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Evaluation for Progress Report on the Biden-Harris Administration 2024 A National Urban League Publication Evaluation for Progress Report on the Biden-Harris Administration Introduction On January 20, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. 1 His first executive order on his first day in office, EO 13985 declared “Equal opportunity is the bedrock of American democracy, and our diversity is one of our country’s greatest strengths.” Acknowledging “the unbearable human costs of systemic racism,” the order made an unprecedented commitment to tackle inequality: “Affirmatively advancing equity, civil rights, racial justice, and equal opportunity is the responsibility of the whole of our Government.” President Biden required every agency to assess its policies and programs for barriers to Black Americans and other underserved communities, and to develop concrete strategies to deliver resources and benefits equitably. 2 No president had ever done this before. By putting equity at the center of his administration, President Biden committed that it would shape the legislation, regulations, federal investments, and agency actions his administration championed. As explained in detail below, that commitment has resulted in meaningful policy changes for Black Americans across economic opportunity, education, health care, criminal justice, housing, the environment, and civil rights protections. Parts of President Biden’s equity agenda, unfortunately, have been blocked by Congress and an ultra-conservative Supreme Court. These barriers are also discussed below. 1 Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, 86 Fed. Reg. 7009 (Jan. 20, 2021), https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/25/2021-01753/advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government. The order defined “equity” as “the consistent and systematic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals.” Id. § 2(a). 2 Executive Order 13985 also set up an Equitable Data Working Group to improve data collection and analysis to better understand the impact of federal policy across communities. And it revoked divisive Trump Administration orders that attacked diversity training and disputed the history of systemic racism in America. See Executive Order 13950, Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping, 85 Fed. Reg. 60683 (Sept. 22, 2020), https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/09/28/2020-21534/combating-race-and-sex-stereotyping; Executive Order 13958, Establishing the President’s Advisory 1776 Commission, 85 Fed Reg. 70951 (Nov. 2, 2020), https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/11/05/2020-24793/establishing-the- presidents-advisory-1776-commission. Ninety agencies issued Equity Action Plans aimed at improving government services so that all Americans could benefit from them. See https:// www.whitehouse.gov/equity/2022-agency-equity-plans/. In February 2023, President Biden issued a second executive order on equity, calling equity “a multi-generational commitment,” making Equity Action Plans an annual requirement, and charging agencies to do even more to end discrimination and create an America in which everyone can reach their potential. See Executive Order 14091, Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government (Feb. 16, 2023), https://www.federalregister. gov/documents/2023/02/22/2023-03779/further-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal. One year later, the administration released a progress report on its equity work and a set of new Equity Action Plans. See White House Equity Action Plan Progress Report (Feb. 2024), https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/ uploads/2024/02/White-House-Equity-Action-Plan-Progress-Report.pdf. Equity Action Plans for 2022 and 2023 are available at https://www.performance.gov/explore/goals/. 3 See Alana Wise, Biden Pledged Historic Cabinet Diversity. Here’s How His Nominees Stack Up., NPR (Feb. 5, 2021), https://www.npr.org/sections/president-biden-takes- office/2021/02/05/963837953/biden-pledged-historic-cabinet-diversity-heres-how-his-nominees-stack-up; Alisha Haridasani Gupta, Fulfilling a Promise: A Cabinet That “Looks Like America,” N.Y. Times (Jan. 21, 2021), https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/21/us/biden-cabinet-diversity-gender-race.html. Appointments that Reflect the Soul of America President Biden has the most diverse Cabinet in history. 3 Vice President Kamala Harris is the first woman, first Black person, and first Asian American person ever to serve in the role. More than half of the current 26 members of the Cabinet are people of color, and half are women; together, those two categories account for almost 70% of Biden’s Cabinet. Biden has also appointed diverse candidates to leadership roles throughout government. High ranking Black appointees in the White House and agencies include: ٨ Vice President Kamala Harris ٨ Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Defense ٨ Marcia Fudge, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development ٨Michael Regan, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency ٨ Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.N. Ambassador ٨ Shalanda Young, Director of the Office of Management and Budget ٨ Cecilia Rouse, Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisors (former) NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE 2 Evaluation for Progress Report on the Biden-Harris Administration ٨ Susan Rice, White House Domestic Policy Advisor (former) ٨ Stephen Benjamin, Senior Advisor to the President and White House Director of Public Engagement ٨ Cedric Richmond, Senior Advisor to the President and White House Director of Public Engagement (former) ٨ Keisha Lance Bottoms, Senior Advisor to the President and White House Director of Public Engagement (former) ٨ Wally Adeyemo, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury ٨Adrienne Todman, Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development ٨ Don Graves, Deputy Secretary of Commerce ٨ Philip Jefferson, Vice Chair of the Federal Reserve ٨ Lisa Cook, Member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors ٨ Donald Cravins, Jr., Undersecretary of the Minority Business Development Agency (former) President Biden’s judicial appointments have been historic. He appointed Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman ever to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. His judicial appointees have been more than 65% people of color and 65% women. 4 He has appointed 56 Black judges, including 35 Black women—more than any previous president. He has confirmed 13 Black women to the federal appeals courts—more than every prior president combined. 5 Investing in Black America and Improving the Economy With equity at their center, President Biden’s policies have significantly expanded Black economic opportunity. His American Rescue Plan produced a historically fast and equitable recovery. The economy has generated 2.6 million jobs for Black workers under the Biden Administration—part of a 14.8 million job boom. Black unemployment dropped to a historic low of 4.7% and has stayed low. Black child poverty was cut in half in a single year, hitting its lowest level on record and improving the lives of over 700,000 Black children. Biden is investing in Black small businesses: he won permanent authorization for the Minority Business Development 4 The White House, Statement from President Joe Biden On Confirming 175 Federal Judges (Feb. 1, 2024), https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/02/01/ statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-confirming-175-federal-judges/. See also John Gramlich, Pew Research Center, Most of Biden’s Appointed Judges to Date Are Women, Racial or Ethnic Minorities—a First for Any President, (Dec. 4, 2023), https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/12/04/most-of-bidens-appointed-judges-to-date-are-women-racial-or-ethnic- minorities-a-first-for-any-president/. 