The Historic Ways President Biden Is Rebuilding the Middle Class

     President Biden launched his presidential campaign in April 2019 to rebuild the backbone of America, the middle class. As his State of the Union Address highlighted, President Biden has kept and continues to keep that promise. Unlike Presidents Clinton and Obama, who highlighted free trade, cuts to the social safety net, and the "end of big government," President Biden set his sights squarely on issues that matter to middle class Americans and called out the vested interests that threaten their prosperity. Here are the ways in just two years that President Biden has rebuilt the middle class:

1. A historic rescue package. Between the $1,400 stimulus checks, the increased aid for education, and the expanded Child Tax and Earned Income Credits, and other provisions, the American Rescue Plan Act provided the average family thousands of dollars in relief.
2. The best two years for job growth in American history. 12 million jobs were created in the first two years of the Biden administration, the highest number in any four-year term in just two years and the fifth-highest number of any president of all time.
3. The best two years for small businesses in American history. Thanks to the PPP Extension Act and President Biden's executive actions to support small businesses, 10 million small business applications were submitted in 2021 and 2022, the two best years of small business growth in American history.
4. A 55-year low in unemployment. The unemployment rate fell to 3.4 percent, the lowest rate in 55 years, and the number of Americans working rose to its highest number in history.
5. More shared prosperity. The black and Hispanic unemployment rates are on track to hit record lows this year as President Biden works to expand equity in housing and employment in black and brown communities.
6. Combating climate change and lowering energy costs. The Inflation Reduction Act is creating millions of clean energy jobs and setting us on track to cut carbon emissions by 40+ percent by 2030 while providing thousands of dollars of tax credits to Americans across the country.
7. The return of American manufacturing. 800,000 manufacturing jobs and nearly 400,000 automotive jobs have been created in two years, the highest number in 40 years. President Biden has passed the CHIPS and Science Act, which has spurred hundreds of billions of dollars in investments in American manufacturing in the first two years.
8. Lowering education costs. President Biden secured historic student debt relief while passing the two largest Pell Grant increases in the past decade and providing other forms of state and federal aid through the American Rescue Plan, saving families upwards of tens of thousands of dollars in college costs.
9. Consumer protection saving families thousands. From bolstering antitrust enforcement to cracking down on overdraft and banking fees to opposing unfair medical practices and countless other actions yet to come, President Biden is taking the most action any president has taken on consumer protection in 50 years and saving families thousands of dollars.
10. Finally providing relief to America's veterans. President Biden signed the Honoring Our PACT Act to provide hundreds of billions of dollars to millions of veterans affected by exposure to toxins while also signing dozens of other laws and executive orders that have resulted in declining veteran homelessness and suicide, record low veteran unemployment, and helped support military families.
11. Rebuilding infrastructure and strengthening supply chains. President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the largest investment in American infrastructure since Eisenhower created the Interstate Highway System, as well as the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, the largest reform to ocean shipping in 25 years. These laws are creating millions of jobs and saving families money by strengthening supply chains.
12. Lowering healthcare and prescription costs. President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act and other executive actions are saving families thousands of dollars on medical costs by restoring and strengthening the Affordable Care Act, supporting Medicaid expansion, blocking hospital mergers, allowing hearing aids to be sold over the counter, securing a record low rate of uninsured Americans, reducing racial disparities in healthcare, allowing Medicare to negotiate drug costs, capping drug prices and price increases, working to lower insulin costs, and much more.
13. Making sure the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share. President Biden established a 15 percent minimum tax on corporations and other tax reforms while proposing a billionaire minimum tax and expanded corporate buyback tax, all without raising taxes by a single penny on a single person making under $400,000 a year.
14. Taking on China. Militarily, economically, and in every facet imaginable, President Biden is finally on the cusp of winning America's cold war with China, maintaining America's military dominance, increasing support for Taiwan, taking action on China's human rights abuses, sanctioning and outdoing Chinese technological and economic programs, and more.
15. Strengthening labor rights. President Biden signed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and PUMP Act to support pregnant and new parent workers while taking executive action to support the largest labor wave in decades and continuing to push for expanded access to leave.
16. Protecting public health. Between pulling America out of the COVID crisis, securing historic funding to fight ALS, relaunching the Cancer Moonshot initiative to cut cancer death rates in half by 2047, fighting for funding for mental health and addiction, and other historic initiatives, President Biden is working to reverse the decline in American life expectancy with the biggest focus on public health we've seen since the Clinton administration.
17. Helping America's seniors. The American Rescue Plan Act secured pension solvency for three million Americans while Social Security and Medicare continue to be strengthened and expanded. President Biden has also pledged to veto any cuts to either of these programs while announcing significant reforms to the elder care industry.
18. Restoring Made-in-America. President Biden has taken historic action to mandate federal funds used to purchase infrastructure materials be made in America and raise the bar for what products are considered made in America.

     This is just the start. From further lowering healthcare costs to taking on Big Tech to further supporting vets to fully defeating elevated inflation to expanding public health initiatives and creating more jobs, the middle class is in for another good two years, and hopefully another good six years, under President Biden.