• ELECTIONS
    MATTER.
    WE VOTED
    LIKE IT.

    ELECTIONS
    MATTER.
    WE VOTED
    LIKE IT.

202Won

Our VISION FOR everyday Americans

We don't speak for Joe, but Joe speaks up for us. He's been doing it his whole life. That's what resonates. That's why people love him so damn much. He's genuine. He's sincere. And, he's only ever earned his own wage. President Biden knows what we sacrafice, and fights for everyday Americans. All Americans.
We Rememebered in November
Thank you, Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
Thank you, Rep John Lewis
Days
:
Hours
:
Minutes
:
Seconds
When he left office as Vice President, he earned the most he'd ever earned in his life: less than the average doctor, dentist or real estate attorney.
When tragedy struck the first time and he lost his wife and one daughter. Naomi was only one year old. His precious sons survived, but Joe had just won election as a young Senator and wouldn't leave their side. He took the Senate oath of office at their hospital bedsides in 1973 - at a time when Barack Obama was only a few years older than Biden's sons. His deceased wife's father held the Bible he was sworn in on.
President Joseph R Biden Jr was the poorest Vice President on known record, and least wealthy Senator in Washington. And that didn't stop him from passing more laws than all but one other Senator during his career. He's passed more laws than all but one.
Black Lives
People's Economy
Made in America
The NRA
Climate
Health
LGTBQ
Housing
Black Lives
People's Economy
Made in America
The NRA
Climate
Health
LGTBQ
Housing

    Everday Americans

    Regular Americans are being robbed to pay the rich.
    Conservatives have a top-down policy that gives breaks to the rich; rewards the wealthiest, and slashes breaks and help to the hardest working, everyday Joes, Janes and Jacquelines. Since 1950, the rich have paid less and less, and regular working class and middle class Americans have had to foot the bill. Regular families should not be footing the bill for trips to mars, the entire military budget, the Pentagon, the salaries of the entire government, and tax breaks to Amazon and Apple. Democrats believe in Keynesian Economics: From the ground-up, not from the top-down. We believe the hardest working Americans should pay the least, and the poor nothing at all; that the rich should be funding our budget - not everyday working class people. We believe our wages should be 2X and in some industries 3x what they are today, thanks to the greed of top-down trickle-down Republicans like Donald Trump. We dont want trickle-down. We want trickle-UP.

    The Poor, the Working Class, the Everyday Joe, Jane and Jacqueline should not be paying more than Donald Trump and the most filthy rich tycoons in America

    It's really simple, folks. Repulicans are top-down and Democrats build from the bottom-up. It's that simple.

    GOP

    Trickle Down
    They cut taxes for tycoons, and for home owners with stocks and nice little vacations in the suburbs, the rich, and the biggest corporations. They slash public programs and budgets, and raise taxes or slash tax breaks for the working class to pay for a bump to the rich. This is supposed to "create jobs". But the very wealthy rarely spend in times of economic distress, and all it does is ensure everyone continues to work low-wage jobs that make the rich richer.

    Democrat

    Keynesian
    Started from the bottom. They restore taxes the rich haven't been paying, cut all taxes to the poor, working class and everyday middle class families. We tax the super-wealthy, instead. By ensuring wages go up, a $15 minimum, Unions and bargaining power are strong and that everyday people earn more money, we're all able to pay our bills and businesses and the wealthy still thrive, because
    Top-Down Economics
    Bottom-Up Economics
    Vote for Joe
    Share Content
    We treat each other with dignity, we leave nobody behind, and we give hate no safe harbor. We are the United States of America.
    And together, there is not a single thing we cannot do.

    The People's Economy

    The Biden Plan will fight for a ground-UP economy that prioritizes everyday workers.

    Joe Biden's plan is the largest, most progressive agenda since FDR. And, with a President that can actually pass it into law. More than just a nice soundbyte, Joe Biden has a unique ability and personal bond with lawmakers, that equips him to truly work across-the-aisle with both sides. "Joe Biden is as good a man as God ever created" - Lindsay Graham.
    • $15,000 Up-Front Cash Federal Credit to buy a house
    • $1.3 trillion infrastructure plan. Jump-starting the repair of our highways, roads, and bridges and creating a massive amount of good paying jobs
    • a $15/hour Minimum Wage, with the minimum wage set to increase with median and inflation
    • Strengthen Unions. Union workers earn roughly 13% more than non-union workers on a similar job
    • Stop employers from denying workers overtime pay they’ve earned. Since Trump enabled employers and large corporations to take advantage, American workers have lost $2.2 Billion in unpaid overtime
    • Ensure Gig & Contract workers receive the benefits and protections they deserve
    • Eliminate non-compete clauses and no-poaching agreements that hinder the ability of employees to seek higher wages, better benefits, and working conditions by changing employers
    • Joe Biden will invest $640 Billion so every American has access to housing that is affordable, stable, safe, healthy, accessible, energy efficient and and located near good schools, with a reasonable commute to their jobs.
    • Protect homeowners and renters from abusive lenders and landlords through a new Homeowner and Renter Bill of Rights
    • Tackle racial bias that leads to homes in communities of color being assessed by appraisers below their fair value
    • Provide Section 8 housing vouchers to every eligible family so that no one has to pay more than 30% of their income for rental housing
    • $5 billion in federal funding for a new Renter's Tax Credit
    • Establish a $100 billion Affordable Housing Fund to construct and upgrade affordable housing
    • Provide tax incentives for the construction of more affordable & zero-emission housing in communities that need it the most
    • Develop a national strategy for making housing a right for all - Biden will work with Congress to secure passage of Congresswoman Maxine Waters’ Ending Homelessness Act and create 400,000 housing units for the homeless
    • Set a national goal of ensuring 100% of formerly incarcerated individuals have housing upon reentry
    • Spark the second great railroad revolution, working with Amtrak and private freight rail companies to further electrify the rail system, reducing diesel fuel emissions.
    • Invest in energy infrastructure for a 100% clean energy economy, with net-zero emissions by 2035.
    • $20 billion in rural broadband infrastructure; and triple funding to expand broadband access in rural areas, and to ensure that the work of installing broadband provides high-paying jobs with benefits
    • Invest $100 billion to modernize our nation’s schools. American public school facilities received a grade of D+ from the American Society of Civil Engineers. In fact, each year the U.S. underfunds school infrastructure by $46 billion, resulting in schools that are outdated, unsafe, unfit, and – in some cases – making kids and educators sick. In line with the Rebuild America’s Schools Act, backed by the House Education Committee, President Biden will invest $100 billion in improving public school
    • Fully Implement Congressman Clyburn’s 10-20-30 Plan
    Biden’s $640 billion investment in America’s housing is paid for by raising taxes on corporations and large financial institutions. Specifically, approximately $300 billion of the housing plan is devoted to new construction and is encompassed in the $1.3 trillion infrastructure plan. The remaining portion is paid for by instituting a financial fee on certain liabilities of firms with over $50 billion in assets.
    As Vice President, Biden oversaw the execution of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which poured more than $800 billion into infrastructure and stimulus spending, bringing the country back from the brink of depression. Biden made sure that taxpayer dollars were well spent, with less than 0.2% of awards generating investigations of fraud. Investing in Middle Class Competitiveness, Not Rewarding Wealth. Every cent of Joe Biden’s $1.3 trillion investment in our nation’s infrastructure will be paid for by making sure the super-wealthy and corporations pay their fair share. Specifically, this investment will be offset by revenue raised through reversing the excesses of the Trump tax cuts for corporations; reducing incentives for tax havens, evasion, and outsourcing; ensuring corporations pay their fair share; closing other loopholes in our tax code that reward wealth, not work; and ending subsidies for fossil fuels.
    Homelessness & Low-Income Housing

    The following plans either link to content on this page, or content that used to be posted on joebiden.com
    Ater winning the Election, President Biden launched buildbackbetter.gov and began @Transition46. Pease check the official government websites for policies and plans no longer connected below.