5 LCCHR, Black Lifetime Judges Confirmed During the Biden Administration (Feb. 1, 2024), https://civilrights.org/resource/black-lifetime-judges-confirmed-during-the-biden- administration/. Prior to President Biden taking office, only eight Black women had ever served on the federal courts of appeals. 6 Median Black family net worth was $44,900 in 2022, a 60% increase since 2019. Median White family net worth in 2022 was $285,000, a 30% increase since 2019. Federal Reserve, Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2019 to 2022: Evidence from the Survey of Consumer Finances 14 (Oct. 2023), https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/scf23.pdf. 7 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Unemployment Rate Rises to Record High 14.7 Percent in April 2020, (May 13, 2020), https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2020/unemployment-rate-rises-to- record-high-14-point-7-percent-in-april-2020.htm; Khristopher J. Brooks, High Unemployment Is Slamming Minorities Particularly Hard, CBS News (June 5, 2020), https://www.cbsnews.com/ news/may-unemployment-numbers-black-latino-up-though-us-rate-fell. 8 BLS, Applying for and Receiving Unemployment Insurance Benefits During the Coronavirus Pandemic (Sept. 2021), https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2021/article/applying-for-and-receiving- unemployment-insurance-benefits-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic.htm. 9 See Department of Treasury (Treasury), Economic Impact Payments, https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/coronavirus/assistance-for-american-families-and-workers/economic-impact- payments. The CARES Act of 2020 provided stimulus payments of up to $1,200 per adult and $500 for each dependent child under 17 years of age. The Tax Relief Act of 2020 provided up to $600 per adult and $600 per dependent child. Id. Agency and has secured billions in public and private capital for small disadvantaged businesses. The share of Black households owning a business has doubled, and median Black wealth is up 60%. 6 The administration has also connected 5.5 million Black households to high-speed internet at low or zero cost. It is reconnecting Black neighborhoods that were divided and cut off from economic resources during the creation of the national highway system. And it is investing billions to create good jobs open to Black Americans in the construction, semiconductor, and clean energy industries. In his Build Back Better plan, Biden proposed additional long-term investments to reduce poverty, support child care, and ensure paid leave for all workers. Although Build Back Better eventually passed as the historic Inflation Reduction Act, these proposals were cut during the process of negotiating with Congress. Economic Recovery The COVID-19 pandemic caused whole sectors of the economy to seize up almost overnight and sparked an economic crisis that hit Black Americans disproportionately hard. Unemployment spiked to highs of 14.7% overall and 16.8% for Black workers in 2020. 7 Over a two-month span in 2020, 22% of all small businesses and 41% of Black-owned businesses closed. An estimated 52 million adults, 21% of the total adult population, applied for unemployment insurance from March to December 2020—including 8.8 million or 28.5% of the Black adult population. 8 Inheriting this reeling economy and its disparate racial impact, President Biden prioritized bold relief. He pushed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan (ARP) through Congress in March 2021. It produced a faster and more equitable recovery than most observers thought possible. ARP provided new Economic Impact Payments of up to $1400 per adult and $1400 per dependent (whether the dependent be a child or adult)—more generous than previous stimulus payments.9 The recovery package extended unemployment insurance through September 2021 and made the first $10,200 tax exempt, helping millions of people make ends meet. The administration made changes to the Paycheck Protection Program, which provided billions in forgivable loans for small businesses to stay afloat, that allowed more Black-owned businesses and other small businesses NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE 3 Evaluation for Progress Report on the Biden-Harris Administrationto benefit.10 ARP increased the Child Tax Credit from up to $2,000 to up to $3,000 per dependent child and up to $3,600 for children under age 6; counted 17-year-olds as eligible dependents for the first time; made the credit fully refundable so that families that owe low or no taxes would still receive it; and issued half the credit up front through monthly payments from July to December 2021. The administration also ramped up outreach, auto-enrolled many families, and partnered with community-based organizations to increase uptake. ARP also tripled the Earned Income Tax Credit for workers without children from $540 to $1500, increased the income eligibility ceiling from about $16,000 to $21,000, and made workers ages 19–23 and 65 and older eligible for the first time.11 The expanded EITC credit benefited 17 million low-income workers, 2.7 million of them (18%) Black. 12 In addition, ARP significantly expanded the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC), more than doubling the cap on qualifying child care expenses and making the credit fully refundable. 13 These and other programs kept workers and families on their feet. They created in 2021 the largest calendar year drop in the Black unemployment rate in almost 40 years, and Black employment already surpassed pre-pandemic levels by 2022—a job recovery process that had taken six years after the 2008 financial crisis. 14 Child Poverty The Child Tax Credit and other measures in ARP cut Black child poverty in half in a single year—from 16.9% in 2020 to 8.1% in 2021. 10 These included creating a 2-week window for only businesses with fewer than 20 employees to apply for funds; setting aside $1 billion for sole proprietors, independent contractors, and self-employed individuals in low- and moderate-income areas; and eliminating eligibility bars for people who were behind on their student loan payments or who had irrelevant prior convictions; and partnering with Community Development Financial Institutions and Minority Depository Institutions to get the money into business owners’ hands. See The White House, Advancing Equity through the American Rescue Plan 24 (May 2022), https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/ADVANCING-EQUITY-THROUGH-THE-AMERICAN- RESCUE-PLAN.pdf. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the changes increased PPP grants in communities of color. See GAO, Paycheck Protection Program: Program Changes Increased Lending to the Smallest Businesses and in Underserved Locations 2 (Sept. 21, 2021) (“By the time PPP closed in June 2021, lending in traditionally underserved counties was proportional to their representation in the overall small business community.”), https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-21-601. 