One Year In: Gallego Applauds a Successful First Year of the Biden-Harris Administration
WASHINGTON, D.C.—After one year in office, the Biden-Harris administration has delivered for American families across the country and in Arizona. Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-07) released the following statement on the one-year anniversary of President Biden’s and Vice President Harris’ inauguration.
Statement from Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-07):
“One year into the Biden-Harris administration and the facts reveal a White House and Congress hard at work repairing our economy and standing up for families across the country. When President Biden and Vice President Harris took office, they were handed a country deep into a pandemic that had caused an historic economic downturn and job losses, a slow-moving vaccination campaign, and a country struggling with economic inequality and crumbling infrastructure. But thanks to their administration’s leadership, we witnessed an unprecedented effort to get vaccine shots in arms and save thousands of lives, the first-ever expanded Child Tax Credit for working families, record job growth that sped America’s economic recovery by years, and historic investments in transportation, water, and broadband infrastructure.
“These successes are what is possible when you elect leaders in Washington who are committed to improving the lives of hard-working Americans. In Arizona, we have seen the tangible successes such as the lower health care premiums, direct relief for small businesses and local restaurants, and $800 million for schools and students in Arizona’s 7th District alone in the American Rescue Plan. Our state also celebrates the $7.3 billion coming to Arizona as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, including money for improved access to clean water and broadband access along with my Complete Streets provision to improve pedestrian safety in downtown Phoenix. Arizonans have also eagerly joined President Biden and Vice President Harris in their fight to prioritize voting rights by championing the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
“Despite the progress made over the past year, more remains to be done to keep our promises to American families and grow the economy, address climate change, protect voting rights, and more. I am optimistic about our ability to achieve these goals because the past year has proven that there is no more committed partner than the Biden Administration in fighting for the American people.”
Thanks to the leadership of President Biden and Vice President Harris during their first year in office, Rep. Gallego is proud to have made progress on several key initiatives.
The American Rescue Plan. On March 10, 2021 – nearly one year after COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic – President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The legislation took the bold action necessary to fight the virus, help struggling Americans, and rebuild our economy. In addition to stimulus money, small business relief, school funding, health care improvements, and a robust vaccine program, the ARPA included provisions secured by Rep. Gallego providing $17 billion to improve services for veterans and the largest one-time investment in Native American communities in our nation’s history.
The Historic Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act. In addition to the over $7.3 billion secured for Arizona in the legislation, several provisions introduced by Rep. Gallego were included in the final Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. These provisions include:
- H.R. 3496, the Urban Indian Health Care Providers Facilities Improvement Act. H.R. 3496 paves the way for investment in health infrastructure by urban Indian health clinics that provide care to vulnerable populations in cities across the country.
- H.R. 1289, the Complete Streets Act. H.R. 1289 is partially included in the final infrastructure package. The final language of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act requires that states and metropolitan planning organizations set aside 2.5 percent of their highway planning funding for designing “complete streets” projects and policies that will improve pedestrian safety and accessibility for all users of the road.
Supporting Our Military and Veterans. President Biden signed into law the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in December 2021, which included key provisions proposed by Rep. Gallego including his Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations’ portion of the bill. The new law also includes the Alexander Lofgren Veterans in Parks (VIP) Act, which Rep. Gallego introduced alongside Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks to ensure that veterans and Gold Star families have lifetime free access to our National Parks.
Restoring Conservation Protections to the Bears Ears National Monument. Rep. Gallego has repeatedly called for restoration of Bears Ears National Monument, a sacred place for many Tribes in the region. Since 2017, Rep. Gallego has championed the Bears Ears Expansion and Respect for Sovereignty Act, including reintroducing the bill along with now-Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in 2019. In October of 2021, Rep. Gallego joined President Biden at the White House when the president signed a proclamation restoring protections to this sacred place.
Moving to Reinstate the Roadless Rule for the Tongass National Forest. As the largest intact temperate old growth rainforest in the world, the Tongass National Forest is one of our most important tools in the fight against climate change and one of the most biodiverse areas in the United States. In 2021, the Biden Administration took the first step towards ensuring that the Roadless Rule will protect this unique resource and ensure it is not disrupted by harmful roadbuilding or unnecessary destruction.
Prioritizing Voting Rights. In 2021, Rep. Mondaire Jones and Rep. Gallego introduced the Inclusive Elections Act, legislation to restore Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which bars states and localities from adopting election laws that disparately burden the voting rights of people of color and linguistic minorities. The bill was included in the final version of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act championed by the Biden Administration.
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Rep. Ruben Gallego is a Marine Corps combat veteran who served in Iraq. He serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Natural Resources Committee, and the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.