    Union Strong

    President Biden has stood with and fought for workers again and again. He helped get state and local laws increasing the minimum wage across the finish line – including in New York State. As Vice President, Biden was the loudest elected voice calling out “the most direct assault [on unions] in generations” when governors in states like Wisconsin and Ohio eviscerated the collective bargaining rights of public sector employees. When President Obama put President Biden in charge of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he ensured construction workers were paid prevailing wages, essential for maintaining middle class jobs. The Recovery Act also played a vital role in saving public sector jobs, including tens of thousands of education jobs. And, Biden secured an expansion of the SAFER Act to keep more firefighters on the job during the Great Recession.
    We're putting The People first

    If it were anyone else, they might make their entire campaign about not being Donald Trump. They might spend all of their time attacking and pointing out his failures, mass chaos and the millions of lives Trump has harmed. But that's not who Joe Biden is. That's why, from day one, his campaign has focused all it's energy on building a platform and agenda for The People - a plan that will be the most progressive, largest sweeping change platform in American history. And Joe can get it passed, too. This isn't a MARCH for Joe Biden. This is a MARCH for The People - and Joe Biden just happens to be walking in front, Leading by example, arms locked with the allies, faith leaders, heroes and advocates of every corner, cause and aspect of the American People. He Leads with Wisdom and Experience, detailing a plan that will make a massive shift of Power and Equity to The People. But this plan isn't the copyrighted proprietary, how'd-he-even-think-of-that masterpiece conceived of by Joe Biden alone. That's not who Joe is. He Listens

    The Biden plan is the People's plan. Everyone has a voice. Everyone is heard. Everyone deserves a seat at the table.

    Humility & Humanity
    America is rejecting the pomp, ego and vanity of a president that thinks only of himself and his own best interests and profits. Joe Biden is a humble, down-to-earth everyday Joe that even the furthest red Republicans respect and will listen to. Lindsay Graham said, "Joe Biden is as good a man as God ever created". Where the most hateful rhetoric and attacks have tried to put Joe down for his humanity and treat it as a liability - the American people see his humanity as an asset. A man that has suffered great loss, who understands great pain, who talks just like I do and would be honored to be invited into my own home. That's the measure of a man who's got the right stuff to be a true Leader.
    Joe's a winner, and he get's the job done
    One of the things that makes Joe Biden stand out far and above others, despite that humble nature, is his ability to get stuff done. In Joe Biden's service to the United States of America as Senator, he was simulatenously the poorest - only ever taking his own paycheck - and one of the most effective Senators and Vice Presidents in modern history. He's passed 42 bills, made LGTBQIA Marriage Equality the Law of the Land and convinced President Obama to see it through; officiated the marriages of not just one, but two LGBTQIA weddings while in the Oval Office (the only member to-date to ever do so), Taken on the NRA Twice (2X) - and won, banning assault rifles and semi-automatics, and has an ability to work across the aisle with people of very different political views with dignity, with a skill that get's things done hardly anyone else in politics posesses.
    The Pentagon & The Oval Office
    Donald Trump and his failing campaign would have us believe that an outsider with no experience running a nation who's made so many egregious failures is equal or greater than a President who's spent 8 years as 2nd in command, knows how to run a country-- knows The Pentagon, The White House, the Senate, Congress and The Constitution of the United States of America intuitively and to a degree no other President has in modern history. Anyone who didn't know Trump or Joe Biden, and had no knowledge of these last 5 years or so, would easily conclude Donald Trump isn't fit to be compared to Joe Biden at anything other than his ability to use, abuse and manipulate people to enrich himself.
    No one gets left behind
    This MARCH isn't about one man - it's about everyday American Joes, Janes and Jacquleyns. We're Americans: tough and resilient. There's nothing we can't do when we do it together. And Joe Biden's plans have left no one behind. The People - all of us - have a seat at the table and a voice to be heard. President Biden and his history-making Vice President, offer a Presidency that wants top run a country and will listen to all Americans. Who'll stand up for the little guy; give a voice to the voiceless and hope to the hopeless. Our first Woman Vice President will for the first time in our nation's history give a voice to all women that he hears directly every day. Our first Black Woman SCOTUS is nothing to casually dismiss. A President that honors the promises of Lady Liberty and The U.S. Constitution for ALL OF US, embracing this nation of immigrants and natives in the belief that all are not just created equal, or equal in the eyes of the law - but equal in importance and worth. We need a President that doesn't look at more than half of our population, our veterans or our elected servants with Contempt - as "losers". A President that embraces immigrants and doesn't incite bigotry and racism with hundred year old stereotypes and prejudice. A President that can command respect equally on the world stage, at The Pentagon, in Congress or before the Senate, in The White House or our own house. And that respect will come from a President who has a sincere love for the whole country - not just the people that enrich his pockets and inflate his ego.

    Why not Socialism?

    "Free stuff" isn't actually free at all. Somebody's got to pay for it.

    Bernie's plans do what Republicans have tried to trick people into thinking for years. Remember Palin? 'Splody heads should be 'splodin' all over the place at the trillions upon trillions of dollars Bernie Sanders and his Bros want to spend to make college free and make everything run by big brother. Everyday people don't want a country where nobody can get rich, we just want a country where everyday people actually can. We don't want to bankrupt the country, and we're not spoiled kids that think we're "entitled" to everything being given to us. That's Trump's lie, and people are believing it on both sides. Liberals and MAGAs alike are buying the pipe-dream that Democrats want a fairytale where we all mooch off the government and treat succesful people like they owe us allowance. We've had an experimental extremist in the White House for nearly 4 years. We can't keep our nation swinging violently from one extremist end to the other.

    Real Democrats aren't socialists. We work hard. Really hard. We're the Party of The People. Everyday, Working Class Heroes raising kids while working a full-time job and going to school. Joe Biden would raise our wages, make tuition cheaper or free for regular folks, and give us an economy where we all make enough money to make a living and can pay our bills, go to Disneyland, and live in a decent neighborhood. Trump wants to make 2020 a fight against communism and socialism. Don't let Trump get what he wants.

    $97.5T

    "...It is not unnoticed that nearly every presidential candidate is modifying their healthcare plan to more closely mirror the plan set forth by Vice President Joe Biden"
    We Say No To Socialism

    Homelessness & Poverty

    Biden's national strategy to make housing a right for all

    A $15/hr minimum wage, set to raise every year with inflation, stronger Unions, and Federal investment in raising wages across the board.

    Establish a $100 billion Affordable Housing Fund to construct and upgrade affordable housing. $65 billion in new incentives for state housing authorities and the Indian Housing Block Grant program to construct or rehabilitate low-cost, efficient, resilient, and accessible housing

    $640 billion over 10 years so every American has access to housing that is affordable, stable, safe and healthy, accessible, energy efficient and resilient, and located near good schools and with a reasonable commute to their jobs

    Maxine Waters’ Ending Homelessness Act $13 billion to tackle homelessness over five years, including $5 billion for McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants, and the law will create more than 400,000 additional housing units for homeless

    $10 billion investment in Low-Income Housing construction, and $13 billion to tackle homelessness and a B. Biden will lead a task force of mayors and other local elected officials to put on his desk within 100 days a roadmap for making this right a reality nationwide

    Affordable – taking up no more than 30% of income so they have money left over to meet other needs;
    Stable – providing families with the consistency they need to maintain jobs, perform well in school, and develop social networks necessary for well-being;
    Safe and healthy – protecting families from environmental and social risks from polluted air to lead contamination to gun violence;
    Accessible – meeting the needs of individuals with disabilities so they can live in their communities;
    Energy efficient and resilient – reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and withstanding the impacts of climate change; and located near good schools and with a reasonable commute to their jobs.