11 Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Policy Basics: The Earned Income Tax Credit (Apr. 28, 2023), https://www.cbpp.org/research/policy-basics-the-earned-income-tax-credit. 12 Chuck Marr et al., Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Congress Should Adopt American Families Plan’s Permanent Expansions of Child Tax Credit and EITC, Make Additional Provisions Permanent (May 24, 2021), https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/congress-should-adopt-american-families-plans-permanent-expansions-of-child. 13 Congressional Research Service, The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC): Temporary Expansion for 2021 Under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 at 2 (May 10. 2021), https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IN/IN11645. 14 The White House, FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Report: “Advancing Equity Through the American Rescue Plan” (May 24, 2022), https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements- releases/2022/05/24/fact-sheet-biden-harris-report-advancing-equity-through-the-american-rescue-plan. 15 Kalee Burns, Liana Fox & Danielle Wilson, U.S. Census Bureau, Child Poverty Fell to Record Low 5.2% in 2021 (Sept. 13, 2022) https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2022/09/record-drop-in- child-poverty.html. 16 The White House, FACT SHEET: The American Families Plan (Apr. 28, 2021), https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/28/fact-sheet-the-american-families-plan/. 17 See Grace Segers, Joe Manchin Killed the Expanded Child Tax Credit. Democrats Have a New Plan to Revive It., The New Republic (July 21, 2022), https://newrepublic.com/article/167108/ democrats-joe-manchin-child-care-tax-credit-bbb. 18 Elisa Minoff, Alex Coccia & Esi Hutchful, Center for the Study of Social Policy, Child Poverty Doubled Last Year (Sept. 12, 2023), https://cssp.org/2023/09/child-poverty-doubled-last-year-we- owe-children-so-much-more/. 19 Department of Labor, Statement by Acting Secretary of Labor Su on January Jobs Report (Feb. 2, 2024), https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osec/osec20240202. 20 BLS, https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2023/unemployment-rate-3-4-percent-in-april-2023.htm. 21 BLS https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf; Lael Brainard & Julie Su, Biden Admin Says Rules Must Ensure AI Boom “Does Right by Workers,” Yahoo! Finance (Jan. 30, 2024), https://finance.yahoo.com/news/op-ed-biden-admin-says-rules-must-ensure-ai-boom-does-right-by-workers-192912242.html. 22 The White House, Statement from President Joe Biden on the January Jobs Report (Feb. 2, 2024), https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/02/02/statement- from-president-joe-biden-on-the-january-jobs-report; BLS, Employment Situation Summary (Feb. 2, 2024), https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm; Department of Commerce, News: Unemployment Is at its Lowest Level in 54 Years (Feb. 3, 2023), https://www.commerce.gov/news/blog/2023/02/news-unemployment-its-lowest-level-54-years. 23 The Gap Between America’s Black and White Workers Is Shrinking, The Economist (Feb. 14, 2024), https://www.economist.com/united-states/2024/02/14/the-gap-between-americas-black- and-white-workers-is-shrinking. 24 BLS, Table A-2, Employment Status of the Civilian Population by Race, Sex, and Age (Jan. 2024) (showing the seasonally adjusted employment-population rate as 60% for both White and Black Americans), https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t02.htm. 25 BLS, Consumer Price Index Summary (Feb. 13, 2024), https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm. 26 Brendan Duke, Center for American Progress, Workers’ Paychecks Are Growing More Quickly Than Prices (Jan. 3, 2024), https://www.americanprogress.org/article/workers-paychecks-are- growing-more-quickly-than-prices; Alicia Adamczyk, Surprise: Wage Growth Has Actually Outpaced the Crushing Inflation over the Past 2.5 Years, Fortune (Dec. 12, 2023), https://fortune.com/2023/12/12/wage-growth-exceeded-inflation-jec-democrats. 27 Treasury, The Purchasing Power of American Households (Dec. 14, 2023), https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/the-purchasing-power-of-american-households#_ftnref4. Approximately 716,000 Black children were lifted out of poverty.15 Unfortunately, the tax credits expired at the end of 2021. President Biden proposed to extend the CTC, EITC, and CDCTC in his Build Back Better legislative proposal. 16 With regard to the powerful CTC, he proposed to continue the tax credit’s higher value through 2025 and make it permanently refundable. These proposals died in Congress due to the opposition of Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV). 17 As a consequence, Black child poverty rebounded to 17.8% in 2022. 18 President Biden has continued to push for CTC expansion, including in recent tax bill negotiations. Good Jobs and Labor Rights Over President Biden’s first three years in office, the economy has created 14.8 million jobs, including 2.6 million jobs filled by Black workers. 19 Unemployment hit a record low of 3.4% in April 2023. 20 It is currently 3.7% and has been under 4% for two years, the longest stretch at this level in 50 years. 21 Black unemployment dropped from 9.2% in January 2021 to 5.2% in January 2024, with a record low of 4.7% in April 2023.22 The gap between Black and White unemployment is now the narrowest on record, 23 and the Black and White employment rates are on par. 24 Although inflation rose to a high of 9.1% in June 2022, it has dropped precipitously and is now 3.1%.25 Real wages now exceed inflation by a greater margin than before the pandemic—meaning Americans have more purchasing power. 26 Real earnings growth has been particularly strong for Black Americans, rising 5.7% from 2019 to 2023. 27 NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE 4 Evaluation for Progress Report on the Biden-Harris AdministrationPresident Biden describes himself as the most “pro-union” and “pro-worker” president in history.28 To his credit, he has repeatedly issued statements supporting worker organizing, and he became the first sitting president to walk a picket line when he visited Michigan to support a United Auto Workers strike in September 2023. 29 Moreover, Biden has championed the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, 30 most recently calling for its passage in his 2023 State of the Union Address. 31 The bill would override so-called “right-to-work laws,” ban union-busting tactics, and penalize employers for retaliating against workers who organize. 32 Over 70% of Americans say they support unions, the highest approval rating since 1965.33 Congress has been a barrier to enacting the PRO Act, however. The bill passed the House when Democrats controlled the chamber in 2021 and it cleared the Democrat-chaired Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension on an 11–10 party-line vote. 34 It did not advance further, however, given Republican opposition and the requirement of 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. In the face of congressional inaction, President Biden has used his executive power to promote unions, better worker pay, and good working conditions. A new White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, chaired by Vice President Harris, issued a report with 70 action items that the administration has been implementing to advance workers’ rights. 