Biden Bits: Leading The Way…

Biden Tweets Logo. Image by Lenny Ghoul.

Before we dive into all things President Biden; FYI the tweets are still celebrating the two-year-mark of President Biden being in Office. They are also run-up tweets to his State of the Union before a split Congress. I suspect more back patting in the few weeks ahead and then after. Given that they are these celebrating back patting tweets, my information is likely to be lighter than normal.

President Biden’s public schedule for Wednesday, 01/25/2023:

8:30 AM The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing
Closed Press
9:00 AM In-Town Pool Call Time
In-Town Pool
12:00 PM The President delivers remarks on continued support for Ukraine
Roosevelt Room
12:30 PM The President has lunch with The Vice President
Private Dining RoomClosed Press
1:30 PM ​ Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

President Biden’s remarks are scheduled for noon D.C., time.


Press briefing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. D.C., time.


President Biden has tweeted…

He’s posted 3 tweets so far for Wednesday…

The closest I can come to find the data used is from Decembers Jobs Report posted @ BLS.gov on 01/06/2023: The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) declined by 146,000 to 1.1 million in December. This measure is down from 2.0 million a year earlier. The long-term unemployed accounted for 18.5 percent of all unemployed persons. (See table A-12.)

For past jobs reports @BLS.gov/Archive.

January’s Jobs Report is scheduled for release on Friday, 02/03/2023.


This morning the White House posted the following fact-sheet; Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces New Actions to Protect Renters and Promote Rental Affordability

Administration also launches Resident-Centered Housing Challenge, a call-to-action to improve the quality of life for renters

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing new actions to increase fairness in the rental market and further principles of fair housing. These actions align with a new Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights that the Administration is also releasing today. The Blueprint lays out a set of principles to drive action by the federal government, state and local partners, and the private sector to strengthen tenant protections and encourage rental affordability. Key actions announced today include:

White House.gov. 01/25/2023.
  • The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), both independent agencies, announced they will collect information to identify practices that unfairly prevent applicants and tenants from accessing or staying in housing in order to inform enforcement and policy actions under each agency’s jurisdiction. This is the first time the FTC has issued a request for information exploring unfair practices in the rental market. The two agencies will seek information on a broad range of practices that affect the rental market, including the creation and use of tenant background checks, the use of algorithms in tenant screenings, the provision of adverse action notices by landlords and property management companies, and how an applicant’s source of income factors into housing decisions.
  • The CFPB announced it will issue guidance and coordinate enforcement efforts with the FTC to ensure accurate information in the credit reporting system and to hold background check companies accountable for having unreasonable procedures.
  • The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), an independent agency, announced it will launch a new public process to examine proposed actions promoting renter protections and limits on egregious rent increases for future investments. FHFA will maintain transparency throughout the process and provide periodic updates, including one within 6 months, to interested stakeholders. As announced in November, the FHFA will also increase affordability in the multifamily rental market by establishing requirements that encourage the financing of multifamily loans that guarantee affordable housing. In 2022, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae purchased a combined $142 billion in multifamily loans supporting over one million units. If the same activity holds in 2023, this would mean an investment in approximately 700,000 affordable units.
  • A U.S. Department of Justice workshop will inform potential guidance updates around anti-competitive information sharing, including in rental markets.
  • The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will publish a notice of proposed rulemaking that would require public housing authorities and owners of project-based rental assistance properties to provide at least 30 days’ advanced notice before terminating a lease due to nonpayment of rent.
  • The Administration will hold quarterly meetings with a broad, diverse, and varying group of tenants and tenant advocates to ensure they continue to have a seat at the table and can share ambitious ideas to strengthen tenant protections.

