Joe Biden is an American politician. He served as the 46th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. Before that, he served as the 47th vice president under President Barack Obama. From 1973 to 2009, Biden represented the state of Delaware in the United States Senate. In this capacity, he championed several important pieces of electoral-reform and voting rights legislation.
Beau Biden died in 2015 after a battle with brain cancer
Beau Biden was a lawyer and attorney general in Delaware. He was the son of former vice president Joe Biden. In 2015, he joined the investor law firm Grant & Eisenhofer. Earlier this year, he was diagnosed with brain cancer. In 2013, he underwent surgery and began a course of chemotherapy and radiation. He was given the all-clear in November 2013. However, he was undergoing aggressive treatment and died in March 2015 after a long battle with brain cancer.
Before his death, Beau Biden had been considered a strong candidate for his father’s Senate seat. After his father’s death, he ran for attorney general of Delaware, and many believed he would eventually seek the governorship. But his ambitions were overshadowed by concerns about his health. At the time, his chief of staff, Tim Mullaney, said he thought Beau would recover and run for governor of Delaware.
Biden was a leading advocate for tough-on-crime legislation
As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Biden was one of the nation’s leading proponents of tough-on-crime legislation. His 1994 crime bill imposed harsh sentences for drug crimes, expanded the use of the death penalty, and provided money for new prisons. The bill also delivered on liberal priorities such as the Violence Against Women Act. Ultimately, the bill passed with bipartisan support, but many critics view it as a major step toward mass incarceration.
Though state-level bail reforms have divided justice advocates, Joe Biden endorsed a federal bail reform bill that uses risk assessment factors to determine the appropriate bail. In the future, he has pledged to pursue fair bail reforms without injecting discrimination into the system.
Biden chaired the confirmation hearings of five justices
The Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Joe Biden, oversees Supreme Court nominees and holds the confirmation hearings. Biden has chaired 10 confirmation hearings. In his role as chairman, he has cast the deciding votes for or against five nominees. The process is rife with partisan battles.
Since taking office, Biden has been a key figure in the process. His leadership has been critical to ensuring that nominees are confirmed. He has repeatedly stressed the importance of the Senate’s role, and he pushed through the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett over the objections of the Senate minority leader. He has met with Grassley and Republican Sen. Richard Durbin, as well as with White House officials. He has continued these conversations this week.
Biden supported three significant pieces of voting rights and electoral-reform legislation
After the Supreme Court struck down the 1965 Voting Rights Act, a sense of urgency has grown among Democratic leaders, with Joe Biden calling the upcoming showdown with Republicans a critical turning point in American history. He has called on the Senate to adopt a “simple majority” rule to pass voting rights legislation. But, as a long-time institutionalist, he is also concerned about preserving the integrity of the democratic process.
Biden plans to build public support for voting rights legislation, such as the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. The first bill would make Election Day a federal holiday and increase voter registration, while the latter would strengthen U.S. Justice Department oversight over local election jurisdictions with a history of discrimination.
Biden’s infrastructure plan languished in the House
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is a piece of legislation that fulfills part of the vice president’s economic vision, but it has languished in the House for nearly three months. The bill would have invested billions of dollars in electric vehicle charging stations, modernized bus and rail systems, and more. But House Republicans opposed it, saying it was tied to the $1.75 trillion Build Back Better social spending bill.
The infrastructure bill would have been Biden’s second major legislative accomplishment as president, following the stimulus law. Like the stimulus law, the bill had bipartisan support and even the support of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. But where the stimulus plan targeted current problems in the domestic economy, the infrastructure bill aims to address long-term issues.
Biden’s work on violence against women
Joe Biden has dedicated his life to fighting violence against women and empowering women. As Vice President, he helped establish the Violence Against Women Act, and he spearheaded a national campaign to end the culture of sexual assault and campus rape. He also spearheaded the first White House Advisor on Violence Against Women.
Biden has also championed domestic violence prevention and education. He has signed several bills to improve the situation for women who have been victims. He has reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act three times since it passed. These bills will strengthen the protections that women have from violence and ensure that their civil rights are protected.