35 These actions contributed to 80,000 federal workers joining a union, a 20% increase, in 2022. 36 The Department of Labor (DOL) issued a new rule on prevailing wage standards under the Davis-Bacon Act, raising the wages that must be paid in federally funded construction projects. 37 This requirement applies to nearly all construction projects funded 28 The White House, FACT SHEET: Ahead of Labor Day, Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Actions to Empower Workers—Building on the President’s Historic Support for Workers and Unions (Sept. 1, 2023), https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/09/01/fact-sheet-ahead-of-labor-day-biden-harris-administration-announces-new-actions- to-empower-workers-building-on-the-presidents-historic-support-for-workers-and-unions. 29 Peter Nicholas, Biden Makes History by Joining Striking Autoworkers on the Picket Line, NBC News (Sept. 26, 2023), https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-makes-history- striking-auto-workers-picket-line-rcna117348. 30 H.R.842, Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2021, https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/842. 31 State of the Union Address (Feb. 7, 2023), https://www.whitehouse.gov/state-of-the-union-2023. 32 Celine McNicholas, Margaret Poydock & Lynn Rhinehart, Economic Policy Institute, How the PRO Act Restores Workers’ Right to Unionize (Feb. 4, 2021), https://www.epi.org/publication/ pro-act-problem-solution-chart. 33 Justin McCarthy, U.S. Approval of Labor Unions at Highest Point Since 1965, Gallup, https://news.gallup.com/poll/398303/approval-labor-unions-highest-point-1965.aspx (Aug. 30, 2022). 34 S.567, Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2023, https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/567. 35 White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, Report to the President (Feb. 2022), https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/White-House-Task- Force-on-Worker-Organizing-and-Empowerment-Report.pdf. 36 The White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, Update on Implementation of Approved Actions (Mar. 17, 2023), https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/ statements-releases/2023/03/17/the-white-house-task-force-on-worker-organizing-and-empowermentupdate-on-implementation-of-approved-actions. 37 DOL, Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulations, 88 Fed. Reg. 57526 (Aug. 23, 2023), https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/08/23/2023-17221/updating-the-davis- bacon-and-related-acts-regulations. 38 The White House, Remarks by President Biden at the National Action Network’s Annual MLK Day Breakfast (Jan. 16, 2023), https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches- remarks/2023/01/16/remarks-by-president-biden-at-the-national-action-networks-annual-mlk-day-breakfast. 39 Federal Acquisition Regulation, Use of Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Projects, 88 Fed. Reg. 88708 (Dec. 22, 2023), https://www.federalregister.gov/ documents/2023/12/22/2023-27736/federal-acquisition-regulation-use-of-project-labor-agreements-for-federal-construction-projects. 40 See DOL Good Jobs Initiative, Project Labor Agreements as Tools for Equity (providing examples of equity-enhancing community workforce agreements, a type of project labor agreement), https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/OPA/GoodJobs/FactSheets/Project_Labor_Agreements_Can_Be_Effective_Tools_for_Equity.pdf; Aurelia Glass & Karla Walter, Center for American Progress, How Project Labor Agreements and Community Workforce Agreements Are Good for the Biden Administration’s Investment Agenda (July 21, 2023) (providing additional examples), https://www.americanprogress.org/article/how-project-labor-agreements-and-community-workforce-agreements-are-good-for-the-biden-administrations-investment-agenda. 41 DOL, Equity Action Plan Update 14 (Jan. 2024), https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/general/equity/DOL-Equity-Action-Plan.pdf. 42 The White House, FACT SHEET: Ahead of Labor Day, Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Actions to Empower Workers—Building on the President’s Historic Support for Workers and Unions (Sept. 1, 2023), https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/09/01/fact-sheet-ahead-of-labor-day-biden-harris-administration-announces-new-actions- to-empower-workers-building-on-the-presidents-historic-support-for-workers-and-unions/. 43 Alex Camardelle, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, Five Charts to Understand Black Registered Apprenticeships in the United States (Mar. 20, 2023) https://jointcenter.org/five- charts-to-understand-black-registered-apprentices-in-the-united-states/. 44 National Urban League, National Urban League and Building Trades Unions Announce Historic Apprenticeship Program With DOL Support (Mar. 6, 2023), https://nul.org/news/national- urban-league-and-building-trades-unions-announce-historic-apprenticeship-program-dol. by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and will help 1.2 million construction workers who work on federal projects every year. President Biden said at the National Action Network’s annual MLK Day Breakfast last year, “We’re implementing a once-in-a- generation infrastructure law with equity at its center.” 38 To that end, DOL also issued a rule requiring the use of project labor agreements—pre-hire collective bargaining agreements—for federally funded construction projects over $35 million in value. 39 The administration has encouraged equity provisions in these agreements to create more opportunities for Black workers and others underrepresented in the construction industry to benefit from these jobs. 40 DOL’s new Good Job Initiative has partnered with other federal agencies to embed equity incentives and other pro-worker policies in 91 grant programs, including $181 billion of infrastructure funding. 41 The administration has also invested heavily in Registered Apprenticeships, paid training programs that lead to good jobs in construction and other fields. The administration put $285 million into Registered Apprenticeships in fiscal year 2023. 42 Historically, Black workers have been underrepresented in these programs. 43 Biden’s administration is trying new strategies to diversify them. As an example, DOL awarded a $20 million grant to TradesFuture and the National Urban League to get more people from underrepresented communities into Registered Apprenticeships. 44 Finally, President Biden has taken action to diversify the federal workforce and improve pay equity. In June 2021, he issued Executive Order 14035 on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) in the Federal Workforce, tasking every agency with removing NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE 5 Evaluation for Progress Report on the Biden-Harris Administrationbarriers to federal employment for underserved communities.45 In January 2024, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a final pay equity rule that prohibits the federal government from considering a candidate’s salary history when making a salary offer. This rule prevents prior discrimination in the labor market from infecting new employees’ wages. 