What Have the Biden-Harris Administration and Dems Done?

• Provided baby formula relief. The Biden-Harris Administration took immediate action to respond to the baby formula shortage, directing the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services to launch Operation Fly Formula (OFF).
  • • As of August 2022, OFF had conducted 19 missions and delivered 64M bottles of baby formula to American families.
• Reduced child poverty. The American Rescue Plan created the first national summer supplemental nutrition program which has fed an estimated 30M children and reduced child poverty by 50%. As a result of the Child Tax Credit, child poverty fell to its lowest level on record in 2021 – with record low Black and Hispanic child poverty.
• Reduced the cost of childcare. As a result of the American Rescue Plan, families received child tax credit for one year that was fully refundable and did not have minimum or maximum income requirements. The expansion of the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit increased the tax credit from $1,200 to $8,000 for a median income family with two kids under age 13.
• Increased the affordability of childcare. The American Rescue Plan invested $39B in childcare to compensate early childhood educators providing a safe and healthy environment for children while their parents work. These stabilization grants were delivered to more than 190K childcare providers, serving more than 8M children.
• Invested in mental health in schools. In July 2022, Biden announced $300M in funding to expand mental health services in schools. The Administration also launched a national suicide hotline (988) to allow individuals having mental health crises to talk to professionals instead of calling law enforcement. The American Rescue Plan also led to the hiring of more social workers and counselors during the pandemic in schools across the country.
• Provided historic funding to address the youth mental health crisis by expanding mental health services for young people across the country and increasing funding for community violence intervention programs through the Safer Communities Act. Here’s a great summary from Sen. Patty Murray.
• Invested in affordable healthcare. As of April 2022, the American Rescue Plan reduced 14.5M American families Affordable Care Act (ACA) premiums and allowed families of four to save an average of $200 per month, totaling $2,400 per family per year.
• Expanded Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) postpartum care. The American Rescue Plan allows states to increase pregnancy-related Medicaid and CHIP coverage from 60 days to 12 months postpartum. To date, over 250K people have gained coverage through these Medicaid postpartum extensions.
• Invested in safe returns to school. The American Rescue Plan, invested $120B into safely reopening K-12 schools, and $40B in higher-education, $20B of which was allocated to financial aid. This resulted in 99% of schools reopening safely.
• Expanded high-speed internet access in homes and schools. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (passed in Nov. 2021) provided a $65B investment in expanding broadband access including $1.2B for 3M school children.
• Launched COVID vaccines for children. The Administration launched a massive campaign to vaccinate children after the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson vaccines were approved in 2022.
• Passed the Safer Communities Act. The SCA is the first gun control bill passed in 30 years. Among other things, it requires background checks for buyers under 21, closes the “boyfriend loophole,” supports state red flag laws which allow removal of firearms if a person is a threat to themselves or others, provides historic funding to address the youth mental health crisis and community violence intervention programs, and funds school violence prevention efforts, training, and safety measures.
• Also see Education and Student Loans section.