    Provide Section 8 housing vouchers to every eligible family so that no one has to pay more than 30% of their income for rental housing. This will provide assistance to at least 17 million low-income families. And, as part of the Homeowner and Renter Bill of Rights, Biden will enact a law prohibiting landlords from discriminating against renters receiving federal housing benefits.

    $5 billion Renter's Tax Credit in federal funding every year, to reduce rent and utilities to 30% of income for low-income Americans.

    Ending Homlessness

    $640 Billion to tackle the homeless crisis

    400,000 New Homes for the Homeless

    $5 Billion Renter's Tax Credit

    $15,000 up-front Cash to buy a house

    ENSURE HEALTH CARE IS A RIGHT FOR ALL,
    NOT A PRIVILEGE FOR JUST A FEW

    Protecting and expanding Obama's Legacy

    That’s the reason Barack Obama and Joe Biden fought so hard for the Affordable Care Act. We should defend and build upon the Affordable Care Act to ensure every American has access to quality, affordable health care.
    We should give every American the right to choose a public option like Medicare.
    We should also offer premium-free access to this public option for people who would otherwise qualify for Medicaid, but for the fact they have been denied access to it by governors and state legislatures who have refused the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion. We must ensure that they are receiving coverage that matches what they would have access to through Medicaid.
    As president, Biden will stop this reversal of the progress made by Obamacare. And he won’t stop there. He’ll also build on the Affordable Care Act with a plan to insure more than an estimated 97% of Americans. A public option will make it as simple as that last 3% simply signing their name if they go to a Doctor or hospital.

    Giving Americans a new choice - a public health insurance option

    Expanding coverage to low-income Americans, and making sure their public option covers the full scope of Medicaid benefits. States that have already expanded Medicaid will have the choice of moving the expansion population to the premium-free public option as long as the states continue to pay their current share of the cost of covering those individuals. Additionally, Biden will ensure people making below 138% of the federal poverty level get covered. He’ll do this by automatically enrolling these individuals when they interact with certain institutions (such as public schools) or other programs for low-income populations (such as SNAP)
    Healthcare is a Right

    Faith, and The Greatest Good

    Humanity, Dignity and Decency for all

    “I’m a practicing Catholic. I believe faith is a gift. And the first obligation we all have is, ‘Love your God,’ the second one is, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ … ‘Treat people with dignity.’ Everyone’s entitled to dignity, that’s a basic tenet in my household.” – Vice President Joe Biden Joe Biden believes that in America, no matter where you start in life, everyone should be able to live up to their God-given potential. He knows that we need to rebuild the middle class, and this time make sure everybody comes along—regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. As President, Joe Biden will protect Americans of all faiths and religions. The Biden Administration will fight to put an end to the bigotry, racism and xenophobia Donald Trump has provoked and encouraged. We're better than this. And we will protect our fellow Americans of all faiths and none at all, honoring our Constitution and the inalienable Rights every human being is entitled to.

    The inhumanity of Donald Trump's presidency has taken the lives of hundreds of thousands of souls. The indignity and human rights violations at our southern border, to the apathy and disregard for the loss of life from COVID-19, to the senseless killing of Black Americans without a glimmer of sorrow.

    The American middle class built this country. Yet today, CEOs and Wall Street are putting profits over workers, plain and simple. It’s wrong. There used to be a basic bargain in this country that when you work hard, you were able to share in the prosperity your work helped create.

    [We must] protect our planet against climate change: In his encyclical, Laudato Si, Pope Francis directed the global community to raise awareness about the growing climate change crisis. Climate change threatens communities across the country, from beachfront coastal towns to rural farms in the heartland.

    "When peaceful protesters are dispersed by the order of the president from the doorstep of the people's house, the White House — using tear gas and flash grenades — in order to stage a photo op at a noble church, we can be forgiven for believing that the president is more interested in power than in principle," Biden said. Some Christian leaders spoke out against the photo-op, accusing the President of using the church and the bible 'for partisan political purposes,' while other White evangelical preachers praised the President's action.
    Faith & Decency

    America was built on a foundation of religious freedom and tolerance. We haven’t always lived up to these ideals, but we’ve never stopped trying. And today, with communities of faith increasingly being targeted with hate-filled acts of violence and intimidation, we must redouble our efforts to reach our highest values.

    Devout

    Biden’s rosary originally belonged to his late son, Beau Biden. Biden’s younger son, Hunter, had given the rosary to Beau. The beads were from Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico. Beau died in 2015 after battling brain cancer. “I have not taken off the rosary Beau was wearing when he passed, since then. It is my connection with him,” Biden said in an interview. He also wrote about his son’s life and eventual death in his book, Promise Me, Dad. “It’s not about religion, per se,” he said on wearing the beads. “It’s about the connection. It makes me feel good. I know he’s with me

    Inclusive

    Biden has long been considered an advocate for Israel’s Jews. He has also talked about his large collection of yarmulkes he has gathered from attending Jewish events. Of Biden’s three children, all three married person's of Jewish Faith. Biden has also been honored by the World Jewish Congress for his work in helping Israel and the Jewish people. “I am a Zionist, and you need not be a Jew to be a Zionist,” he said.

    Compassion

    Faith

    Resiliency

    Empathy

    Kindness

    Humility

    Joy

    Respect

    Inclusion

    Dignity

    Our Veterans

    We take care of our own

    Joe Biden has fought aggressively for our service members and veterans throughout his career in public service. His record speaks for itself. On the broad range of issues that matter to our brave military members and our veterans, Joe Biden has always had their back.

    He championed funding for prosthetics for veterans and mammogram coverage for female veterans, fought for proper burial allowances, and supported the concurrent receipt of retirement and disability pay for veterans. He co-sponsored the legislation to establish the Vietnam, Korean, and WWII memorials in Washington, D.C., as well as the post-9/11 GI Bill to provide educational benefits to a new generation of heroes. Biden also led the way in the Senate on critical issues to protect the health of our military, most notably driving the fight to increase funding for up-armored Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles (MRAPs) by $23.6 billion, which saved thousands of lives and limbs of U.S. service members in Iraq and Afghanistan. And he introduced legislation to prohibit cuts to military medical care during times of war. In the White House, Biden continued to be a clarion voice advocating for our veterans. The Obama-Biden Administration accomplished major milestones, including cutting the population of homeless veterans by almost half and reducing the unemployment rate for veterans by more than half. In 2013, when an unacceptable backlog of veterans’ disability claims was uncovered at the VA, the Obama-Biden Administration took aggressive action to rectify the failures and ultimately reduced the backlog by nearly 90 percent in just over three years. The Obama-Biden Administration also increased the overall funding request for the VA by more than 85 percent during its years in office, including a 76 percent increase in funding devoted to the critical issue of veterans’ mental health.

    As President, Joe Biden will be Committed to our Veterans

    As President, Biden is Committed to our Veterans

    Joe Biden has fought aggressively for our service members and veterans throughout his career in public service. His record speaks for itself. On the broad range of issues that matter to our brave military members and our veterans, Joe Biden has always had their back.

    He championed funding for prosthetics for veterans and mammogram coverage for female veterans, fought for proper burial allowances, and supported the concurrent receipt of retirement and disability pay for veterans. He co-sponsored the legislation to establish the Vietnam, Korean, and WWII memorials in Washington, D.C., as well as the post-9/11 GI Bill to provide educational benefits to a new generation of heroes. Biden also led the way in the Senate on critical issues to protect the health of our military, most notably driving the fight to increase funding for up-armored Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles (MRAPs) by $23.6 billion, which saved thousands of lives and limbs of U.S. service members in Iraq and Afghanistan. And he introduced legislation to prohibit cuts to military medical care during times of war. In the White House, Biden continued to be a clarion voice advocating for our veterans. The Obama-Biden Administration accomplished major milestones, including cutting the population of homeless veterans by almost half and reducing the unemployment rate for veterans by more than half. In 2013, when an unacceptable backlog of veterans’ disability claims was uncovered at the VA, the Obama-Biden Administration took aggressive action to rectify the failures and ultimately reduced the backlog by nearly 90 percent in just over three years. The Obama-Biden Administration also increased the overall funding request for the VA by more than 85 percent during its years in office, including a 76 percent increase in funding devoted to the critical issue of veterans’ mental health.