46 President Biden also used his authority to raise the minimum wage to $15 for federal employees and federal contractors in January 2022, immediately increasing the earnings of 370,000 people. 47 This increase is important for Black workers, who make up almost 20% of the federal workforce. 48 He has repeatedly called on Congress to raise the minimum wage, which has been $7.25 per hour since 2009, to $15 for all Americans. Entrepreneurship Owning a business is a powerful way to generate wealth. A record 16 million new business applications have been filed since President Biden took office. 49 Entrepreneurs of color are disproportionately driving this increase. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), “the share of Black households owning a business has more than doubled, from 5% to 11% between 2019 and 2022,” and the number of Black businesses is growing at the fastest rate in 30 years. 50 As Brookings reported, “Black-owned employer businesses also had the highest percentage increases in employees (7%), revenue (30%), and payroll (27%) in 2021.” 51 This is promising growth. At the same time, Black businesses constitute less than 3% of businesses with employees, so more must be done to support their growth. 52 President Biden has invested historic resources in promoting Black- owned businesses. He secured permanent authorization for the Minority Business Development Agency, a thirty-year goal of the National Urban League; raised the MBDA’s funding; and unanimously confirmed former NUL Executive Vice President Donald Cravins Jr. to be its first undersecretary. Under Biden, the MBDA’s Capital Readiness Program has invested $125 million to nonprofit incubators to help Black entrepreneurs and other underserved entrepreneurs 45 Executive Order 14035, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce, 86 Fed. Reg. 34593 (June 25, 2021), https://www.federalregister.gov/ documents/2021/06/30/2021-14127/diversity-equity-inclusion-and-accessibility-in-the-federal-workforce. 46 OPM, OPM Finalizes Regulation to Prohibit Use of Non-Federal Salary History (Jan. 29, 2024), https://www.opm.gov/news/releases/2024/01/release-opm-finalizes-regulation-to-prohibit-use- of-non-federal-salary-history/. 47 The White House, Statement by President Joe Biden on $15 Minimum Wage for Federal Workers and Contractors Going into Effect (Jan. 28, 2022), https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing- room/statements-releases/2022/01/28/statement-by-president-joe-biden-on-15-minimum-wage-for-federal-workers-and-contractors-going-into-effect. 48 GAO, Federal Workforce: Data Reveal Minor Demographic Changes, 2011–2021 at 5 (Nov. 2023), https://www.gao.gov/assets/d24105924.pdf. 49 See U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics, reported at https://www.census.gov/econ/bfs/current/index.html. 50 Small Business Administration, New Business Applications Reach Record 16 Million Under Biden-Harris Administration (Jan. 11, 2024), https://www.sba.gov/article/2024/01/11/new-business- applications-reach-record-16-million-under-biden-harris-administration. 51 Andre Perry, Mannan Donoghue & Hannah Stephens, Brookings Metro, Closing the Black Employer Gap: Insights from the Latest Data on Black-owned Businesses (Feb. 15, 2024), https://www.brookings.edu/articles/closing-the-black-employer-gap-insights-from-the-latest-data-on-black-owned-businesses/. 52 Id. 53 MBDA Capital Readiness Program, https://www.mbda.gov/crp. 54 See resources at Treasury, State Small Business Credit Initiative, https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/small-business-programs/state-small-business-credit-initiative-ssbci; see also Lucas Kreuzer, The Council for Community and Economic Research, SSBCI 2.0’s Implementation across States and Other Jurisdictions (Aug. 14, 2023), https://www.c2er.org/2023/08/ssbci-2-0s- implementation-across-states-and-other-jurisdictions. 55 Treasury, ICYMI: U.S. Treasury Department Announces New Efforts to Expand Economic Opportunity for Underserved Businesses and Communities at Annual Freedman’s Bank Forum (Oct. 27, 2023), https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1858. 56 Treasury, Ahead of U.S. Treasury Freedman’s Bank Forum, Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Private Sector Commitments to Invest $3 Billion in Community Lenders Supporting Underserved Small Businesses and Communities (Oct. 25, 2023) https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1840. 57 SBA, SBA Data Show Major Increase in Loans to Black-Owned Businesses under Biden-Harris (Sept. 21, 2023) https://www.sba.gov/article/2023/09/21/sba-data-show-major-increase-loans- black-owned-businesses-under-biden-harris. 58 Ultima Servs. Corp. v. U.S. Dep’t of Agric., No. 2:20cv41-DCLC-CRW (E.D. Tenn. July 19, 2023), available at https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.tned.93612/gov.uscourts. tned.93612.86.0.pdf. to launch and grow their businesses.53 These organizations will help the entrepreneurs secure capital from a new $10 billion capital fund called the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI)—$2.5 billion of which is allocated for businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. This public capital is expected to catalyze $100 billion in private sector investment. 54 The Department of the Treasury’s Emergency Capital Investment Program has also invested more than $8.5 billion in Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs). These institutions make affordable loans to low- and moderate-income individuals and communities of color that have traditionally lacked financial services. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen anticipates that the $8.5 billion will “boost lending to Black and Latino communities by nearly $140 billion over a decade.” 55 To deepen investments in underserved communities, Vice President Harris launched the Economic Opportunity Coalition, a cohort of companies that set and met a goal of $1 billion in private commitments to CDFIs and MDIs. In October 2023, the Economic Opportunity Coalition raised its goal to $3 billion. 56 In addition, SBA has more than doubled the number, value, and share of its major loans to Black-owned businesses since 2020— providing $1.3 billion in support in fiscal year 2023.57 SBA also implemented a Community Navigators pilot program that has trained 300,000 entrepreneurs and helped small businesses secure $270 million in funding from state and local grants, bank loans, and other sources. President Biden has proposed new funding to expand the navigators program. Activist litigation, however, is a threat to the SBA’s efforts. A federal judge recently enjoined the government from applying a presumption that Black Americans are eligible for the SBA’s 8(a) program for small businesses owned by “socially and economically disadvantaged” individuals. 58 Finally, President Biden is using the federal government’s purchasing power—almost $700 billion annually—to invest billions to small disadvantaged businesses (SDBs), including Black- owned businesses. In June 2021, in commemorating the 100- NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE 6 Evaluation for Progress Report on the Biden-Harris Administrationyear anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma, President Biden announced a commitment to increase SDBs’ share of federal contract dollars by 50% by 2025, which would translate to an additional $100 billion. 