What to expect if the president gets a second term.
The last four years have been tumultuous, to say the least. During his first presidential campaign, Joe Biden championed himself as the best candidate to tackle the four main crises at the time: the coronavirus, the economy, climate change, and creating more racial equality. “History has delivered us to one of the most difficult moments America has ever faced,” Biden said at the Democratic National Convention in 2020. “Four historic crises, all at the same time. A perfect storm.”
Thankfully, the pandemic is behind us, even as coronavirus cases remain a reality, but some of those issues, like the climate crisis, remain central to his presidency. Now, as he’s seeking a second term, Biden is calling on voters to allow him to “finish the job.” But what does this mean exactly, and what has he managed to accomplish during the past four years?
We took a closer look at some of his achievements — and where he’s fallen short.
Abortion
What Biden has done
Biden has admittedly stated that he’s not “big on abortion” because of his Catholic faith. But his personal views haven’t stopped him from repeatedly urging Congress to codify protections for the procedure in federal law after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Given Democrats’ slim majority in the Senate and Republicans’ control of the House, he hasn’t been able to pass such legislation.
That said, he has been able to take executive action on the issue. His first order was aimed at safeguarding access to abortion care and contraceptives, as well as protecting patient privacy. Then he issued a second one geared toward making it easier for women to travel out of state to receive abortions. Specifically, this order directs the Department of Health and Human Services to consider allowing Medicaid funds to be used to assist people crossing state lines for the procedure.
Among other actions, his administration has also defended access to mifepristone — a drug used in medication abortions that the FDA first approved more than 20 years ago — before the Supreme Court. On top of those legal efforts, Biden created a task force on reproductive healthcare access, and he’s also tasked Vice President Kamala Harris with embarking on a nationwide tour focused on reproductive freedom.
What he promises to do
Biden has repeatedly said that if he’s re-elected, he’d restore federal abortion rights by making Roe v. Wade protections the law of the land. “Donald Trump is the reason Roe was ended,” Biden said in a video posted on Instagram. “If you reelect me, I’ll be the reason why it’s restored.”
But there’s a major caveat to his promise: He would have to not only win the White House again in November, but Democrats would also have to take back both the House and hold the Senate to pass that legislation.
Gun violence
What Biden has done
Biden has a history of standing up to gun rights groups, such as the National Rifle Association. So it was no surprise that in 2022 he signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the first major gun measure to pass in nearly three decades.
Implemented by the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, the historic legislation expands background checks to include people under the age of 21 and greenlights red flag laws that allow authorities to temporarily confiscate a gun from anyone deemed by a judge too dangerous to have one. “While this bill doesn’t do everything I want, it does include actions I’ve long called for that are going to save lives,” Biden said before signing the measure.
Despite this major legislative victory, the president has also tried to pass an assault weapons ban, but conservatives have had other plans. Last December, Senate Republicans unanimously blocked an effort to reauthorize the legislation, which first passed in 1994 and has since expired. “Americans have a Constitutional right to own a firearm,” GOP Senator John Barrasso said at the time.
What he promises to do
The Biden administration is planning to crack down on unlicensed gun sellers. On April 11, the Justice Department announced that it had finalized a rule that would require people who sell firearms online and at gun shows to conduct background checks on their potential customers.
“Today, my Administration is clarifying when folks must get their license and run background checks, and ensuring that gun show and online sale loopholes no longer exist,” Biden said in a post on X following the news. “We’re keeping guns out of the hands of abusers and felons.”
The new rule is expected to go into effect in 30 days, but it is likely to face challenges in both the courts and in Congress.
Immigration
What Biden has done
Biden has dismantled some of Trump’s hardline immigration policies. Immediately after taking office, he reversed the travel ban on people from predominantly Muslim countires, such as Iran and Libya. He also got rid of the “Remain in Mexico” program, which forced asylum seekers to go to Mexico to wait for their U.S. immigration court hearing.
But a record surge in migrants crossing the U.S. southern border subsequently forced him to keep some of Trump’s measures in place. Title 42 is a prime example — this program essentially allows authorities to expel most migrants encountered at the border, except for unaccompanied children.
There are also some immigration promises he has fallen short on, including the border wall. Even though Biden pledged “not another foot,” the Department of Homeland Security outlined its intent to build up to 20 new miles of the kind of barriers Trump used in South Texas.
What he promises to do
Biden hopes to revive the Senate’s failed bipartisan border policy deal, which largely focuses on tamping down on illegal crossings in the U.S.-Mexico border. This plan would also raise the screening standard for asylum seekers to make sure that those who apply are the ones who are likely to get it. While this change would make it more difficult for migrants to obtain asylum, it would also speed up the process of these claims by providing more funding for United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
“We can fight about the border — or we can fix it. I’m ready to fix it. Send me the border bill now,” Biden said during his State of the Union address in March.