    • Provide Veterans World Class Health Care to Meet Their Specific Needs
    • Rebuild trust in the Department of Veterans Affairs
    • Reverse the transgender military ban. In 2010, Biden played a leading role in the Obama-Biden Administration’s repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to allow gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members to serve the country they love without hiding their sexual orientation
    • Work with Congress to improve health services for women veterans. Biden will ensure that each VA Medical Center has at least one full-time women’s primary care physician; and, within 200 days of taking office, make available a women veterans training module for community health care providers. And, Biden will work with Congress to enact the Deborah Sampson Act and ensure that the safety and privacy concerns of women veterans are addressed throughout his Administration.
    • Increase research dollars by $300 million to invest in better understanding the impact of TBI and toxic exposures (including burn pits) on long-term health outcomes
    • Drive Progress to Promote Veterans’ Mental Health and Well-Being
    • Publish within the first 200 days in office a comprehensive public health and cross-sector approach to addressing suicide in veterans, service members, and their families.
    • Enact policies that promote the value and dignity of life by supporting programs that increase economic stability; promote connectedness through structured social support; and reduce risky behaviors, such as substance use, poor sleep, and improper firearm storage.
    • Expand capacity at Vet Centers to ensure veterans in communities can access readjustment counseling services and resources, including financial and long-term planning.
    • Work with Congress to continue to drive down veteran homelessness by permanently authorizing the Supportive Services for Veterans Families (SSVF) program, which provides critical funding for wrap-around services for those facing homelessness.
    • Ensure careful implementation of the Forever GI Bill so that veterans receive the educational benefits they have earned on time.
    • Work aggressively to close the 90/10 loophole on GI Bill and Tuition Assistance dollars to keep for-profit bad actors from raiding the benefits service members and veterans have earned.
    • Support and protect post-9/11 GI benefits for veterans and qualified family members by strengthening the GI Bill Comparison Tool and School Feedback Tool to put an end to post-secondary institutions’ predatory practices.
    Veterans

    Beat the NRA. Twice.

    End our Gun Violence Epidemic
    Joe Biden has taken on the National Rifle Association (NRA) on the national stage and won – twice. In 1993, he shepherded through Congress the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, which established the background check system that has since kept more than 3 million firearms out of dangerous hands. In 1994, Biden – along with Senator Dianne Feinstein – secured the passage of 10-year bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. As president, Joe Biden will defeat the NRA again.
    Gun Violence

    When will it end?

    When enough people care.

    Black Americans Matter

    America's original sin of racism must be addressed. IT'S A LIST THAT DATES BACK MORE THAN 400 YEARS. FOLKS, WE'VE GOT TO CHANGE"
    President Joe Biden will make sure that people historically left out of the middle class—whether due to race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or religion—have the chance to succeed. He will be unflinching in confronting the systemic racism in our country that is built into our laws, our policies, and our institutions and will take aggressive action to correct them—ripping out the inequities in housing, health care, education, the economy, our criminal justice system, and so many other areas. Rooting out systemic racism and ensuring that everyone is treated with dignity and has equal opportunity is built into all of Joe’s domestic policies.

    BIDEN PLAN FOR BLACK AMERICA

    Tackling systemic racism and fighting for civil rights has been a driving force throughout Biden’s career in public service. He has a record of fighting for and delivering for the African American community. As a U.S. Senator he co-sponsored the Civil Rights Act of 1990 to protect against employment discrimination and led multiple reauthorizations of the Voting Rights Act, protecting African Americans’ right to vote. Biden also led efforts to reauthorize and extend the Fair Housing Act, and as Delaware’s Senator, was a vocal advocate and supporter of Delaware State University, the state’s Historically Black University. Today, we need a comprehensive agenda for African Americans with ambition that matches the scale of the challenge and with recognition that race-neutral policies are not a sufficient response to race-based disparities.
    #BlackLivesMatter
    • Advance the economic mobility of African Americans and close the racial wealth and income gaps
    • Expand access to high-quality education and tackle racial inequity in our education system
    • Make far-reaching investments in ending health disparities by race
    • Strengthen America’s commitment to racial justice
    • Make the right to vote and the right to equal protection real for African Americans
    • Address environmental injustice that disproportionately effect Black communities

    BIDEN
    HARRIS
    Plan

    $70B HBCUs & Education Investment
    $70B investments in Historically Black College Universities and other MSIs.
    Triple Title I funding, primarily serving teachers and low-income students.
    Double mental health professionals in schools.
    2 Years of Tuitiion for HBCUs
    Biden will invest $18 billion in grants to four-year HBCUs and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), equivalent to up to two years of tuition per low-income and middle class student. He will invest additional funds in private, non-profit HBCUs and under-resourced MSIs so they are not undermined by the Biden proposal to make four-year public colleges and universities tuition-free for students. Schools must invest in lowering costs, improving retention and graduation rates, and closing equity gaps year over year for students of color.
    New Labs & Facilities at HBCUs and MSIs
    Build the high tech labs and facilities and digital infrastructure needed for learning, research, and innovation at HBCUs and MSIs
    Billions for Public School Funding and fair rights to a good education in Black Communities
    Building new, innovative schools in low-income Black communities.
    Recruiting teachers with different racial ethnicities and backgrounds to diversify schools so that Black communities have a quality education that isn't systematically different simply because of their zip code.
    $20B Justice & Prison Reform
    $20B grant program on incarceration prevention and reduction initiatives.
    $1B/yr for Juvenile Justice Reform
    $1B/yr for Juvenile Justice Reform
    Eliminate the funding gap between white and non-white districts, and rich and poor districts in order to give teachers a raise and expand STEM curriculum in underserved school districts
    There’s an estimated $23 billion annual funding gap between white and non-white school districts today. Biden will work to close this gap by nearly tripling Title I funding, the federal program funding schools with a high percentage of students from low-income families. This new funding will first be used to ensure teachers at Title I schools are paid competitively, three- and four-year olds have access to pre-school, and districts provide access to rigorous coursework—including computer science and other STEM subjects—across all their schools, not just a few.
    Decriminalize Marijuana Federally
    The Biden Plan will decriminalize cannabis federally for all states & territories.
    All cannabis use convictions will be expunged.
    $15,000 up-front federal credit for 1st time homebuyers
    The Biden Plan will ensure affordable housing for low-income communities.
    End redlining and other discriminatory practices in the housing market.
    Protect tenants from eviction.
    Expand funding for shelters and other homelessness programs.
    $50B Investment in Workforce Training
    $50 billion investment in workforce training.
    Loan forgiveness for public servants.
    Provide two years of community college or high-quality training program.
    Dedicate funding for child care and transportation costs.
    Protect and Build on Obamacare
    Make healthcare affordable, without costs being driven up by Republicans
    Offer a public health insurance option, similar to Medicare.
    Double investments in community health centers.
    Protect mental health parity laws.
    Expand funding for mental health services.
    Appoint diverse U.S. Supreme Court justices and federal judges
    Address systemic misconduct in police departments and prosecutors’ offices.
    Eliminate the death penalty and mandatory minimums.
    End cash bail and private prisons.
    Ensure housing, mental health treatment, education opportunities and job training for formerly incarcerated individuals.
    Strengthen the Right to Vote
    Restore the Voting Rights Act.
    Direct the DOJ to challenge state laws suppressing the right to vote.
    Support automatic and same-day voter registration.
    End to gerrymandering.
    Protect voting booths and voter rolls from foreign powers.
    End Violence Against Women
    Build on Joe Biden's landmark Violence Against Women Act.
    Expanding grants for culturally-specific services.
    Dedicate investments in the well-being of adolescent girls of color.
    Combat the epidemic of violence against transgender women of color.
    $1.7T in a Clean Energy Revolution and Environmental Justice
    $1.7T over ten years in a clean energy revolution. Reinstate federal land protections for low income communities.
    Ensure access to safe drinking water for all communities.
    Monitor for lead and other contaminants and hold polluters accountable.
    Prioritize communities harmed by climate change and pollution.
    $1T Transformational Investment in our Country’s Infrastructure
    $1T over ten years to rebuild roads, bridges, railway, freight, and ports.
    Boost federal investments in low-income neighborhoods.
    Apply James Clyburn’s 10-20-30 formula to all federal programs.