59 The administration has already increased the share of SDB contracting, awarding a record $69.9 billion to SDBs in fiscal year 2022. 60 The success of this initiative is important to closing the racial wealth gap. Relief for Black Farmers President Biden’s American Rescue Plan included $5 billion to advance equity in USDA’s programs, including $4 billion in debt relief for Black and other socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. The program aimed to remedy decades of discrimination in USDA loan programs and protect the dwindling number of Black farm-owners. However, several White farmers sued (some represented by an organization founded by former President Trump’s senior advisor Stephen Miller), alleging reverse discrimination because they could not qualify for the funds. The Biden Administration defended the program, but multiple courts issued nationwide orders deeming it likely unconstitutional and enjoining USDA from implementing it. 61 None of the debt relief could go out, and Black farmers could have ended up with nothing. A legislative fix was needed. Ultimately, the Inflation Reduction Act repealed the program and replaced it with two new funding streams: $3.1 billion in relief for “distressed” farm loan borrowers whose farms are “at financial risk”; and $2.2 billion in relief to borrowers who have “experienced discrimination” in federal farm loan programs.62 USDA is implementing both programs now. Reconnecting Communities In the 20th century, city planners built highways and other infrastructure through Black neighborhoods, cutting them off from resources like grocery stores, health care centers, and employers. As President Biden’s Secretary of Transportation has said, the locations were chosen “sometimes to reinforce segregation, sometimes because it was the path of least resistance, almost always because Black neighborhoods and low-income neighborhoods did not have the power to resist or reshape those projects.” 63 The Biden Administration created a program to remediate that damage. With over $4 billion in BIL and IRA funding, the Reconnecting 59 The White House, FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Actions to Build Black Wealth and Narrow the Racial Wealth Gap (June 1, 2021), https://www.whitehouse.gov/ briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/06/01/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-new-actions-to-build-black-wealth-and-narrow-the-racial-wealth-gap/. 60 OMB Memo M-24-01, Increasing the Share of Contract Dollars Awarded to Small Disadvantaged Businesses for Fiscal Year 2024 and in Subsequent FYs (Oct. 25, 2023), https://www. whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/M-24-01-Increasing-the-Share-of-Contract-Dollars-Awarded-to-Small-Disadvantaged-Businesses_Final.pdf. 61 Alan Rappeport, Climate and Tax Bill Rewrites Embattled Black Farmer Relief Program, N.Y. Times (Aug. 12, 2021), https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/12/business/economy/inflation- reduction-act-black-farmers.html. 62 Inflation Reduction Act §§ 22006-22007, Pub. L. 117-169 (2022). 63 Mark Walker, Highways Have Sliced Through City After City. Can the U.S. Undo the Damage?, N.Y. Times (May 25, 2023), https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/25/us/politics/biden- removing-highways.html. 64 DOT, Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN) Announcement (Aug. 24, 2023), https://www.transportation.gov/grants/rcnprogram/rcn-announcement. 65 ARP provided these funds through three programs: the Emergency Broadband Benefit, the Emergency Connectivity Fund, and the Capital Projects Fund. See Adie Tomer & Caroline George, Brookings Metro, The American Rescue Plan Is the Broadband Down Payment the Country Needs (June 1, 2021), https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-american-rescue-plan-is-the- broadband-down-payment-the-country-needs/#2. 66 The White House, FACT SHEET: As Affordable Connectivity Program Hits Milestone of Providing Affordable High-Speed Internet To 23 Million Households Nationwide, Biden-Harris Administration Calls on Congress to Extend Its Funding (Feb. 6, 2024), https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/02/06/fact-sheet-as-affordable-connectivity- program-hits-milestone-of-providing-affordable-high-speed-internet-to-23-million-households-nationwide-biden-harris-administration-calls-on-congress-t. 67 The White House, FACT SHEET: American Rescue Plan Funds Provided a Critical Lifeline to 200,000 Child Care Providers—Helping Millions of Families to Work (Oct. 21, 2022), https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/10/21/fact-sheet-american-rescue-plan-funds-provided-a-critical-lifeline-to-200000-child-care-providers-helping- millions-of-families-to-work. 68 The White House, FACT SHEET: The American Families Plan (Apr. 28, 2021), https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/04/28/fact-sheet-the- american-families-plan. Communities and Neighborhoods is helping to stitch communities back together and connect them to opportunity. The program funds such strategies as moving highways underground, building overpasses and pedestrian walkways, and improving public transit. 64 Closing the Digital Divide President Biden set the goal of connecting every American to reliable, high-speed internet by 2030. ARP provided $20 billion to expand broadband access through capital projects and discounts on monthly services. 65 The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided even more resources. Through the Broadband Equity Access and Development (BEAD) program, Biden is deploying $42.5 billion to all 50 states to provide broadband to communities with no or slow internet. Through the $14.2 billion Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and the $3 billion Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, the administration has provided $30 monthly subsidies ($75 on Tribal lands) to Americans most in need. The administration also secured commitments from leading companies to offer internet services for $30/month, giving ACP enrollees the option to get online for free. ACP has connected 23 million households. A quarter of its participants are African American. 66 However, ACP funding is scheduled to run out in April 2024, threatening to disconnect 5.5 million Black Americans and millions of others. President Biden has appealed to Congress to appropriate more money for the program. Child Care & Paid Leave Access to affordable child care and paid leave are critical pieces of economic security. ARP provided $39 billion in emergency child care support during the pandemic. This included $24 billion in stabilization grants that helped 200,000 child care providers stay open. Providers used most of the money to pay their staff. One in five child care workers is a Black woman. The ARP funds supported these frontline workers in serving roughly 9 million children. 67 The President proposed a much larger investment in his Build Back Better plan to meet the child care crisis at scale: $225 billion to cap out-of-pocket costs for low- and middle-income families at 7%, improve provider services, and increase wages for child care workers. 68 Although significant child care funding passed the House of Representatives, it did not advance in the Senate. NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE 7 Evaluation for Progress Report on the Biden-Harris AdministrationNonetheless, President Biden secured a more than 30% increase in funding under the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program in the 2023 omnibus spending bill, the second largest increase in the program’s history. 