Biden’s 2022 State of the Union report card: Where he delivered — and fell flat
The president promised a lot last year. Here's how we graded him on some of those pledges.
POLITICO illustrations/Photos by AP Photo/Getty Images/iStock
So, how did the president do in fulfilling those pledges? POLITICO sifted through some of last year’s claims to track his progress just before he delivers what’s expected to be another policy-packed speech Tuesday night.
Here’s our report card, using the following scale: success, in progress, needs improvement, fail.
Ukraine
Grade: Success
What Biden said: “Together with our allies, we are providing support to the Ukrainians in their fight for freedom. Military assistance, economic assistance, humanitarian assistance. We are giving more than a $1 billion of direct assistance to Ukraine and will continue to aid Ukrainian people as they defend their country and help ease their suffering.”
“... In the battle between democracy and autocracy, democracies are rising to the moment. The world is clearly choosing the side of peace and security. This is the real test. It is going to take time. So let’s continue to draw inspiration from the iron will of the Ukrainian people.”
What he’s done: In the year since Russia invaded Ukraine, Biden has formed a surprisingly ironclad Western alliance, and his administration has committed more than $27.1 billion in security assistance since the start of the war.
Last month, Biden pledged 31 Abrams tanks, helping push a reluctant Germany to send its own tanks to help Ukrainians counter a spring offensive. The next phase will be a greater challenge: Biden’s task of holding together the alliance will become more difficult as the war drags on.
Inflation and the economy
Grade: In progress
What Biden said: “My top priority is getting prices under control. ... My plan to fight inflation will lower your costs and lower the deficit. … First, cut the cost of prescription drugs. ... Second, let’s cut energy costs for families, an average of $500 a year by combating climate change. ... Third — cut the cost of child care.”
What he’s done: Inflation has continued to plague the economy, though it has steadily trickled down to 6.5 percent from its June peak at 9.1 percent. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says he wants to get inflation down to the central bank’s target range of 2 percent. Biden last week touted a blowout jobs report but the concern is that a hot market will drive wages and further fuel inflation.
As for his specific proposals, the Inflation Reduction Act did give the Health and Human Services secretary authority to negotiate prices for a select number of drugs — 10 starting in 2026. In 2029, this number will grow to 20.
For energy costs, Washington Post fact checker Glenn Kessler has debunked Biden’s $500 a year claim, and the president’s child care proposals were cut from the final version of the IRA.
Infrastructure
Grade: Success
What Biden said: “We’ll build a national network of 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations, begin to replace poisonous lead pipes — so every child — and every American — has clean water to drink at home and at school, provide affordable high-speed internet for every American — urban, suburban, rural and tribal communities. ... And tonight, I am announcing this year we will start fixing over 65,000 miles of highway and 1,500 bridges in disrepair.”
What he’s done: In August, the White House announced that all 50 states and Puerto Rico submitted plans for the national electric vehicle charging network. And just last month, the administration rolled out its “Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan” to replace all lead service lines over the next 10 years.
On bridges, the administration “launched 2,800 bridge repair and replacement projects across the country,” the White House said in a November memo, outlining what it accomplished one year after Biden signed the bipartisan infrastructure bill into law. The administration didn’t release specific numbers on miles of highway but said this fall that states would receive $60 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure law for additional roads and bridges projects.
China competitiveness
Grade: In progress
What Biden said: “But folks, to compete for the jobs of the future, we also need a level playing field with China and other competitors. That is why it is so important to pass the Bipartisan Innovation Act sitting in Congress that will make record investments in emerging technologies and American manufacturing.”
What he’s done: This bill ultimately made it to Biden’s desk as the CHIPS and Science Act. The measure got watered down along the way, but it provided an additional victory for the president on top of a string of legislative successes.
Guns
Grade: Needs improvement
What Biden said: “And I will keep doing everything in my power to crack down on gun trafficking, of ghost guns you can buy online, assemble at home — no serial numbers, can’t be traced.”
“And I ask Congress to pass proven measures to reduce gun violence. Pass universal background checks, ... ban assault weapons with high-capacity magazines, ... repeal the liability shield that makes gun manufacturers the only industry in America that can’t be sued.”
What he’s done: The Biden administration has cracked down on ghost guns, but other key measures like background checks, an assault weapons ban and the repeal of the liability shield still appear unrealistic — even more so with the now GOP-led House.
The president did make a great deal of progress on guns this year after shootings in Buffalo, N.Y., and Uvalde, Texas: He signed the first gun legislation in nearly three decades in June, which toughened background checks for young gun buyers, helped states implement red flag laws and kept firearms from more domestic violence offenders. The following month, the Senate confirmed the first director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms since 2013. Biden also became the first president to speak at the National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence in December, marking 10 years since the Sandy Hook shooting.