    Black Homeownership and Affordable, Safe Housing

    The gap between African American and white homeownership is larger today than when the Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968. This has contributed to a jaw-dropping racial wealth gap—nearly 1,000%—between median white and African American households. Because home ownership is how most families save and build wealth, the disparity in home ownership is a central driver of the racial wealth gap. As President, Biden will invest $640 billion over 10 years so every American has access to housing that is affordable, stable, safe and healthy, accessible, energy efficient and resilient, and located near good schools and with a reasonable commute to their jobs.
    Tackle racial bias that leads to homes in communities of color being assessed by appraisers below their fair value
    Housing in communities primarily comprised of people of color is valued at tens of thousands of dollars below majority-white communities even when all other factors are the same, contributing to the racial wealth gap. To counteract this racial bias, Biden will establish a national standard for housing appraisals that ensures appraisers have adequate training and a full appreciation for neighborhoods and do not hold implicit biases because of a lack of community understanding.
    Roll back Trump Administration policies gutting fair lending and fair housing protections, strongly enforce fair credit reporting laws, and create a new Public Credit Reporting Agency
    Being able to obtain a credit report is a critical step for homeownership. Biden has long been an advocate for eliminating discrimination in the provision of credit, including his legislation amending the Equal Credit Opportunity Act which prohibited creditors from discriminating against consumer applicants for credit. Today’s credit reports, which are issued by just three large private companies, are rife with problems: they often contain errors, they leave many “credit invisible” due to the sources used to generate a credit score, and they contribute to racial disparities, widening the African American homeownership gap, Biden will create a new public credit reporting agency within the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to provide consumers with a government option that seeks to minimize racial disparities, for example by ensuring the algorithms used for credit scoring don’t have a discriminatory impact, and by accepting non-traditional sources of data like rental history and utility bills to establish credit.
    Give local elected officials the tools and resources they need to combat gentrification
    Biden will implement the Obama-Biden Administration’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule requiring communities receiving certain federal funding to proactively examine housing patterns and identify and address policies that have a discriminatory effect. The Trump Administration suspended this rule in 2018. Biden will ensure effective and rigorous enforcement of the Fair Housing Act and the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act. And, he will reinstate the federal risk-sharing program which has helped secure financing for thousands of affordable rental housing units in partnership with housing finance agencies.
    Hold financial institutions accountable for discriminatory practices in the housing market
    In 2013, the Obama-Biden Administration codified a long-standing, court-supported view that lending practices that have a discriminatory effect can be challenged even if discrimination was not explicit. But now the Trump Administration is seeking to gut this disparate impact standard by significantly increasing the burden of proof for those claiming discrimination. In the Biden Administration, this change will be reversed to ensure financial institutions are held accountable for serving all customers.
    Restore the federal government’s power to enforce settlements against discriminatory lenders
    The Trump Administration has stripped the Office of Fair Lending and Equal Opportunity, a division of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, of its power to enforce settlements against lenders found to have discriminated against borrowers – for example by charging significantly higher interest rates for people of color than white individuals. Biden will return power to the division so it can protect consumers from discrimination.
    Eliminate local and state housing regulations that perpetuate discrimination
    Exclusionary zoning has for decades been strategically used to keep people of color and low-income families out of certain communities. As President, Biden will enact legislation requiring any state receiving federal dollars through the Community Development Block Grants or Surface Transportation Block Grants to develop a strategy for inclusionary zoning, as proposed in the HOME Act of 2019 by Majority Whip Clyburn and Senator Cory Booker. Biden will also invest $300 million in Local Housing Policy Grants to give states and localities the technical assistance and planning support they need to eliminate exclusionary zoning policies and other local regulations that contribute to sprawl.
    Home Rehabilitation for Underserved Black Communities
    Biden will invest in the development and rehabilitation of single family homes across distressed urban, suburban, and rural neighborhoods through the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act. As President, Biden will also give steep tax incentives for the construction of more affordable housing in communities that need it most.

    Business & Income Inequality

    Advance the economic mobility of Black Americans and close the racial wealth and income inequality gaps

    Approximately 4% of small business owners are African American, even though African Americans make up approximately 13% of the population. To build wealth in African American communities, we must invest in the success of African American businesses and entrepreneurs.
    Black owned Business Credit & Business Capital

    African American businesses often lack the capital they need to succeed. African American businesses are rejected at a rate nearly 20% higher than the white-owned firms. Even worse, African American businesses that do get funding receive only 40% of the funds requested as compared to 70% for white businesses.

    President Biden will double funding for the State Small Business Credit Initiative. The Obama-Biden Administration created the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) to support small businesses, driving $10 billion in new lending for each $1 billion in SSBCI funds. Biden will extend the program through 2025 and double its federal funding to $3 billion, driving close to $30 billion of private sector investments to small businesses all told, especially those owned by women and people of color.

    Permanent New Markets Tax Credit & Double Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) funding
    The New Markets Tax Credit has helped draw tens of billions of dollars in new capital to low-income communities, providing tax credits to investors in community development organizations that support everything from supermarkets to real estate projects to manufacturing plants. As part of his plan to reinvest in communities across the country, including in rural areas, Biden will also double funding for the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, which supports local, mission-driven financial institutions in low-income areas around the U.S. This builds on Biden’s proposal to support entrepreneurs in small towns and rural areas by expanding both the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program and the number of Rural Business Investment Companies, to help rural businesses attract capital.
    Improve the Small Business support for African American-owned businesses

    Ensuring the SBA has the funding it needs to support African American-owned business and others in the current crisis and beyond. Trump has once again proposed a massive cut of 25% in the SBA budget for FY2021, including a 35% cut in funding to Small Business Development Centers, a 20% cut to the SBA Microloan Program, and significantly increased fees for the 7(a) loan program, which is SBA’s main loan program for small businesses.

    Making permanent the successful Community Advantage loan program, originally created during the Obama-Biden Administration. The program, which provides capital for startups and growing small businesses located in particularly underserved communities through CDFIs and other mission-driven lenders, has been run as a pilot program since 2011. Biden will make this program permanent and reverse rules enacted by the Trump Administration that are making it more difficult for lenders to participate in the program and lend to African American-owned businesses and other businesses located in underserved communities.

    Increase opportunities for African American-owned businesses to obtain or participate in federal contracts
    In the aftermath of the 2008-2009 financial crisis, well over $100 billion of federal prime contracting dollars were awarded to minority-owned small businesses. And, between 2013 and 2016, the Obama-Biden Administration increased federal prime contract dollars going to Small Disadvantaged Businesses by nearly 30%, from $30.6 billion to $39.1 billion. The Obama-Biden Administration also created an Interagency Task Force on Federal Contracting Opportunities for Small Businesses, which included a focus on contracting opportunities for minority-owned businesses. The Obama-Biden Administration implemented its vision of more equitable access to federal contracts through a variety of channels, including by launching the Federal Procurement Center (FPC) as part of the Commerce Department’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). The FPC, a first-of-its-kind program, helps minority-owned firms apply for and win federal government contracts. As President, Biden will build on these efforts to support the expansion of opportunities for minority-owned small businesses.
    Increase funding for the Minority Business Development Agency budget
    MBDA plays a critical role in supporting the development and growth of minority-owned businesses around the country, as well as providing needed assistance to federal and state agencies so that they award minority-owned businesses procurement contracts. The Trump Administration has pushed for a 75% cut in MBDA’s budget. Biden would protect and call for increased funding for it.
    Protect small and disadvantaged businesses from federal and state contract bundling which often locks out African American-owned smaller firms from effectively bidding on procurement contracts.
    Biden will build on the anti-bundling provisions of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, by having the Office of Management and Budget, SBA, and MBDA conduct a government-wide review of existing contract bundling to determine whether agencies are following existing rules and whether agencies have the ability to further ensure small business participation in federal and state procurement opportunities.