Foreign Policy
Biden campaigned on ending wars and restoring U.S. alliances. Although he withdrew troops from Afghanistan in 2021, the U.S. is now helping fund conflicts in both Ukraine and Israel — and soon, more aid could be on the way.
What Biden has done in Ukraine
Biden has expressed unwavering support for Ukraine following the invasion of Russian troops two years ago. “Mr. President, I will not walk away from Ukraine, and neither will the American people,” Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his visit to the White House last year.
But the president has struggled to get Congress to pass additional support to the country as it runs short on military aid. In February, Biden pushed for the House to vote on a Senate-approved $95.34 billion aid package, but the GOP-led chamber has yet to take it up. And time is running out: A top Army general has warned that Ukraine will soon be outgunned 10 to one by Russia.
What he promises to do
The president has vowed to continue to push for support for Ukraine. During his State of the Union, the president said the U.S. must stand by Ukraine in its war against Russia, and he urged Congress to pass additional relief.
“My message to [Russian] President Putin … is simple,” Biden said during the address. “We will not walk away. We will not bow down. I will not bow down.”
Still, U.S. funding for Ukraine remains in limbo in Congress. The Senate previously passed a $95 billion aid package, which included an additional $60.1 billion for Kyiv, but the GOP-led House refused to take it up due to objections over providing additional funding for the country. Now House Speaker Mike Johnson has unveiled a $61 billion funding bill, despite objections from the party’s hardliners.
What Biden has done in Israel
Biden has expressed unwavering support for Israel since the deadly Oct. 7 attack that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Israelis. This includes providing millions of dollars worth of supplies and ammunition to the Israeli military’s subsequent war in Gaza.
The same Senate package with Ukraine funding also included $14.1 billion for Israel’s war against Hamas and almost $10 billion for humanitarian aid for civilians in conflict zones, including Palestinians in Gaza. Though Biden previously said he’d veto a standalone proposal for Israel, he has backed a separate $26.4 bill for the country.
Besides military aid, the White House team has pushed for peace talks and de-escalation amid the threat of a broader conflict in the Middle East. Amid threats of widespread violence in the region, Biden said he remains “committed to a ceasefire” between Hamas and Israel and hopes that it would bring the remaining hostages being held back home.
What he promises to do
Biden has committed to promoting peace in the region, even in light of Iran’s massive aerial attack against Israel in response to a deadly Israeli strike on an Iranian consular building in Damascus, Syria.
The president has made it clear to Israel that he wouldn’t support a potential counter-strike on Iran. On a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the weekend, Biden said that he should “take the win.” He has also long pushed for a two-state solution that would create an independent Palestinian country alongside Israel. But is that even still possible? He seems to think so.
“The president still believes in the promise and the possibility of a two-state solution,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said at a White House briefing. “He recognizes that it’s going to take a lot of hard work. It’s going to take a lot of leadership there in the region, particularly, on both sides of the issue and the United States stands firmly committed to eventually seeing that outcome.”
Climate
What Biden has done
Biden has earmarked more than $50 billion toward climate-related projects through the infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act, which marked the single largest investment in climate and energy. With these funds, the Biden administration has awarded $830 million in grants to fund 80 projects aimed at improving the nation’s aging roads, bridges, and other infrastructure impacted by climate change.
Then in March, the Environment Protection Agency announced the “strongest ever” pollution standard for passenger vehicles from model years 2027 to 2032, which would force the auto industry to sell more electric cars by tightening limits on tailpipe pollution. Biden says these new rules will meet his pledge to make half of all new cars and trucks sold in the U.S. will be zero-emission by 2030. EPA officials have said that these new standards will reduce planet-warming carbon emissions by more than 7 billion over the next three decades and prevent up to 2,500 premature deaths in 2055.
A month later, the agency announced another potentially life-saving measure — the first-ever national standard limiting a group of “forever chemicals” known collectively as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water. This measure will protect around 100 million people from being exposed to these toxic substances found in everything from food packaging to dental floss.
What he promises to do
Biden’s climate team has already mapped out a multi-step plan to cut industrial pollution if he wins re-election.
This includes offering incentives from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act toward technologies to help factories reduce their emission of greenhouse gasses. He would also try to impose a “carbon tariff” on global companies based on their carbon footprint, though this would require congressional approval and a similar self-imposed tax in the U.S. Despite these political headwinds, it’s certainly not impossible —- the European Union imposed a similar carbon border tax in 2023.
The president also looks to reign in industrial pollution from steel and cement plants, factories, and oil refineries. This includes new regulations that would help the president meet his goal of eliminating fossil fuel pollution by 2025.
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