This is the thirteenth edition of the Biden Tracking newsletter. This week, the Biden Administration considered reiving Family Detention at the border, opposed a proposal that would forbid judges from imposing larger sentences based on acquitted crimes, and approved a massive new Oil Drilling project in Alaska. It is Monday, March 13th, 2023, day 783 of the Biden Presidency.
Thursday, March 2nd (Day 772) (Missed from Last Week)
Eric Adams joins President Biden’s “National Advisory Board”
I missed this from last week. On Thursday, March 2nd, the Washington Post reported that the Biden Administration had asked controversial New York Mayor Eric Adams to join a “national advisory board,” who will travel and speak on Biden’s behalf during his expected reelection campaign. Other members of the board include Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer, Elizabeth Warren, Ro Khanna, and Chris Coons. Adams is an interesting choice because he is incredibly polarizing in New York City. Just recently, he called for the end of the separation of Church and State and called on businesses to forbid people from wearing masks when entering stores to stop stealing. With such a diverse group of people, Biden is clearly attempting to build a large coalition for a re-election campaign, but Eric Adams will do more harm than good.
Monday, March 6th (Day 776)
Biden Administration Considers Reviving Family Detention at the Border
On Monday, the New York Times reported that the Biden Administration was considering reviving the practice of detaining undocumented migrant families who cross the border. If implemented, the move would follow a series of controversial anti-Asylum moves by the Biden Administration, the most notable being the re-implementation of the Trump era Asylum “Transit Ban.” According to the Times, the Biden Administration would set a 20-day limit for detaining families. The Trump Administration detained families for months. Family Detention was also used by the Obama and George W. Bush Administrations, but in 2018 the federal government’s medical consultants identified a “high risk of harm” to migrant children at family detention facilities. Going back to these practices, especially after this identification by medical consultants, would be a serious mistake.
Wednesday, March 8th (Day 778)
On Wednesday, the United States Justice Department opposed a bipartisan proposal to restrict judges’ ability to impose longer sentences based on alleged crimes even if a unanimous jury had acquitted the defendant of those very same allegations. This move follows a clear pivot by the Biden Administration to rebrand themselves as tough on crime. Last week, the Biden Administration announced they supported a bill striking down D.C.’s new Criminal Code. The DOJ said they opposed this latest proposal because it is “a significant departure from longstanding practice and precedent.” However practice and precedent does not mean that a policy is fundamentally good. And even 13 years ago, in a survey of all federal district judges in the country, 84% did not think acquitted conduct should be considered during sentencing. The Biden Administration is trying to stop Republican weak-on-crime attacks, but no matter what the Biden Administration does, these attacks will continue.
Thursday, March 9th (Day 779)
White House Reveals 2024 Budget
On Thursday, the White House revealed its 2024 budget. After reviewing the budget, here are the proposals that I found notable.
A defense budget of $842,000,000,000. A $26,000,000,000 increase (3.2%) over last year.
A budget of $25,000,000,000 for CPB and ICE for 2024. An increase of $800,000,000 over 2023. The budget specifically requests CBP to hire an additional 350 Border Patrol Agents, and 460 additional processing assistants at CBP and ICE.
Specifically requesting $4,700,000,000 to deal with “migration surges along the Southwest border.”
Requesting $537,000,000 for the COPS Hiring program in 2024. An increase of $213,000,000 (66%!) over 2023.
Requesting $291,000,000 for Haiti. Part of that funding will specifically go to strengthening the capacity of the Haitian National Police.
Requesting $4,000,000,000 to "address the root causes of migration and improve the lives of people in Central America"
Requesting $3 billion for Israel and $259 million for Palestine.
Requesting $500,000,000 to provide two years of free community college that lead to a good-paying job, and two years of subsidized tuition for students from families earning less than $125,000 enrolled in an HBCU, TCCU, or MSI.
Requesting $32.7 billion, for the Housing Choice Voucher program, an increase of $2.4 billion.
As expected the budget is a mixed bag. There is lots of support for new social programs, but also the largest peacetime Pentagon budget in U.S. history. The problem is that this budget has to get through the Republican-led House. There will be significant changes to these proposals as the year progresses and congress looks over them. So other than providing a look at some of President Biden’s priorities, this budget proposal won’t have many real effects on Americans.
Friday, March 10th (Day 780)
Biden Administration Approves Massive Alaskan Oil Project
Officially announced on Monday, March 13th (technically out of the scope of this newsletter), Bloomberg reported on Friday that the Biden Administration was planning to approve the massive Willow oil drilling project in Northwest Alaska. As part of the approval, ConocoPhillips would be permitted to drill from three locations across its Willow site in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, unlocking an estimated 600 million barrels of oil as well as some 280 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions tied to burning it. President Biden campaigned on a pledge to block new drilling on public lands but, somewhat caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine, has backed away from this promise. Lawmakers, unions, and many indigenous communities in Alaska say the Willow project would provide an economic lifeline to the region, but Environmental groups consider the project a potential carbon bomb because of the greenhouse gases the project would unleash over its potential three-decade lifespan. Despite what the project might do for communities in Alaska, it is hard to ignore the significant environmental impacts the project will likely cause. The Biden Administration pledged the end to oil drilling. Backing away from that promise not only is unacceptable but could be disastrous for our environment.
Sunday, March 12th (Day 782)
Treasury Department Covers All Depositors at Silicon Valley Bank
On Sunday, the Treasury Department announced they would be protecting all of the depositors at Silicon Valley Bank, which was taken over by the government this week following its collapse. Under current FDIC rules, only $250,000 in deposits is insured by the FDIC. The move ensures that the companies who deposited money in the bank, mainly up-and-coming tech companies, can stay afloat and continue to pay employees. The Biden Administration says that taxpayers will not be the ones paying out these depositors, instead, it will be the Deposit Insurance Fund, which is funded by fees on Banks. Many activists, noting the speed this protection was introduced for depositors, wondered why similar action wasn’t swiftly taken by the Biden Administration to protect federal student loan borrowers. Many of these borrowers are under a significant economic burden because of these predatory loans.
Biden Protects Some Areas of Alaska from Oil Drilling
In a move likely attempting to soften the blow from their Willow Project Oil Drilling approval, the Associated Press reported on Sunday that the Biden Administration would be barring drilling in nearly 3 million acres of the Beaufort Sea and limit drilling in more than 13 million acres in a vast swath of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. The White House said the move would ensure that important habitat for whales, seals, polar bears, and other wildlife “will be protected in perpetuity from extractive development.″ While these moves are good, the approval of the Willow Project will have a much more significant impact on the environment.
Other News:
SoFi is suing to block the Biden admin's ongoing freeze on federal student loan payments
The U.S. has ended testing requirements for travelers from China
The White House is supporting legislation that would allow it to ban TikTok
Here’s an excellent piece in Jacobin about why President Biden should Debate Marianne Williamson