    Make sure economic relief because of COVID-19 reaches the African American businesses, churches and people that need it most

    The first installment of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) largely left out minority-owned businesses. The Center for Responsible Lending estimates that more than 90% of small businesses owned by people of color will not receive loans. The program is not taking into account the specific challenges that African American businesses face in accessing funding and complying with the program’s requirements. The financial institutions best positioned to help African American small businesses don’t have the systems to quickly deploy the funding in a first-come first-served approach. The second phase set aside $60 billion for community banks and CDFIs, as well as mid-sized banks, which can better serve smaller businesses and minority-owned firms. This is a good start, but more needs to be done

    SUPPORTING AFRICAN AMERICAN CHURCHES DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS

    Shelter-in-place orders, while critical to protecting the health of parishioners, have hit churches hard as collection revenue has virtually stopped. African American churches are especially at-risk during the downturn. One survey put the typical African American membership at just 75 congregants, while others have noted that annual revenue is down since much of it is typically collected during Easter season. At a time when many Americans will seek spiritual assistance and social support, we must ensure the preservation of religious institutions. The decision by Congress to include non-profits, including religious institutions, in the Paycheck Protection Program and Emergency Injury Disaster Loan programs was a critical first step. But the support has not flowed to these institutions the way it should. Well-connected companies were first in line for the support funding. Biden’s True Small Business Fund would also apply to non-profit groups like African American churches.

    Communities of color that need help the most

    Make Social Security benefits more generous and equitable
    Older African Americans disproportionately depend on Social Security benefits for retirement income. To bolster retirement security for older African Americans who have spent a lifetime working, the Biden Social Security reform plan will raise benefits for vulnerable beneficiaries—including widows and widowers, low-wage workers, and long duration beneficiaries who may have exhausted all other assets. In addition, Biden proposes to boost average benefits across the board while putting Social Security on a long-term path to solvency by raising payroll taxes for workers with more than $400,000 in earnings.
    Fully implement Congressman Clyburn’s 10-20-30 Plan to help all individuals living in persistently impoverished communities
    To tackle persistent poverty in all communities, in both urban and rural America, Vice President Biden supports applying Congressman James Clyburn’s 10-20-30 formula to all federal programs, targeting funds to census tracts with persistent poverty.
    Pay no more than 30% of income on rental housing
    Every eligible family will be suplemented so that no one has to pay more than 30% of their income for rental housing. This will provide assistance to at least 17 million low-income families. And, as part of the Homeowner and Renter Bill of Rights, Biden will enact a law prohibiting landlords from discriminating practices against renters receiving federal housing benefits.
    $5 Billion Fund for Renter's Credits to offset costs
    Low-income Americans and families, who are disproportionally communities of color, will further receive a tax credit every year to help offset the costs of paying rent.
    Invest in historically marginalized communities and bring everyone to the table for transportation planning
    Biden will create a new Community Restoration Fund, specifically for neighborhoods where historic transportation investments cut people off from jobs, schools, and businesses. And, he will work to make sure towns and cities directly receive a portion of existing federal transportation investments.
    Fight for equal pay
    African American women earned 61 cents for every dollar earned by white men in 2017. This totals $23,653 less in earnings in a year and $946,120 less in a lifetime. The Obama-Biden Administration protected more workers against retaliation for discussing wages and required employers to collect and report wage gaps to the federal government. As President, Biden will codify this into law, and he’ll make it easier for workers to join together in class action lawsuits, shift the burden to employers to prove pay gaps exist for job-related reasons, and increase penalties against companies that discriminate, as called for in the Paycheck Fairness Act. And, he’ll hold companies accountable by increasing funding for investigators and enforcement actions.
    Diverse hiring promotion
    To push companies to look hard at their hiring practices and root out discrimination, Biden will require companies to make public their overall workforce diversity and senior-level diversity. He will support employers in increasing diverse hiring and promotion by providing federal grants to states, cities, and organizations to develop and implement evidence-based practices and innovative solutions, such as ban the box legislation, to push employers to hire and retain diverse employees and end discriminatory hiring policies. And, he will hold companies accountable by increasing funding for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), and the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division to increase the number of investigators.
    Ensuring Employment
    Turn unemployment insurance into employment insurance. African American workers are more likely to work in jobs subject to reduced hours, furloughs, and layoffs during the pandemic. Biden would transform unemployment insurance into employment insurance for millions of workers by getting states to adopt and dramatically scale up short-time compensation programs. Under short-time compensation—also known as work sharing—firms in distress keep workers employed but at reduced hours and the federal government helps make up the difference in wages. The Obama-Biden administration championed this approach in the U.S., and so far more than half of states have established short-time compensation programs. For the current crisis, the administration should move rapidly to scale up short-time compensation in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to save or restore millions of jobs.
    Address the African American student debt crisis
    The student debt burden has a disproportionate impact on African Americans. The typical bachelor’s degree graduate has about $16,000 in debt compared to $23,400 for African Americans students. According to a recent Brookings Institution study, African Americans graduating with a four year degree are 5 times more likely to default on their student loans than white graduates. African American students are three times more likely to default on their student loans than white student borrowers. The inequitable burden of student loan debt contributes to the stark racial wealth gap that exists in society. Biden’s plans to address student loan debt will alleviate student debt burdens.

    Black
    Lives
    Matter

    "

    He has been a friend, a dear friend. He's a man of courage, a man with a great conscience, a man of faith," Lewis said in a call with reporters. "He will be a great president. He will lead our country to a better place. He would inspire another generation to stand up, to speak up and to speak out, to be brave and to be bold.
    • Advance the economic mobility of African Americans and close the racial wealth and income gaps.
    • Expand access to high-quality education and tackle racial inequity in our education system.
    • Make far-reaching investments in ending health disparities by race.
    • Strengthen America’s commitment to justice.
    • Make the right to vote and the right to equal protection real for African Americans.
    • Address environmental justice.

    Forty Six

    An America President. One that marches, jogs, walks arm-in-arm, kneels for - and takes notes from, with the Leaders and Citizens of the Black Community in America. That unifier; that student and faithful servant of The People, is 46TH President
    Joseph R Biden Jr.

    We remembered in November

    Black Lives Matter

    Green New Deal

    Emergency Climate Change Action

    Climate change threatens communities across the country, from beachfront coastal towns to rural farms in the heartland. We must turbocharge our efforts to address climate change and ensure that every American has access to clean drinking water, clean air, and an environment free from pollutants.

    Biden believes the Green New Deal is a crucial framework for meeting the climate challenges we face. It powerfully captures two basic truths, which are at the core of his plan: (1) the United States urgently needs to embrace greater ambition on an epic scale to meet the scope of this challenge, and (2) our environment and our economy are completely and totally connected.

    Climate Change Emergency
    • American-made electricity to achieve a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035
    • Ensuring clean, safe drinking water is a right in all communities – rural to urban, rich and poor
    • Encourage consumers and manufacturers to go clean
    • Set a goal that all new American-built buses be zero-emissions by 2030
    • Establish ambitious fuel economy standards that save consumers money and cut air pollution
    • Create millions of jobs producing Clean Electric Power for Families and Businesses
    • Create 1 million jobs upgrading 4 million buildings and weatherizing 2 million homes
    • Set a new net-zero emissions standard for all new commercial buildings by 2030
    • $400 billion in his first term will be purchasing the key clean energy inputs like batteries and electric vehicles that will help position the U.S. as the world’s clean energy leader
    Biden believes the Green New Deal is a crucial framework for meeting the climate challenges we face. It powerfully captures two basic truths, which are at the core of his plan: (1) the United States urgently needs to embrace greater ambition on an epic scale to meet the scope of this challenge, and (2) our environment and our economy are completely and totally connected.