These new announcements are part of a broader set of federal actions that exemplify the principles laid out in the Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights, which underscores key protections every renter deserves:

White House.gov. 01/25/2023.
  • Safe, Quality, Accessible, and Affordable Housing: Renters should have access to housing that is safe, decent, and affordable.
  • Clear and Fair Leases: Renters should have a clear and fair lease that has defined rental terms, rights, and responsibilities.
  • Education, Enforcement, and Enhancement of Renter Rights: Federal, state, and local governments should do all they can to ensure renters know their rights and to protect renters from unlawful discrimination and exclusion.
  • The Right to Organize: Renters should have the freedom to organize without obstruction or harassment from their housing provider or property manager.
  • Eviction Prevention, Diversion, and Relief: Renters should be able to access resources that help them avoid eviction, ensure the legal process during an eviction proceeding is fair, and avoid future housing instability.

In addition, the Administration is rallying state and local stakeholders and private housing actors to drive further action to protect renters in line with the Blueprint. As part of this effort, the Administration is launching the Resident-Centered Housing Challenge (Challenge), a call to action to housing providers and other stakeholders to strengthen practices and make their own independent commitments that improve the quality of life for renters. The Challenge, which will occur during the Spring of 2023, also encourages states, local, Tribal, and territorial governments to enhance existing policies and develop new ones that promote fairness and transparency in the rental market. Early commitments in support of the Challenge, which would affect over 15 million rental units, include:

White House.gov. 01/25/2023.
  • Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) and Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) have capped annual rental increases to 5 percent per year for federally or state subsidized affordable housing. Beginning in 2023, WHEDA policy applies to existing residents in properties utilizing state or federal Low-Income Housing Tax CreditsPHFA applied this policy to their portfolio of 450 properties with PHFA funding in 2022.  
  • Members of the Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF), which collectively own or manage 145,000 housing units across the U.S., commit to offer flexible payment plans for residents with unpaid rent who have engaged with property management and to provide the following notices and protections where permitted by local law and financing documents: at least 30 days’ notice to vacate for nonpayment of rent; at least 5 days to cure a missed rent payment; and 60 days’ notice to tenants of any proposed sale or closure of a property. SAHF also commits to launching a task force of its members to identify best practices for resident-centered practices and share resources with the field including model policies and procedures, sample notices, and case studies.
  • Realtor.com Rentals will pilot a new listing process through their DIY landlord product, Avail, highlighting units and landlords that indicate that they welcome Housing Choice Vouchers. Realtor.com will be able to share this information with its nearly 5 million monthly rentals search visitors. They will also ensure that more than 1.3 million Avail renters have access to their application information so they can submit their application to multiple property owners on the platform without additional cost.
  • The National Apartment Association commits to promoting resident programming and practices, such as helping tenants build and improve credit through reporting of positive rent payments to credit bureaus, through their website, industry events and other content channels that reach a network of more over 95,000 members owning and operating more than 11.6 million apartment homes globally.
  • The National Association of Realtors and its affiliate, the Institute of Real Estate Management, commit to creating new resources for property managers in their network of 1.5 million members that highlight ways they can incorporate resident-centered property management practices in their businesses. Practices would include a range of examples that have proven effective, such as advertising to prospective residents that Housing Choice Vouchers are accepted at their property, providing information about rental assistance, and using alternative credit scores for applicants without a detailed credit history. 
  • The National Multifamily Housing Council commits to working with its 2,000 members to identify business standards that align with principles of resident-centered management practices, such as helping residents build credit, providing resource information to residents in financial distress, and communicating these practices through a new resource hub on its website.

The Administration welcomes additional commitments from interested stakeholders to: pursue high-road practices aligned with the Blueprint principles; create new benefits for residents that enhance their economic mobility, build credit, and prepare them for homeownership; reduce or eliminating rental “junk fees,” which are the hidden fees, charges, and add-ons that take cash out of people’s pockets; expand pathways to eviction mitigation and prevention; and enhance and increase communication about tenant rights. To join the Challenge, interested partners can complete this survey by April 28, 2023.Questions regarding the White House Resident-Centered Housing Challenge team, can be directed to RCHousingChallenge@who.eop.gov.