69 The CCDBG program provides child care subsidies to families with children under 13, and Black families make up 38% of the beneficiaries. The administration also issued a proposed rule to lower families’ child care costs and increase their options in July 2023. 70 Paid leave is another important protection for workers—particularly Black workers, who experience chronic health conditions at disproportionate levels. 71 President Biden originally proposed 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave in his Build Back Better plan. That proposal was cut to 4 weeks and then eliminated altogether due to the opposition of Senator Joe Manchin. 72 Education Access President Biden secured $130 billion for school districts to address learning loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. He increased funding for Head Start and Title I funding for K–12 schools serving low-income students. He increased the maximum value of Pell grants by $900, delivered $7 billion for HBCUs, and has forgiven almost $138 billion in student loan debt for 3.9 million borrowers. The President has hit roadblocks in Congress’s unwillingness to pass his proposals for universal pre-K and community college, Congress’s failure to fully fund his Title I and HBCU proposals, and the Supreme Court’s striking down his broader student loan forgiveness program. He has vowed to continue pushing for new legislation and to take additional executive action to realize these priorities. Learning Loss Exacerbating existing inequities, the COVID-19 pandemic and the break in in-person learning had a disproportionately harmful impact on students in majority-Black schools. They stayed remote longer, had higher absenteeism, fell further behind, and dropped out at higher rates than students on average.73 President Biden’s American Rescue Plan provided $130 billion dollars to help P–12 schools weather the COVID-19 pandemic and respond to learning 69 Alycia Hardy, Center for Law and Social Policy, CCDBG FY 2023 State-by-State Appropriations Distribution Estimates and Increases (Jan. 2023) (citing FY23 CCDBG appropriations of $8 billion, an increase of $1.9 billion over the FY22 level), https://www.clasp.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/FY-2023-CCDBG-Approps-Increase-Factsheet_January-2023.pdf. 70 Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services, Improving Child Care Access, Affordability, and Stability in the Child Care and Development Fund, 88 Fed. Reg. 45022 (July 13, 2023), https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/07/13/2023-14290/improving-child-care-access-affordability-and-stability-in-the- child-care-and-development-fund-ccdf. 71 National Partnership for Women and Families, Paid Family and Medical Leave: A Racial Justice Issue—and Opportunity (Aug. 2018), https://nationalpartnership.org/report/paid-family-and- medical-leave-a-racial-justice-issue-and-opportunity/. 72 Teaganne Finn, Supporters of Paid Family Leave ‘Disappointed’ after Democrats Slash It from Biden’s Plan, NBC News (Oct. 28, 2021), https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/supporters- paid-family-leave-disappointed-after-democrats-slash-it-biden-n1282636. 73 Emma Dorn et al., McKinsey, COVID-19 and Education: The Lingering Effects of Unfinished Learning (July 27, 2021), https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/education/our-insights/covid-19- and-education-the-lingering-effects-of-unfinished-learning. 74 The White House, FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Highlights Efforts to Support K-12 Education as Students go Back-to-School (Aug. 28, 2023), https://www.whitehouse.gov/ briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/08/28/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-highlights-efforts-to-support-k-12-education-as-students-go-back-to-school. 75 Head Start Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center, FY 2021 American Rescue Plan Funding Increase for Head Start Programs, https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/policy/pi/acf-pi-hs-21-03. 76 See Head Start Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center, FY22 and FY23 Summaries, https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/policy/pi/acf-pi-hs-22-02 and https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/policy/pi/ acf-pi-hs-23-02. 77 Head Start Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center, Head Start Program Facts: Fiscal Year 2022, https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/data-ongoing-monitoring/article/head-start-program- facts-fiscal-year-2022. 78 Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach & Lauren Bauer, Brookings Institution, The Long-Term Impact of the Head Start Program (Aug. 19, 2016), https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-long-term- impact-of-the-head-start-program. 79 Department of Education (ED), Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Summary 7, https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget24/summary/24summary.pdf. 80 Matt Barnum, House Republicans Seek 80% Cut to Federal Program for Students from Low-Income Families, Chalkbeat (July 14, 2023), https://www.chalkbeat.org/2023/7/14/23795314/ republicans-education-budget-cut-title-i-low-income-schools-covid-aid-critical-race-theory/. loss and related harms. This was the largest one-time investment in schools in American history. Schools used the funds to purchase personal protective equipment and reopen, upgrade their HVAC systems, invest in tutoring, increase summer and after-school learning programming, and hire more staff. As of the end of the 2022–23 school year, there are now 39% more social workers and 30% more nurses in public schools across the country. 74 Head Start The Biden Administration secured a one-time $1 billion funding surge in the American Rescue Plan for Head Start, the early childhood education program that serves low-income children and families. 75 He also increased Head Start’s annual appropriations by $1.25 billion between fiscal year 2021 and fiscal year 2023. 76 Twenty- eight percent of Head Start’s clients are Black. 77 Research shows that the program improves social and emotional health for Black children and has long-term educational outcomes. 78 Title I Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 provides supplementary funding to schools based on their percentage of low-income students. Its purpose is to create educational opportunities for economically disadvantaged students and close the achievement gap. Unfortunately, the program is woefully underfunded. To date, President Biden has secured a 5% increase for Title I, increasing funding by $1.9 billion since he took office. 