    LGBTQIA+ Rights are Civil Rights

    ADVANCE GLOBAL LGBTQ+ RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT

    “Together, we will work to defend and advance the human rights of all people, and we will not rest until equality, at home and around the world, is fully realized.”

    —Joe Biden, May 16, 2017

    Joe Biden believes that every human being should be treated with respect and dignity and be able to live without fear no matter who they are or who they love. During the Obama-Biden Administration, the United States made historic strides toward LGBTQ+ equality—from the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to Biden’s historic declaration in support of marriage equality on Meet the Press in 2012 to the unprecedented advancement of protections for LGBTQ+ Americans at the federal level.

    The Obama-Biden Administration took significant steps to recognize LGBTQ+ rights as human rights and to prioritize expanding economic and social opportunities for LGBTQ+ individuals around the world. That included appointing officials at senior levels of government, including at the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), to promote diplomacy and development programs in support of and to advance protections of LGBTQ+ individuals. Biden will build on these successes and repair the damage wrought by the Trump-Pence Administration’s treatment of LGBTQ+ Americans, which signals a tolerance for abuses by other countries, and its utter failure to defend American diplomats who speak out for LGBTQ+ rights abroad. In a stark contrast, Biden has personally spoken out against the brutal and repressive measures that nations from Chechnya and El Salvador to Malaysia and Uganda have taken to oppress, target with violence, and even murder their LGBTQ+ citizens. In Biden’s words, “Prejudice is prejudice; inhumanity is inhumanity. Using religion or culture to license discrimination and demonizing LGBT individuals to score political points are no more justifiable around the world than they are here at home.”

    As President, Biden will restore the United States’ standing as a global leader defending LGBTQ+ rights and development and work closely with our partners and like-minded governments to ensure that violence and discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals do not go unchecked. Within his first week in office, President Biden will issue a Presidential Memorandum prioritizing his administration’s support for LGBTQ+ human rights and development worldwide.

    Affirm and protect Gender markers and Trans Rights
    Affirm one’s gender marker and expand access to accurate identification documents. Transgender and non-binary people without identification documents that accurately reflect their gender identity are often exposed to harassment and violence and denied employment, housing, critical public benefits, and even the right to vote. The Obama-Biden State Department led the way by updating its gender change policies for passports. As President, Biden will build on this action to ensure all transgender individuals have access to identification documents that accurately reflect their gender identity. Biden believes every transgender or non-binary person should have the option of changing their gender marker to “M,” “F,” or “X” on government identifications, passports, and other documentation. He will support state and federal efforts to allow for this accurate representation.
    Guaranteeing transgender students have access to facilities based on their gender identity
    On his first day in office, Biden will reinstate the Obama-Biden guidance revoked by the Trump-Pence Administration, which will restore transgender students’ access to sports, bathrooms, and locker rooms in accordance with their gender identity. He will direct his Department of Education to vigorously enforce and investigate violations of transgender students’ civil rights.
    Support LGBTQ+ Youth

    “These children are the kite strings that lift our national ambitions aloft. And how we treat them is the measure of what kind of decency and honor we have as a society.”

    —Joe Biden, June 1, 2019

    Throughout his career, Biden has championed equality and inclusion for young LGBTQ+ individuals. Biden knows how important it is for young LGBTQ+ people to feel safe, supported, and valued at home and in school. Through policies and public leadership, the Obama-Biden Administration made it a priority to change the culture from one of fear and rejection to one where young LGBTQ+ individuals feel safe, affirmed, accepted, and loved. As private citizens, Joe and Jill Biden continued this work through the Biden Foundation’s “As You Are” campaign, which promoted understanding and acceptance among young LGBTQ+ individuals and their families.
    Support LGBTQ+ survivors of violence
    Biden understands that violence often leaves a lasting impact on its victims and their communities and that trauma-informed care is essential in the physical, emotional, and psychological recovery of survivors. Biden will direct the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to undertake a comprehensive review of all federal programs aimed at serving communities likely to experience violence to ensure they are LGBTQ+-inclusive and are able to address any resulting trauma. He will also raise the funding cap for the Victims of Crime Act programs, which provide financial support to help victims of crimes pay for expenses including medical and dental costs, counseling, lost wages, and temporary lodging expenses that result from the crime.
    PROTECT LGBTQ+ INDIVIDUALS FROM VIOLENCE

    “I was proud to work with Matthew [Shepard]’s parents, Judy and Dennis, to extend our hate crimes law to cover sexual orientation and gender identity. But there’s still more work to be done — we can’t rest until every single American can live open and proud without fear.”

