Commentary
Since President Joe Biden has taken office, his administration has claimed some significant achievements. In fact, the White House issued a document touting Biden’s accomplishments despite high gas prices, high inflation, rising crime, unemployment, and record government debt.
According to the White House, one of Biden’s successes was lowering the costs of families’ everyday expenses through the Inflation Reduction Act. Inflation, which exceeded 9 percent earlier this year, is still 7.7 percent—a figure two to three times the Federal Reserve’s usual target. This level of inflation has not been seen in decades. In addition to general inflation, gas prices hit $5 per gallon in June. The price has since come down but is still about 50 percent higher than in 2020.
This “success” is one of many debunked claims by the White House. Below is a summary of many other misguided claims.
Executive Orders Protecting Reproductive Rights
Reproductive rights were never questioned in the United States. Both citizens and non-citizens have always had the right to have babies. What the Biden administration is referring to is its attempt to undermine a Supreme Court decision, which leaves abortion legislation to the states.Historic Student Debt Relief
This little gem was supposed to cost taxpayers about half a trillion dollars, but Democrats in Congress are pushing to extend it to all student loans, which would cost about $1.6 trillion. Not only would this exacerbate the national debt and drive up the cost of education, but this program has not succeeded yet. So Biden is claiming responsibility for this destructive legislation prematurely.Ending Our Failed Approach to Marijuana
From July 2021 to June 2022, 107,600 Americans died from drug overdoses. And while the total number of overdose deaths is in decline, only eight states showed a reduction. In most states, the numbers may be the same or even rising.The thinking behind the policy was to correct racial disparities and strict punishments for simple offenses. However, this policy isn’t focusing on the drugs causing the most damage now. The use of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs—many of which are made in China and trafficked into the United States through the southern border—is rising.
Narcotic detectives seized about 12,000 suspected fentanyl pills that were packaged in bags of candy at Los Angeles International Airport in California on Oct. 19, 2022. Courtesy of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 10.1 million Americans misused fentanyl in 2019, and 1.5 million were addicted. Since that data was released, the trend has been steadily upward, with synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, accounting for roughly 70 percent of drug overdoses.
Crime Is Down
Democrats also claim that crime is down. However, as of October, almost 40 percent of U.S. law enforcement agencies had not reported their 2021 crime figures. Even with the known figures, the FBI says that murder is up.The claim that crime is down could be based on the fact that marijuana convictions are down because it has been decriminalized. Democrats also cite FBI data that the rape, robbery, and violent crime rates are still at lower levels than in the 1990s. But that data does not answer the question of whether crime is up or down under Biden.
What is known for sure is that organized looting of retail stores was almost non-existent before the George Floyd riots. Now, they have become so common that they are eating into the profits of major retailers. In many cases, they have been forced to close locations, which has decreased job opportunities in some of the poorest areas of the United States.
Passengers board a U.S. Air Force C-17 at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 24, 2021. Master Sgt. Donald R. Allen/U.S. Air Forces Europe-Africa via Getty Images
Successful Counterterrorism Missions
The Biden administration is responsible for the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan. In addition to the reputational damage inflicted on the United States, the people of Afghanistan are now suffering worse than ever under the Taliban. Girls are not allowed to attend school, and every aspect of public life is controlled by the Taliban.More People Are Working Now
Unemployment is expected to reach 4.5 percent in 2023. This number is somewhat misleading because it only counts people with no job. A number of well-paying industries, such as tech and transportation, are cutting staff in large numbers. If a tech worker or a truck driver loses a $70,000 per year job and takes a job in fast food for $20,000, they are considered employed.With top firms cutting their staff by as much as 20 percent, tech layoffs are expected to reach 2020 levels. Major companies cutting jobs now include Pepsi, Door Dash, H&M, Coinbase, Meta, Salesforce, Twitter, Gap, Peloton, Coinbase, Amazon, Ford, Volvo, U.S. Steel, Schneider, and many more.
Since July, 10,000 truck drivers and 50,000 warehouse workers have lost their jobs. Losses in the trucking and warehousing industries have implications for the entire economy. If there is less trucking, it means that there is less demand for products. Less demand for products will lead to job cuts in retail and any industry buying raw materials or inputs.
Arguably, the most egregious and questionable claim was that the Biden administration “rescued the economy.” Since taking office, Biden has driven the national debt to record levels. As of October, maintaining the federal debt that currently exceeds $30 trillion will cost $48 billion in interest payments. This 12 percent of the federal budget is money that will be paid to creditors rather than used for citizen services or tax cuts. And with the Fed raising interest rates, new debt created by the administration will cost even more to maintain.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
