President Biden's State of the Union address this evening focused on a bipartisan bread and butter moderate agenda, as well as touting a great many of the successes he's had in the first two years of his term that haven't received much attention. Incidentally, his factual claims (especially of "good news" he takes credit for) faired well when subjected to fact checking, although who gets credit for good news is always a subjective matter to some extent.
Stripped of the anecdotes and themes ("finish the job"), as usual, there was a list of major policy initiatives for his next two years which he announced.
I've reviewed the transcript of his speech and distilled those policy initiatives from it. Agenda items in a State of the Union address are much more likely to happen than policies merely mentioned in a political party platform in the United States.
Health Care
Cap the costs of insulin at $35 a month for all Americans, not just those on Medicare. Preserve recent ACA premium subsidies and expanded ACA Medicaid after 2025. Extend the Medicare Trust Fund by two decades. Increase access to home health care and support for family caregivers.
End the pandemic public health emergency. Monitor new COVID variants and support new COVID vaccines. Greatly increase funding for cancer research.
Taxes And Public Finance
Increase taxes on those making more than $400K per year and corporations with a "billionaire minimum tax", a 4x tax on corporate stock buybacks and closing loopholes that the very wealthy used to avoid paying taxes. Restore the full child tax credit.
Lift the debt ceiling. Cut the deficit by $2 trillion without cutting Medicare or Social Security.
Business Regulation
Strengthen anti-trust legislation, prevent online platforms from giving their own products an unfair advantage.
Stop big tech from collecting data on kids and teens and targeting advertisements at them. Impose stricter limits on the data big tech collects on everyone.
Pass the Junk Fee Prevention Act limiting hotel surcharges, cable and cell phone company switching fees, concert and ticket service fees, and charging families to sit together on planes.
Worker's Rights And Economic Security
Pass the PRO Act to make it easier to unionize. Guarantee all workers a living wage. Give workers paid family and medical leave and affordable child care. Increase access to affordable and quality housing.
Education
Provide preschool to 3- and 4- year olds. Give public school teachers a raise. Increase access to mental health care at school. Connect students to career opportunities in high school.
Reduce student debt and increase Pell Grants for working and middle class families. Provide two years of community college.
Veteran's Benefits
Provide veterans and their spouses with job training and placement upon reentry to civilian life. Provide rent so veterans don't become homeless. Reduce suicides by veterans.
Crime And Law Enforcement
Prosecute criminals who stole pandemic relief money. Triple anti-fraud "strike forces" going after them, double the statute of limitations on these crimes, and crack down on identity fraud by criminal syndicates.
Stop fentanyl production, sale and trafficking with greater enforcement including higher penalties for fentanyl trafficking, more resources for interdiction at the border, and by working with carriers like FedEx to inspect more packages for drugs.
Give law enforcement the training they need. Fund more first responders and other professionals to address substance abuse and mental health issues. Use more resources to reduce violent crime and gun crime such as more community intervention programs and more housing, education and job training.
Hold police officers and departments that violate the public trust accountable. He's banned federal law enforcement officers from using chokeholds, restricting no knock warrants, and other key elements of the George Floyd Act that didn't pass and he wants to finish the job on police reform.
Ban assault weapons.
Immigration
Reform immigration, if not with his comprehensive plan, at least with more equipment and officers at the border, and a path to citizenship for Dreamers, those on temporary status, farm workers, and essential workers.
Abortion, Gay Rights and Democracy
Codify Roe v. Wade. Pass the Equality Act to protect LGBTQ Americans, especially transgender young people.
Don't tolerate political violence. Protect the right to vote rather than suppressing it. Honor the results of our elections. Uphold the rule of law. Restore trust in our institutions of democracy. Give hate and extremism in any form no safe harbor.
Foreign Policy
The U.S. will stand with Ukraine as long as it takes.
The U.S. will work for more freedom, more dignity, and more peace, not just in Europe, but everywhere.
Seek competition and not conflict with China and unite the U.S. to compete with it. Invest in industries that define the future that China wants to dominate. Work with allies to protect advanced technologies so they are not used against us. Modernize our military. Work with China to advance American interests and benefit the world. Protect the U.S. from Chinese threats to our country and sovereignty.
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