Over a third of the American population – 44 million households – rent their homes. Before the pandemic, well over 2 million eviction fillings and roughly 900,000 evictions occurred annually – disproportionately affecting Black women and their children. Since then, rental housing has become less affordable with some landlords taking advantage of market conditions to pursue egregious rent increases.  Today’s announcements recognize there are responsible housing providers – large and small, national and local – willing to treat renters fairly, but it also holds accountable those who exploit market realities at the cost of renters’ housing access and stability. 

Since taking office, the President has taken substantial steps to promote fairness in the rental market and ease the burden of rental costs for millions of American renters. The Administration kept the national eviction moratorium in place until August 2021, which helped to prevent over 1.5 million eviction filings nationwide. The Administration has delivered over 8 million rental or utility assistance payments to reduce renters’ risk of eviction or housing instability through Emergency Rental Assistance programs and provided over $769 million for housing stability services. Last May, the Administration released a Housing Supply Action Plan, which set the goal of closing America’s housing supply shortfall in five years. The Administration has been making progress advancing a long-term goal of providing housing vouchers to all eligible households: the 2022 and 2023 President’s Budgets proposed to expand rental assistance to an additional 200,000 households – and the Administration has secured rental assistance to more than 100,000 households through the 2022 and 2033 appropriations bills and the American Rescue Plan. And, last week, HUD published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on its efforts to Affirmatively Further Fair Housing.  

White House.gov. 01/25/2023.

His full statement:

I promised to lower costs for families and ensure that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care. Today, we received further proof that our efforts are delivering record-breaking results.

More Americans than ever before have signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. From November 1st to January 15th, over 16.3 million Americans signed up for insurance on HealthCare.gov and the state-based Marketplaces.  This is more than double the number of Americans who signed up for coverage during the first ever Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment in 2014.  And for the more than 30 states that use HealthCare.gov, there has been a combined 50 percent increase in enrollment since I took office in January 2021.

Over the last few months, four out of five consumers looking for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act were able to find health care coverage for as little as $10 a month or less. These lower rates — which were originally delivered as part of my American Rescue Plan — were set to expire at the end of 2022, but thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, we extended them and millions of families are continuing to save $800 per person per year on their premiums. 

We’ve made record-breaking progress in expanding coverage and lowering health care costs for American families, saving them money and giving more Americans the peace of mind that comes with affordable health insurance.

White House.gov. 01/25/2023.


When the post was posted for Tuesday, President Biden had tweeted 3 times. He added 4 tweets giving him a Tuesday Tweeting Total of 7 tweets and 0 retweets.

I cannot locate when that image was taken…


Inflation Reduction Act.


From White House.gov/Clean Energy:

When households need to replace appliances or make home repairs, they can use tax credits for energy efficient improvements that save them money in the long run. These efficiency improvements include upgraded windows, doors, insulation, and other home weatherization services; or highly-efficient heating and cooling appliances like heat pumps, central air conditioners, and water heaters.

In 2022

Households can receive a tax credit to cover up to 10% of the cost of insulation materials and other energy efficient improvements, like energy-saving windows and doors. They can also receive a $300 tax credit for purchasing efficient heating and cooling equipment, like a heat pump or central air conditioner.

In 2023

Households can access a tax credit to cover up to 30% of the costs for certain efficiency improvements.

  • Families can claim up to $1,200 in credit each year for adding insulation or installing efficient windows and doors, with a special credit of as much as $2,000 for electric heat pumps that provide super-efficient heating and cooling. 
  • To help determine the best home improvement options, families can claim a credit of up to $150 for a home energy audit conducted by an inspector. State programs will begin to offer rebates for electric appliances and home retrofits, which will reduce household energy bills each month. 
    • All households can access rebates of up to $4,000, while low- income households could receive up to $8,000 for home efficiency. 
    • Low- and moderate-income households can access rebates covering up to 100% of the costs of installing electric appliances like heat pump water heaters and clothes dryers. 

Prior to his meeting with Democratic Congressional Leadership he offered remarks. The YouTube is 3 minutes and 31 seconds long.

