Joe Biden: Lifelong politician and his accomplishments

April 2023, Joseph Robinette Biden formally announced his bid for re-election as President in 2024. However, in July 2024, following his poor performance against his opponent Donald J. Trump on a CNN Presidential debate, calls came from within his political party the Democrats for his withdrawal from the Presidential race sighting both health and age as the major factors.

With donors withholding funds, dwindling public support, the decline in different voting polls, and intense pressure from leading Democrats, the media, and the public, on the 21^st of July, 2024, Joe Biden ended his campaign for the office of President through a statement and shortly after, endorsed his vice, Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s Presidential nominee.

Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the United States of America, Joseph Biden, the 46^th President of the United States of America has been a career politician all his life. From the Senate to the White House, Biden has been a public servant all his life. It is therefore not surprising when calls from both the Left and Right of American politics came down hard demanding that he step down from contesting for a second term as the President that it became a tough call as this decision will signal the end of a dream lived through decades in service of his people.

Assuming office during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, dealing with the January 6^th insurrection, ending American troops’ stay and involvement in the terrorism war in Afghanistan, and for over a year getting involved in the Russian-Ukraine war whilst also navigating the muddy waters of the Israeli-Palestine war, it has been an eventful first term in office both locally and internationally for Biden.

Here are 23 of Joe Biden’s greatest accomplishments as President of the United States in his three years in office.

1. Passed the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package to increase investment in the national network of bridges and roads, airports, public transport, and national broadband internet, as well as waterways and energy systems.
2. Helped get more than 500 million life-saving COVID-19 vaccinations into the arms of Americans through the American Rescue Plan.
3. Stopped a 30-year streak of federal inaction on gun violence by signing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act that created enhanced background checks, closed the “boyfriend” loophole, and provided funds for youth mental health.
4. Made a $369 billion investment in climate change, the largest in American history, through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
5. Ended the longest war in American history by pulling the troops out of Afghanistan.
6. Provided $10,000 to $20,000 in college debt relief to Americans with loans who make under $125,000 a year.
7. Cut child poverty in half through the American Rescue Plan.
8. Capped prescription drug prices at $2,000 per year for seniors on Medicare through the Inflation Reduction Act.
9. Passed the COVID-19 relief deal that provided payments of up to $1,400 to many struggling U.S. citizens while supporting renters and increasing unemployment benefits.
10. Achieved historically low unemployment rates after the pandemic caused them to skyrocket.
11. Imposed a 15% minimum corporate tax on some of the largest corporations in the country, ensuring that they pay their fair share, as part of the historic Inflation Reduction Act.
12. Recommitted America to the global fight against climate change by rejoining the Paris Agreement.
13. Strengthened the NATO alliance in support of Ukraine after the Russian invasion by endorsing the inclusion of world military powers Sweden and Finland.
14. Authorized the assassination of the Al Qaeda terrorist Ayman al-Zawahiri, who became head of the organization after the death of Osama bin Laden.
15. Gave Medicare the power to negotiate prescription drug prices through the Inflation Reduction Act while also reducing government health spending.
16. Held Vladimir Putin accountable for his invasion of Ukraine by imposing stiff economic sanctions.
17. Boosted the budget of the Internal Revenue Service by nearly $80 billion to reduce tax evasion and increase revenue.
18. Created more jobs in one year (6.6 million) than any other president in U.S. history.
19. Reduced healthcare premiums under the Affordable Care Act by $800 a year as part of the American Rescue Plan.
20. Signed the PACT Act to address service members’ exposure to burn pits and other toxins.
21. Signed the CHIPS and Science Act to strengthen American manufacturing and innovation.
22. Reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act through 2027.
23. Halted all federal executions after the previous administration reinstated them after a 17-year freeze.

Becoming the first President to quit re-election race since 1968 in American politics, a tough call it must be, you can’t but admire the patriotism it took for Joseph Biden to put his country first, having spent 50-plus years in public service.

What will become of the Democrats at the polls is yet unknown.

Do they finally stand a chance of mounting a proper challenge against the Republican Party?

Would Kamala Harris win the Democrat’s nominee and become the first Madame President?

Many questions with no answer for now, but what is on record is, Joseph Biden dedicated his life to service and now it is time to take a bow.

DATA SOURCE: Upworthy.com