Making a Difference for You
FACTS: Record Firsts in the First Year of President Biden and VP Harris
Jobs: President Biden’s first year was the greatest year of job creation in American history, with more than 6 million jobs created.
Unemployment Rate: The unemployment rate dropped from 6.2% when Biden took office to 3.9%, the biggest single year drop in American history.
Unemployment Claims: The average number of Americans filing for unemployment has been near its lowest level since 1969. When the President took office, over 18 million were receiving unemployment benefits, today only 2 million are—also the biggest single year drop in history.
Economic Legislation Passed: Most significant by economic impact of any first-year president.
Child Poverty: Experts estimate lowest child poverty rate ever in 2021.
Expanded Access to Health Care: Nearly 5 million Americans have newly gained health insurance coverage.
Reduced Hunger: The number of households reporting that they sometimes or often did not have enough dropped by 32%.
Judges Confirmed: More judges confirmed to lower federal courts than any president since President Kennedy.
Judges That Reflect Our Nation: More Black women appointed to the US Court of Appeals than any president -- even over 8 years-- in history.
Cabinet: First majority non-white Cabinet in history, with most women in the Cabinet, including first woman Treasury Secretary, first LGBTQ+ and Native American Cabinet officials, and first woman Director of National Intelligence.
Climate Investments: Largest investments ever in the power grid, electric vehicle chargers, and climate resilience.
Clean Water: Largest investment and national, bipartisan plan to get safe and clean drinking water to all Americans.
Cleaner Cars: Strongest vehicle emissions standards ever to save drivers money at the pump and reduce pollution.
Wind: First-ever approvals of large-scale offshore wind projects.
Personnel: Most diverse Administration in history – most women, people of color, disability, LGBTQ+, first generation American, and first-generation college graduates.
Democratic Values Put People First, Human Rights, Equality, and Fairness First. We have accomplished a lot over the past year, but there is so much more to do. Join us and let’s continue to Build Back Better.
American Rescue Plan (ARP) victories for NC: Transylvania County has received $9 million dollars from the American Rescue Plan.
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) victories for NC: nearly $9 billion in federal funds to North Carolina over the next five years.
Expanded Affordable Health Care: President Biden increased the number of Americans with health care coverage to the highest number ever, and slashed premiums for millions – as a result of his actions, hundreds of thousands of Americans pay premiums as low as $10. He just banned surprise billing, an issue that has been particularly concerning to Americans in the past few years, and lowered the co-pays that many Americans pay.
Restored America’s Global Leadership: President Biden restored our global alliances and ended America’s longest war. For the first time in a generation, Americans are not deployed overseas in an ongoing war. The United States donated and delivered nearly 400 million vaccinations to developing countries – more than every other country in the world.
Took Aggressive Action to Tackle the Climate Crisis: President Biden rejoined the Paris Agreement and reestablished U.S. leadership at the global conference on climate change. He jumpstarted an electric future made in America, tripling production of electric vehicles in a year. He is deploying more wind and solar energy than ever before, addressing the long-lasting negative effects of legacy pollution and advancing environmental justice in underserved communities, and creating good-paying, union jobs that are making our country stronger and more resilient to the changing climate.
Addressed Gun Violence and Crime: President Biden issued a comprehensive strategy to reduce gun crime, including cracking down on gun trafficking and the proliferation of “ghost guns.” The Department of Justice banned federal law enforcement from using choke holds and “no-knock” entries. And, President Biden provided cities with historic levels of funding through the American Rescue Plan to put more cops on the beat and invest in community programs that are proven to reduce crime and make our communities safer.
Bolstered Domestic Manufacturing: President Biden increased the competitiveness of the U.S. economy by finalizing the most significant changes to Buy American in almost 70 years. He directed federal dollars to U.S. manufacturers by creating the first-ever Made in America Office. Under his Made in America Executive Order, federal purchases will help to bolster domestic manufacturing and manufacturing supply chains, and support good-paying, union jobs.
Confirmed Historic Judges: More of President Biden’s lower-court judicial nominees were confirmed in his first year than any president since Kennedy – and the President appointed more Black women on the Court of Appeals than any President ever.
Formed a Government That Looks Like America: President Biden was the first president since Reagan to get all his initial picks for the statutory cabinet confirmed, and the first president ever to have a cabinet that truly looks like America: the first cabinet half female and majority non-white.
Advanced Racial Equity: President Biden signed a Day One Executive Order on advancing equity and racial justice and a separate Executive Order to expand Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility across the federal government. The Administration set a government-wide goal of increasing the share of federal contracts to small disadvantaged businesses, including those owned by people of color, by 50% by FY25, meaning an increase of $100 billion to these firms over 5 years. The Administration provided $32B specifically for Tribal communities and Native people in the American Rescue Plan and $13B in direct investments in Tribal communities through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