79 Biden has said he wants to triple the program’s size. He has faced opposition in Congress—particularly from Republicans who recently proposed cutting Title I by 80% 80 —but the President continues to propose increases in his budget requests. HBCUs President Biden has provided more than $7 billion in funding for HBCUs. This includes $3.6 billion in COVID-19 economic relief funding, which they used to cover students’ costs, keep them enrolled, support staff, and upgrade school infrastructure. It also includes $1.6 billion in debt forgiveness for federally funded capital NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE 8 Evaluation for Progress Report on the Biden-Harris Administrationprojects and $1.7 billion in Department of Education grants. The Biden Administration has invested millions to grow HBCUs’ research and development capacity, including through partnerships with the Air Force, the Department of Energy, and NASA. In addition, the Department of Education has awarded $2.45 million in direct grants to HBCUs after repeatedly bomb threats in 2022. Schools have used these grants to provide mental health services and for other strategies to recover from the traumatic events. President Biden, Vice President Harris, and other administration leaders have repeatedly engaged the HBCU community. President Biden reestablished the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 2021 to support HBCUs, strengthen their networks, and seek their input .81 Biden sought even greater long-term support for HBCUs in his Build Back Better plan, but that funded did not advance as members of Congress negotiated over the legislation. He has also pushed for more annual spending on HBCUs. His FY2025 budget requests an increase of $429 million dollars in funding for HBCUs and other minority serving institutions.82 Investments in HBCUs are even more important in light of the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision striking down affirmative action in higher education last summer. In lawsuits brought against Harvard and the University of North Carolina, President Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) defended the schools’ limited use of race in admissions. The Court’s 6–3 conservative supermajority departed from precedent and held that affirmative action could no longer be justified as a means to ensure diversity in colleges and universities. 83 Pell Grants President Biden secured a $900 increase to the value of federal Pell Grants, need-based financial aid for low-income undergraduate students that does not need to be repaid. The maximum award is now $7,395 per year. More than 70% of Black undergraduates get Pell grants. President Biden continues to push Congress to enhance funding, seeking to raise the maximum to nearly $13,000, double its value when he took office. 84 Student Loan Forgiveness President Biden announced a historic student loan forgiveness program through executive action in August 2022. The administration planned to forgive up to $20,000 in debt for Pell 81 Executive Order 14041, White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity Through Historically Black Colleges and Universities, 86 Fed. Reg. 50443 (Sept. 3, 2021), https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/09/09/2021-19579/white-house-initiative-on-advancing-educational-equity-excellence-and-economic-opportunity- through. The President also signed Executive Order 14050, establishing the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans. 86 Fed. Reg. 58551 (Oct. 19, 2021). 82 ED, Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Summary 10, https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget24/summary/24summary.pdf. 83 Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College, 600 U.S. 181 (2023), https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/20-1199_hgdj.pdf. 84 Katherine Knott, Biden’s Budget Calls for $820 Pell Increase, Inside Higher Ed (Mar. 9, 2023), https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/student-aid-policy/2023/03/09/bidens- budget-calls-820-pell-increase. 85 Biden v. Nebraska, 600 U.S. 477 (2003), https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/22-506_nmip.pdf. 86 Maegan Vazquez, “The Hypocrisy Is Stunning,” Biden Says of Republicans Opposed to Student Debt Relief, Wash. Post (June 30, 2023), https://www.washingtonpost.com/ education/2023/06/30/student-loan-forgiveness-supreme-court-decision/. 87 See ED, Biden-Harris Administration Approves $1.2 Billion in Loan Forgiveness for Over 150,000 SAVE Plan Borrowers (Feb. 21, 2024), https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris- administration-approves-12-billion-loan-forgiveness-over-150000-save-plan-borrowers; Gabriel T. Rubin & Rosie Ettenheim, Biden Has Canceled About $137 Billion of Student Loans Despite Supreme Court Ruling. Here’s How., Wall St. J. (Jan. 19, 2024), https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/student-loan-forgiveness-amount-biden-ab289d75.. 88 ED, Biden-Harris Administration Moves Forward with Student Debt Relief Negotiated Rulemaking to Deliver Support to as Many Borrowers as Possible as Quickly as Possible (Sept. 29, 2023) https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-moves-forward-student-debt-relief-negotiated-rulemaking-deliver-support-many-borrowers-possible-quickly- possible. 89 ED, Biden-Harris Administration Takes Next Steps on Rulemaking to Provide Debt Relief to Student Loan Borrowers Experiencing Hardship (Feb. 15, 2024), https://www.ed.gov/news/press- releases/biden-harris-administration-takes-next-steps-rulemaking-provide-debt-relief-student-loan-borrowers-experiencing-hardship. Grant recipients, and up to $10,000 in debt for non-Pell Grant recipients, for borrowers whose income is less than $125,000 individually or $250,000 for a married couple. The policy recognized that Black borrowers carry disproportionately high levels of debt. It advanced racial equity by forgiving more debt for Pell grantees (Black undergraduates need Pell grants at a much higher rate than White undergraduates). The program would have brought much- needed relief to 43 million borrowers. However, six Republican- led states sued to halt it. The Biden Administration defended the program vigorously, but the Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority ruled 6–3 that the administration lacked authority for the loan forgiveness program under the HEROES Act of 2003, striking it down. 85 Biden condemned the “hypocrisy” of Republican lawmakers taking over a million dollars in Paycheck Protection Program relief during the pandemic and then blocking modest debt relief for students. 86 Despite this setback, President Biden’s Department of Education has forgiven almost $138 billion in student debt for about 3.9 million borrowers through other means, including: ٨ $46 billion for 930,000 borrowers through administrative corrections to the income-driven repayment program. ٨ $56 billion for 793,000 borrowers through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. The administration made changes to the program to benefit more students who went into public service jobs and made faithful efforts to repay their loans over the years. Prior to these changes, only 7,000 public servants had had their loans forgiven under the PSLF program. ٨ $11.7 billion for 513,000 borrowers who are now permanently disabled and cannot work. ٨$22.5 billion for 1.3 million borrowers whose schools defrauded them or shut down suddenly. ٨ $1.2 billion for 153,000 borrowers under Biden’s new Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan. 87 In addition, the Department of Education is pursuing a new rulemaking process to pursue large-scale student debt relief under a different statutory authority, the Higher Education Act. 88 The administration recently announced that it is considering debt relief based on “hardship,” such as having other burdensome financial costs such as healthcare or childcare. 89 NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE 9 Evaluation for Progress Report on the Biden-Harris AdministrationNext >