William Faulkner famously said, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” In our politically forgetful society, many forget what happened in politics last month, let alone what happened two or three years ago. But with all-important national elections on the horizon, it behooves us to remember the political achievements of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, whom the AFT has endorsed for reelection, since they took office on Jan. 20, 2021. In those three years, we lost a few political battles, blocked some harmful initiatives and scored more policy wins than most recall.
We emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic by respecting science, supporting vaccines and funding rational policies — especially in public education and health care — that offered a path to recovery. The administration was often bold and ambitious. As 2022 dawned, we saw victories on par with those achieved in Roosevelt’s New Deal and Johnson’s Great Society.
Reining in the cost of prescription drugs, an issue of serious concern to retirees, was among the Biden administration’s prime objectives. Big Pharma has finally been taken down a notch. For decades, the federal government was specifically forbidden to do what the Veterans Administration was authorized to do: negotiate drug prices in bulk to get a better deal for Medicare-eligible seniors. Ten pharmaceutical companies manufacturing some of the costliest prescription drugs — including treatments for cancer, blood clots and arthritis — must now participate in first-ever direct negotiations with Medicare. For Medicare-eligible retirees, out-of-pocket costs for insulin have been capped at $35 a month, and most vaccines are now free. The new drug law also requires drug companies to pay a rebate to Medicare if they raise their prices for certain drugs faster than the rate of inflation.
Inflation is in decline. Annual inflation is down 65% from its peak. Grocery prices are rising at the slowest rate in two years. A gallon of gasoline is $1.90 cheaper than it was in June 2022.
The Biden administration is also making great strides to generate economic growth and fight climate change. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, a massive climate action program, created 210,000 new clean-energy jobs in the last year alone.
The administration has also made historic investments in our nation’s infrastructure. We all remember the interstate highway system, which was one of President Eisenhower’s proudest achievements. Did you ever drive to Florida on the old U.S. Route 301 before I-95 was completed? Do you remember Georgia’s local speed traps? I, for one, contributed to the state’s economy. I was delighted when the highway was modernized thanks to the funds in the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956.
We are now in the midst of another wave of improvements to our nation’s highways, roads and bridges. Two years after President Biden signed a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill into law, $400 billion has been invested in 40,000 projects in more than 4,500 communities in all 50 states.
The CHIPS and Science Act, passed in 2022, invests $280 billion to bolster U.S. semiconductor capacity and promote research and development to strengthen U.S. supply chains and increase the nation’s competitiveness.
Student debt affects retirees in ways not fully recognized by the public at large. Many seniors have gone back to college themselves or are providing financial assistance to their children or grandchildren in college. After the U.S. Supreme Court struck down his ambitious program to erase $430 billion in student loan debt, the president has implemented more targeted relief programs that have canceled $132 billion in student debt for more than 3.6 million Americans.
President Biden has also fought to strengthen democracy, appointed highly qualified judges and promoted gun safety legislation.
Issues such as the president’s age and his immigration policies should be discussed. But we as educators must consider his full record. If the past shapes our present and our future, as Faulkner says, the choice is clear for those who want to preserve and build on what we worked so hard to achieve over the past three years.