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Two years ago, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were inaugurated. What have they accomplished? [1]

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Date: 2023-01-20  

x It’s been an incredible two years. pic.twitter.com/AYyUyhANXa — President Biden (@POTUS) January 20, 2023

There was the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which is taking on big projects that have waited far too long while bridges and tunnels have deteriorated. After “infrastructure week” became a recurring joke under Donald Trump, Biden and Democrats made it happen.

The Inflation Reduction Act may not have been the full Build Back Better plan Biden or most Democrats wanted, but it was nonetheless a big f’ing deal. It offers clean energy rebates and tax credits that will help households fight climate change, and bolsters green energy production at every level. It allows Medicare to negotiate prices on some prescription drugs, caps Medicare Part D annual pharmacy expenditures, and caps insulin costs at $35 per month for Medicare enrollees. It will help the IRS crack down on wealthy tax cheats.

When Democrats came out with the IRA, Republicans responded by throwing a temper tantrum and temporarily blocking a bill to provide care for veterans affected by toxic burn pits. But Republicans eventually caved, and the bill—which had particular personal meaning to Biden, who has said his son Beau’s fatal brain cancer may have been caused by burn pits—became law.

Democrats looked at the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision allowing abortion bans and moved to lock down marriage equality by passing the Respect for Marriage Act.

Just as he followed through on his promise to choose a woman for vice president, making history with Kamala Harris—not only the first woman in the role but the first Black vice president and first Asian American vice president—Biden followed through on his promise to put the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has already left a mark on the court with moments like her powerful hypothetical during oral arguments on a college admissions case.

Biden has also been a leader in a global response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, supporting Ukraine’s ability to defend itself without allowing the U.S. to be drawn into a broader war.

It’s sure not perfect. Republicans do damage so much more quickly than Democrats can fix it, and the Trump-McConnell Supreme Court stands in the way of so much progress, possibly including Biden’s student debt relief plan. But Biden and Harris have done a lot, and it was accomplished in the face of relentless personal attacks on both of them, with Republicans working to undermine the very legitimacy of their win. Unfortunately, with Republicans now narrowly in control of the House, the next two years will have to be dedicated to pitched battle. Let’s not count Biden and Harris out, though. Real change is still possible.

x Two years ago today, @POTUS was sworn into office. Here's just some of what we've accomplished:



✅ Lowest unemployment in 50 years

✅ Once-in-a-generation infrastructure bill passed

✅ Largest investment into climate action EVER



And Democrats will keep delivering 💪🏾 — Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) January 20, 2023

x Two years ago today, we turned the page on a dark chapter of our history, and @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris were sworn in as president and vice president of the United States. Since then, we’ve made real change for working people—and we’re going to keep up the fight, side by side. — Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) January 20, 2023

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/1/20/2148262/-Two-years-ago-Joe-Biden-and-Kamala-Harris-were-inaugurated-What-have-they-accomplished

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