President Biden promised that his administration would focus on recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and rebuilding the economy better than it was before.
• Got Shots in Arms & Saved Lives: The President set up a historic vaccination program
that resulted in more than 200 million Americans fully vaccinated this year: almost 75%
of all adults. Millions of teenagers and children are now vaccinated, and tens of millions
of Americans are getting booster shots. The President closed the racial equity gap in
COVID vaccinations among adults. And, about 96% of schools are open. All these steps
have and continue to save countless lives.
• Got People Back to Work: President Biden has grown the economy faster than in
decades and added 6.4 million jobs – more in one year than ever on record. Recent
weekly unemployment claims are down near a level not seen since 1969. Economic
growth is the strongest in two generations – and for the first time in 20 years, the U.S.
economy has grown faster than China’s.
• Passed Laws to Create Jobs & Rebuild Crumbling Infrastructure: President Biden
got the American Rescue Plan and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed — the most
impactful legislative agenda for a first-year President. The American Rescue Plan led to
what experts estimate will be the lowest child poverty rate on record and the
unemployment rate is down to 3.9% two years faster than projected. The Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law will create jobs, provide clean drinking water, upgrade our roads,
airports, and rail, and is a critical first step towards a clean energy future.
In spite of unprecedented crises and opposition from Congressional Republicans, the
President and Congressional Democrats got an enormous amount done for the American
people in their first year.
ADDITIONAL KEY WINS
• 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 undeserved 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 chokeholds and no-knock” entries. And, President Biden provided cities
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 American Rescue
Plan and $13B in direct investments in Tribal communities through the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law.
FAST FACTS: RECORD FIRSTS IN THE FIRST YEAR
• 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
