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The last actions of the Biden administration before Trump takes office
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The last actions of the Biden administration before Trump takes office

FILE President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 13, 2024 (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The Biden administration is working on final tasks before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.

Trump has vowed to repeal unspent money in President Joe Biden’s groundbreaking climate and health care law and halt clean energy development projects.

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The Trump administration may also propose new regulations that would reverse some of what the Biden administration has done in its rulemaking process, according to the Associated Press.

Here are some actions the Biden administration is currently taking:

infrastructure spending

The Biden administration hopes projects under the $1 trillion infrastructure bill and $375 billion climate bill will continue beyond President Joe Biden’s term and is working to ensure money from the bill continues to circulate.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced Friday that he will award more than $3.4 billion in grants to projects created to improve passenger rail service, help U.S. ports, reduce highway deaths and support domestic production or sustainable transportation materials, according to the Associated Press.

environmental targets

The AP noted that announcements regarding environmental grants and project approvals have accelerated in recent months, in a process that White House officials described as “rapidly moving towards the end” of Biden’s four-year term.

The Environmental Protection Agency has set a deadline to remove led pipes and announced nearly $3 billion to help local water systems adapt.

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EPA officials also announced that, for the first time, oil and gas companies must pay federal fees if they emit hazardous methane above certain levels.

The Department of Energy announced a $544 million loan to a Michigan company to expand production of high-quality silicon carbide wafers for electric vehicles, according to the AP.

This loan is one of 28 agreements totaling $37 billion granted within the scope of the clean energy loan program revived and expanded during the Biden administration.

Ukraine aid

The Biden administration will have to rush $7.1 billion from the Pentagon’s stockpile for weapons to spend the previously mandated money — $4.3 billion from the 2024 supplement and $2.8 billion still in savings as the Pentagon recalculates the value of shipped systems Donald Trump was sworn in.

An additional $2.2 billion is available to place weapons systems under long-term contracts. However, the latest aid packages were smaller in size; each was worth about $200 million to $300 million.

The AP reported that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the funds were already obligated, which would make it harder for them to return because the Biden administration would have to reverse it.

Certification of judicial elections

The Biden administration needs to secure Senate confirmation of as many federal judges as possible before Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025.

This week, the Senate confirmed the appointment of former prosecutor April Perry as a U.S. District Court judge in northern Illinois by a vote of 51 to 44.

On a dozen pending judicial candidates those out of the Senate Judiciary Committee; According to the AP report, eight of the judicial candidates are awaiting committee votes and six are awaiting committee hearings.

Trump is encouraging Republicans to oppose efforts to confirm judicial nominees. “No Justices should be confirmed during this time because Democrats want to crush the Justices while Republicans fight over Leadership,” Trump wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account on November 10, before congressional Republicans elected their new leader.

Student loan forgiveness

The Department of Education is trying to finalize a new federal rule that would cancel student loans for individuals dealing with financial difficulties. The proposal, one of Biden’s only student loan plans not stopped by federal courts, is set to be made public by December 2.

The Department of Education will have a shorter timeline to finalize the rule and begin implementing it, a process that could take months, according to the AP. Like President Joe Biden’s other efforts, it will likely face a legal challenge.

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The Biden administration could speed up student loan cancellations for people who have already been promised student loan relief, an education official told the AP.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona could decide these and other cases rather than refer them to the Trump administration, which is expected to be much friendlier to for-profit colleges.

Trump has yet to say what he will do about student loan forgiveness. But he and Republicans have criticized Biden’s efforts.