Joe Biden in Reuters

On Energy & Oil: Transition to renewable energy; allow fracking for now

On Health Care: Individual mandate is constitutional even with $0 tax

Vox.com summary:The CA v. TX case was brought by Texas officials who object to ObamaCare, centered on the law's individual mandate [which] required most Americans to either obtain health insurance or pay higher taxes. In 2017, Congress amended ObamaCare to zero out this tax. The Texas plaintiffs claimed that this zeroed-out tax is unconstitutional and also claimed that the entire law must be declared invalid if the zero dollar tax is stuck down. In a 7-2 ruling, the Court ruled that no one is allowed to bring suit to challenge a provision of law that does nothing.

Biden in Reuters:"A big win for the American people," President Joe Biden, whose administration opposed the lawsuit, wrote in a Twitter post, adding that millions of people rely upon the law for healthcare coverage while encouraging others to sign up. Biden has pledged to expand healthcare access and buttress ObamaCare. Biden had criticized Republican efforts to strike down the law during a pandemic.

On War & Peace: Final withdrawal from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021

PROMISE KEPT: (Reuters, April 14, 2021): Biden plans to announce at the White House that all U.S. troops in Afghanistan will be withdrawn no later than Sept. 11, senior U.S. officials said. The Democratic president had faced a May 1 withdrawal deadline, set by his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, who tried but failed to pull the troops out before he left office. Biden's decision will keep 2,500 troops in Afghanistan pas

On Drugs: Pardon people in federal jail for smoking marijuana

PROMISE PARTIALLY KEPT: (CNN, 10/6/22): Biden will pardon all prior federal offenses of simple marijuana possession [because such offenses] "incarcerated people for conduct that many states no longer prohibit," Biden said. "Criminal records for marijuana possession have also imposed needless barriers to employment. Black & brown people have been arrested, prosecuted, and convicted at disproportionate rates." He will also encourage governors to take similar steps to pardon state simple marijuana possession charges, and will "expeditiously" review how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.

On Immigration: Promised "not another foot of wall"; but added Southern wall

PROMISE BROKEN: (Reuters, 10/6/23): Biden's administration said it will add sections to a border wall to stave off record migrant crossings from Mexico. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the construction project was appropriated during the prior administration and the law requires the government to use the funds. "We have repeatedly asked Congress to rescind this money but it has not done so and we are compelled to follow the law," he said.