His full remarks:

Well, I’m excited. We got a strong group of leaders here, a new start and a new Congress. And I’m excited about the leadership we have running the Democratic side.

We — we got a lot done in the last couple years, and we got a lot more to do and a lot more to finish than what we’ve already done. And we’ve already made some real progress on the economy, on inflation, and a number of other things.

Foreign policy is — we’ve united the West in a way that it hadn’t been in a while, including bringing in Japan and other Eu- — Asian countries invested in Ukraine’s future.

And Americans are starting to feel the effects of some of the laws we passed. And we have — and they’re only now going to be going into effect.

Like I said — and the press has heard me say this before — we’re in a situation where we promised folks on Medicare their insulin was going to go from about 400 bucks a month to 35 bucks a month. And it was a promise. Well, guess what? As of January 1, it’s a reality. And it’s — and people are — are feeling the effects of it.

There’s so much more of that out there.

And we’re going to discuss how — how we can continue to build on the progress, ultimately lowering the cost for middle-class and working-class families.

You know, we — and we’ve talked a lot about this around the table, with folks here, that I decided this time out — and I think you all are in the same boat — I want the wealthy to continue to be able to do well, but, look, I’m tired of trickle-down economics. I want to build this economy from the bottom up and the middle out. When that happens, poor folks have a shot, the middle class does well, and the wealthy never get hurt. They’re doing just fine.

And so, we also want to talk about the extreme Republican economic plans. Apparently, they’re genuinely serious about cutting Social Security, cutting Medicare. And I love their 30 percent sales tax. That, we’ll — I’m — we want to talk a lot about that.

But, look, I have no intention of letting the Republicans wreck our economy, nor does anybody around this table, in my view.

And, again, we’re going to speak about continuing our support for Ukraine. And it’s an idea that has bipartisan support, like some of what we passed had bipartisan support.

And so, we’re going to speak about nominations going forward quickly.

And also, finally, our hearts are with the people of California. They’ve been a rough, rough couple of days. I just got back from spending time with Gavin Newsom on the floods and the devastation that occurred. And then, on top of that, you see what’s happened in California and what’s happened to the Asian American community. It’s been devastating.

This — the — the Vice President is going to be going out, and I’ve been talking with Gavin Newsom and Judy Chu and Anna Eshoo and Hilda Solis. And we’re working out a number of things that we can and are going to be doing.

So, the bottom line here is that we got a lot to talk about. And yesterday, my buddy, Dianne Feinstein, reintroduced her Senate weapon — assault weapons ban. And I am asking you all to send that to my desk as quickly as you can. It’s really needed badly.

And all of us are focused on working together to get things done. There’s a lot to discuss. And having said that, I thank the press for being here, and I’ll talk to you later.

White House.gov. 01/24/2023.

The White House posted the following meeting readout:

This afternoon President Biden and Vice President Harris hosted Leader Schumer, Senator Durbin, Senator Stabenow, Leader Jeffries, Representative Clark, and Representative Aguilar in the Roosevelt Room.

The leaders agreed on the importance of building on the historic economic progress being achieved because of their shared accomplishments from the last two years, including the lowest unemployment in 50 years, significant ground gained against inflation, and more Americans getting health coverage than ever.

The President and the congressional leaders discussed continued stepped-up implementation of groundbreaking laws like the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which taken together are reducing drug and energy costs, bringing more jobs back to America, and rebuilding the nation.

The group also emphasized advancing our national security interests, like continuing to assist Ukraine.

They also agreed on continuing to work across the aisle with their Republican colleagues to deliver more results for the American people, while also being honest about disagreements – like our opposition to an unprecedented middle class tax hike, inflation-worsening tax cuts for the rich, abortion bans, or cutting Social Security and Medicare.

White House.gov. 01/24/2023.

This is an Open Thread.

About the opinions in this article…

Any opinions expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this website or of the other authors/contributors who write for it.

About Tiff 2520 Articles
Member of the Free Press who is politically homeless and a political junkie.