upon the ongoing efforts of the North American Drug Dialogue, the U.S.-Mexico Bicentennial Framework for Security, Public Health, and Safe Communities, and the U.S.-Canada Opioid Action Plan. In this third committee meeting, the co-chairs discussed advancements made by the expert working group in identifying opportunities to strengthen regulatory and statutory frameworks related to precursor chemicals and associated equipment used in the production of illicit fentanyl.
Additionally, they exchanged information on illicit drug trends and recent diplomatic engagements focused on reducing the flow of illicit synthetic drugs and their precursor chemicals. To propel further progress in combating the scourge of fentanyl, the co-chairs agreed to convene in person in Mexico in early 2024.
President Biden gave remarks at the memorial service for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
President Biden issued a veto on S.J.Res. 32, a resolution that would disapprove of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) final rule titled “Small Business Lending Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (Regulation B).”
President Biden signed the following bills into law:
H.R. 1734, the “Testing, Rapid Analysis, and Narcotic Quality Research Act of 2023” or the “TRANQ Research Act of 2023,” which requires the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology to support research and other activities related to identifying xylazine, novel synthetic opioids, and other new psychoactive substances.
S. 788, the “Duck Stamp Modernization Act of 2023, which amends current law to authorize the use of electronic Federal duck stamps in lieu of physical stamps to meet migratory water hunter licensing requirements.
S. 2747, which extends for ten years, through December 31, 2033, the authority of the Federal Election Commission to impose civil monetary penalties for violations of disclosure requirements.
S. 2787, the “5G Spectrum Authority Licensing Enforcement Act” or the “5G SALE Act,” which authorizes the Federal Communications Commission to temporarily process applications for licenses for the use of spectrum between 2496 megahertz and 2690 megahertz from applicants who were selected through a system of competitive bidding on or before March 9, 2023.
A press briefing was held by by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby. Watch the briefing and read the transcript.
President Biden signed the following bill into law:
H.R. 3315, the “National Guard and Reservists Debt Relief Extension Act of 2023,” which extends for four years, through December 19, 2027, the exemption from a means test presumption of abuse in determining eligibility for certain bankruptcy relief for qualifying members of the Armed Forces reserves and the National Guard.
President Biden addresses the funeral ceremony of the late Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. O'Connor, the pioneering first woman to sit on the court, passed away at 93 on December 1. Photo by Ting Shen/UPI.
