Biden Plans Three Oil and Gas Lease Sales (BTN #24)
Biden Tracking Newsletter #24: Day 979 (9/25) through Day 985 (10/1)
Biden joins striking United Auto Workers on the picket line in Michigan. (Evan Vucci/AP)
This is the twenty-fourth edition of the Biden Tracking newsletter. This week, the Biden Administration announced three new oil and gas lease sales for the next five years, joined the UAW picket line, and watched as the student loan payment pause ended. It is Monday, October 2nd, 2023, day 986 of the Biden presidency.
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Tuesday, September 26th (Day 980)
Seeking to repair his image as a “Pro-Union” President, President Biden on Tuesday made history by becoming the first sitting president to join a picket line. Biden told striking auto workers “You deserve what you earned, and you've earned a hell of a lot more than you're getting paid now." On the picket line, Biden also endorsed the union’s demand for a 40% wage increase over four years. However, the White House later walked back the comment, saying Biden only supported the union bargaining for the wage increase.
Wednesday, September 27th (Day 981)
Biden Administration says updated COVID shots will be covered by private insurance
On Wednesday the Biden Administration secured agreements with large insurance companies, including CVS Health, UnitedHealth Group, Anthem, Aetna, and Cigna, to ensure that they would cover updated COVID shots. The moves come after reports last week that some insurers were not covering the vaccine. Unlike previous rounds of COVID-19 vaccines, the government is not covering the cost of the shots due to the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.
Friday, September 29th (Day 983)
Biden to sell three oil and gas leases over five years
On Friday the Biden Administration announced a plan to sell as many as three offshore oil and gas leases over the next five years. The plan includes no auctions for next year and represents the lowest number of lease sales since the program began in 1980. All three proposed sales are in the Gulf of Mexico, in 2025, 2027, and 2029, with none in Alaska. According to The Guardian, a provision in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, negotiated by Senator Joe Manchin, blocked the Interior Department from issuing new offshore wind leases unless, in the prior year, it had held an oil lease sale on at least 60m acres. However, environmental law organization Earthjustice argues that even in the strictest interpretation of the law, the agency would only need to include one oil-and-gas lease sale in the final five-year program to allow for all planned federal offshore wind leasing. A previous version of the plan called for up to 11 leases, while a previous Trump Administration proposal called for 47 lease sales. The House and Senate will now have 60 days to review the plan and advance legislation to make changes. The Fossil Fuel industry will likely push for more than the three planned sales.
Saturday, September 30th (Day 984)
Biden signs bill to temporarily avoid Government shutdown
On Saturday President Biden signed a bipartisan bill that will temporarily fund the U.S. government through November 17th. The bill does not include funding for Ukraine but does include $16bn for disaster aid. The bill also does not include far-right Republican demands like deep spending cuts and tough border security measures.
Sunday, October 1st (Day 985)
Student Loan payment pause officially ends
On Sunday the student loan payment pause officially ended. For the first time since March 2021, student loan borrowers will have to pay back their loans. The Department of Education says borrowers will get a bill, with payment amount and due date, at least 21 days before the due date. Interest on student loans started accruing on outstanding balances on September 1st. However, there will be a 12-month "on-ramp" for loan repayments. Borrowers who miss payments in the next 12 months won't be reported to credit bureaus, placed in default, or referred to debt collection agencies, though interest will continue to compile. The United States did not see economic effects by pausing student loan payments, but by making younger and overwhelmingly poor Americans pay back their loans, experts say economic effects are possible.
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