Still, as the shootings continue, gun groups want to see more from the president.
The deficit
Grade: NEEDS IMPROVEMENT — TRUE BUT MISLEADING
What Biden said: “By the end of this year, the deficit will be down to less than half of what it was before I took office, the only president ever to cut the deficit by more than $1 trillion in a single year.”
What he’s done: The deficit was insanely large in 2020 because Covid shut down the economy and the federal government pumped out trillions in pandemic aid — so a major dip was expected.
The fiscal year 2020 budget deficit was $3.1 trillion, and in 2021, it was $2.8 trillion. The 2022 deficit was $1.4 trillion, so the president is technically correct, though his policies haven’t led to a meaningful cut in spending.
Wages and the Child Tax Credit
Grade: Fail
What Biden said: “Let’s pass the Paycheck Fairness Act and paid leave. Raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. And extend the Child Tax Credit so no one has to raise a family in poverty.”
What he’s done: Both pay measures failed to move in Congress, and lawmakers didn’t extend the Child Tax Credit enacted in Biden’s first year. There were efforts to add it to the year-end spending bill, but those failed, too.
Covid
Grade: In progress
What Biden said: “Because of the progress we have made, because of your resilience and the tools we have been provided by this Congress, tonight I can say we are moving forward safely back to a more normal routine.”
“We will continue to combat the virus as we do other diseases,” Biden said, ensuring confidence that vaccines will be ready for the youngest Americans, antiviral treatments will become widely available and the administration’s Test to Treat initiative will be launched. He also called for the reopening of schools and businesses.
What he’s done: Biden was correct in that 2022 was the year many Americans returned to pre-pandemic activities, including traveling and attending larger gatherings. The administration also moved forward with additional steps to combat Covid, including a campaign encouraging people to get updated booster shots.
Covid isn’t gone though, and the administration has failed to secure additional pandemic funding in Congress. Plus, Biden’s move to end the Covid and national public health emergencies means Americans will have to start paying for many of these measures he touted in last year’s speech.
Policing
Grade: Needs improvement
What Biden said: “I know what works: investing in crime prevention and community police officers who’ll walk the beat, who’ll know the neighborhood, and who can restore trust and safety. So let’s not abandon our streets. Or choose between safety and equal justice. Let’s come together to protect our communities, restore trust and hold law enforcement accountable. ... We should all agree: the answer is not to DEfund the police. The answer is to FUND the police with the resources and training they need to protect our communities.”
What he’s done: The Biden administration made historic investments in community violence intervention programs, many of which fund community police officers.
But police reform talks never restarted last year after crumbling in 2021. After the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act failed to advance in Congress, Biden signed an executive order aimed at reforming police practices. But since Tyre Nichols’ killing last month at the hands of Memphis police officers, Biden has acknowledged the shortcomings of the reform efforts — once again calling on Congress to reach a deal.
Immigration
Grade: Fail
What Biden said: “And if we are to advance liberty and justice, we need to secure the border and fix the immigration system,” he said, calling for the need for new technology to crack down on drug smuggling and human trafficking. He also said the federal government must provide a pathway for Dreamers, those on temporary protected status, farm workers and essential workers.
What he’s done: The president hasn’t made much progress on immigration reform since his last SOTU. A bipartisan deal in Congress seems unattainable, and there’s been little movement on popular measures — such as a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients and other Dreamers.
The border remains a vexing issue for the White House, though it’s worth noting they’ve been held back by a divided Congress and the courts.
Reproductive rights
Grade: Needs improvement
What Biden said: “The constitutional right affirmed by Roe v. Wade — standing precedent for half a century — is under attack as never before. If we want to go forward — not backward — we must protect access to health care. Preserve a woman’s right to choose.”
What he’s done: Two months after Biden’s speech, POLITICO reported that the Supreme Court had voted to strike down Roe v. Wade. Though Biden spoke of preserving a right to choose in the SOTU speech, his administration and Democrats were criticized for not moving to legislate reproductive rights.
Since the Supreme Court overturned the right in June, Vice President Kamala Harris has taken the lead on this issue, most recently traveling to Florida on the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. She called out “extremists” as state legislators look to enact further restrictions on reproductive rights.
LGBTQ+ rights
Grade: Success
What Biden said: “And for our LGBTQ+ Americans, let’s finally get the bipartisan Equality Act to my desk. The onslaught of state laws targeting transgender Americans and their families is wrong.”
What he’s done: This bill never came to a vote in the Senate, but Biden did see through the Marriage Equality Act in December, codifying same-sex and interracial marriage into law.