    —Joe Biden, October 12, 2019

    One of the driving forces throughout Biden’s career has been fighting back against abuses of power. That force motivated him to write and champion the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, to defeat the National Rifle Association twice, and to strongly condemn the epidemic of violence against the LGBTQ+ community, including transgender women of color. As President, Biden will protect LGBTQ+ people from violence, whether in the home, in their community, or when coming into this country. He will also ensure that we support LGBTQ+ survivors of violence. Biden will:
    Protecting LGBTQ+ students from sexual assault, harassment, and bullying
    Biden has put forward a number of proposals to reduce sexual violence, dating violence, and online harassment among young adults, and he will ensure all of these initiatives include a focus on helping LGBTQ+ students, who report higher rates of sexual assault than other students. He will also work to enact the Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act, which will establish a grant program to support campus anti-harassment programs. And, Biden will reinstate the Obama-Biden guidance requiring federally funded schools to prohibit harassment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. Biden will also support passage of the Safe Schools Improvement Act, which requires school districts to develop bullying and harassment policies.
    Ending school discipline policies that disproportionately impact LGBTQ+ students
    LGBTQ+ students, and especially LGBTQ+ students of color, transgender students, and LGBTQ+ students with disabilities, are more likely than their non-LGBTQ+ peers to receive detention, suspensions, and expulsions from school, often as a result of discrimination and harassment. Biden will expand the Obama-Biden Administration’s work to address the disproportionate impact of school discipline on girls of color to include LGBTQ+ students, all students of color, and students with disabilities.
    Combat the epidemic of violence against transgender women of color
    As a direct response to the high rates of homicide of transgender people—particularly transgender women of color—the Biden Administration will make prosecuting their murderers a priority. And during his first 100 days in office, Biden will direct federal resources to help prevent violence against transgender women, particularly transgender women of color. Recognizing that employment and housing discrimination lead to increased risk of homelessness and violence, Biden will also work to pass the Equality Act to reduce economic barriers and social stigma and the LGBTQ Essential Data Act to help collect a wide variety of critical data about anti-trans violence and the factors that drive it. He will also direct his Administration to update the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports Supplementary Homicide Reports (UCR-SHR) to include sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. Currently, theses reports do not include categories for sexual orientation and gender identity, hampering our ability to fully diagnose and measure the extent of violent crimes against transgender, gay, lesbian, and bisexual victims.
    Work to end suicide among young LGBTQ+ individuals
    Lesbian, gay, and bisexual young people are five times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers. And one-third of transgender young people report that they attempted suicide in the past year. Biden will ensure that suicide prevention programs in schools and local communities are based on proven best practices, which the U.S. Department of Education will disseminate. He will expand access to mental health resources by doubling the number of psychologists, guidance counselors, nurses, social workers, and other health professionals in our schools. Building off of Pennsylvania’s proposed Phillip’s Law, Biden will direct his Secretary of Education to complete a study of mental health needs and services in our schools. And, Biden will invest in research to develop more effective teen suicide prevention programs.
    Eliminate LGBTQ+ youth homelessness
    LGBTQ+ young people are about twice as likely to be homeless as their non-LGBTQ+ counterparts. Biden’s housing plan calls for passage of the Ending Homelessness Act, which will fund a comprehensive, holistic strategy to end homelessness, including everything from case management to emergency shelters to additional housing vouchers for homeless individuals. In addition, Biden will ensure part of this grant funding is specifically targeted to assist children and young adults, including LGBTQ+ youth, experiencing homelessness. Recognizing that too many of our LGBTQ+ young people are homeless due to rejection by their families, peers, and schools, Biden will also build on his prior work on the “It Gets Better” and the “As You Are” campaigns to build greater acceptance and supports for LGBTQ+ young people. He will invest in evidence-based programs that work to prevent and reduce LGBTQ+ youth homelessness, such as the LGBTQ Youth Homelessness Prevention Initiative and the 3/40 Blueprint. And, he will invest in programs responsive to LGBTQ+ youth’s specific needs when they are experiencing homelessness. Specifically, Biden will increase funding for the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act to ensure LGBTQ+ individuals have access to transitional living programs that provide essential services like job counseling and mental and physical health care. Read Biden’s full housing plan at joebiden.com/housing.
    Protect LGBTQ+ Dreamers
    There are an estimated 75,000 Dreamers who identify as LGBTQ, 36,000 of whom are DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) participants. The Trump-Pence Administration made the cruel and counterproductive decision to terminate DACA, throwing into turmoil the lives of millions of Dreamers. Dreamers and their parents should have a roadmap to citizenship through legislative immigration reform. But in the meantime, Biden will remove the uncertainty for Dreamers by reinstating the DACA program, and he will explore all legal options to protect their families from inhumane separation.
    Reduce domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking against LGBTQ+ individuals and support survivors of this violence
    Biden authored the original Violence Against Women Act and in 2013 championed the reauthorization of the law, which for the first time included explicit protections for LGBTQ+ people and identified LGBTQ+ people as an “underserved population” so organizations serving the LGBTQ+ community were eligible for existing funding. The proposed Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019 contains additional protections for LGBTQ+ people, including for incarcerated transgender individuals. But, Leader McConnell is refusing to bring the bill to the floor in the Senate. There’s no reason the Senate shouldn’t pass this reauthorization now and enact it long before President Biden’s first day in office. But if they don’t, Biden will make enacting the VAWA reauthorization one of his top first 100 day priorities. He will also work to include sexual orientation and gender identity nondiscrimination protections in the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) reauthorization. And, he will seek permanent funding for the National LGBTQ Institute on IPV to prevent and address LGBTQ+ intimate partner violence. Read Biden’s full plan to end violence against women at joebiden.com/vawa.
    Enforce and strengthen the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act
    Over the years, Biden has championed more than a dozen bills around hate crime prevention efforts, including legislation in 1989 requiring the government to begin collecting data around hate crimes based on sexual orientation and landmark legislation in 1994 allowing harsher penalties for crimes based on sexual orientation. In 2009, Obama and Biden championed and signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law, which expanded the nation’s hate crimes law to include crimes based on one’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. But today there is still so much more work to do. According to the 2018 FBI Hate Crime Statistics, nearly 19% of hate crimes reported in 2018 were based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Biden will tackle these crimes through moral leadership that makes clear that vitriol has no place in the United States. In addition, he will strengthen enforcement of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Act by increasing funding for anti-bias and hate crimes investigation training. He will work with Congress to pass both the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act, which will improve hate crime reporting and data collection, and the End Racial and Religious Profiling Act, which will prohibit law enforcement from targeting a person based on “actual or perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation.” And, Biden will ensure that his Administration’s Department of Justice makes hate crimes a prosecutorial priority.
    EXPAND ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY HEALTH CARE FOR LGBTQ+ INDIVIDUALS

    “[We] passed the Affordable Care Act so no one can be denied health care because of their sexual orientation or their gender identity.”

    —Joe Biden, March 23, 2014

    Passing Obamacare was a huge step forward in expanding access to affordable, quality health care—especially for LGBTQ+ Americans. But, every day over the past ten years, the Affordable Care Act has been under relentless attack. Biden opposes every effort to get rid of this historic law—including efforts by Republicans, and efforts by Democrats. Instead of starting from scratch and getting rid of private insurance, he has a plan to build on the Affordable Care Act by giving Americans more choice, reducing health care costs, and making our health care system less complex to navigate. Biden’s plan will ensure every single American has access to affordable, quality health insurance and specifically help LGBTQ+ Americans. He will:
    Restore federal funding for Planned Parenthood
    Planned Parenthood health centers across the country play an important role in providing affordable, culturally competent care to LGBTQ+ individuals. Biden will revoke Trump’s restrictions on Title X of the Public Health Service Act and restore funding to Planned Parenthood, so this vital public health organization can continue providing critical and quality health care to poor and underserved communities, including reproductive health services, cancer screenings, HIV testing, hormone therapies, and general medical care.
    Expand mental health and suicide prevention services for LGBTQ+ indvidiuals
    As Vice President, Biden championed efforts to implement the federal mental health parity law, improve access to mental health care, and eliminate the stigma around mental health. As President, he will redouble these efforts to ensure enforcement of mental health parity laws and expand funding for mental health services for the LGBTQ+ community.
    ENSURE FAIR TREATMENT OF LGBTQ+ INDIVIDUALS IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
    The U.S. criminal justice system has a duty to ensure that individuals, including those from the LGBTQ+ community, are treated fairly and with dignity. But discrimination and stigma trap LGBTQ+ people in the criminal justice system at disproportionately high rates. Once in the system, LGBTQ+ people—particularly transgender people—are more likely to be subjected to violence.
    Half of LGBTQ+ Americans live in states without adequate civil rights protections. They can get married on Sunday and the very next day get fired under state law because of who they are or who they love. LGBTQ+ people still face discrimination in nearly every aspect of their lives, including employment, military service, starting a family, and obtaining a driver’s license with their accurate gender marker. The Equality Act is the best vehicle for ensuring equal rights under the law for LGBTQ+ Americans, and will guarantee that LGBTQ+ individuals are protected under existing civil rights laws. Biden will make enactment of the Equality Act during his first 100 days as President a top legislative priority. Biden will also direct his Cabinet to ensure immediate and full enforcement of the Equality Act across all federal departments and agencies. In addition to enacting the Equality Act, Biden will take action using his executive authority. He will immediately reverse the discriminatory actions of the Trump-Pence Administration and then go further to end discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals. Biden will: Empower federal agencies to be champions for equality. Biden will nominate and appoint federal officials and judges who represent the diversity of the American people, including LGBTQ+ people. He will ensure that leaders across the federal agencies are committed to fully enforcing our civil rights laws for LGBTQ+ individuals. And, he’ll ensure that we give the agencies charged with enforcing our non-discrimination laws the funds they need to fully pursue this obligation. These agencies include the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.

    We've got to make sure our democracy includes everyone.

    Our politics is broken and excludes too many Americans. Until we fix campaign finance, voting rights, and gerrymandering, it will continue to get more polarized, more ugly, and more mean.
    Voting is the purest, most fundamental act of citizenship. Efforts to disenfranchise eligible voters are just as un-American now as they were during Jim Crow. We must strengthen our democracy by guaranteeing that every American’s vote is protected.
    Privately owned by a random citizen. Note that my opinons are my own, as are those of the voters Twitter accounts streamed into this website. I reserve the right to use TONS of typos and make lots of mistakes. Some language may not be suitable for children. Biden branding and campaign content used without permission. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Biden For President Campaign, Biden 2020, or JoeBiden.com
    ©2019-2021 everydayamericanjoe.com
    Designed & Developed by The Microtechs