Activists Call On Joe Biden To Take Action On These Issues Before Leaving Office

From Palestine to the death penalty to student loans, Biden has one last chance to make good on his campaign promises before leaving office

By Victoria Valenzuela, Prism

When President Joe Biden announced that he would not be seeking reelection, activists for Palestinian liberation saw it as a victory after putting pressure on him for supporting Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Gallup polls show that a majority of Americans disapprove of Israel’s actions, contributing to Biden’s unpopularity, especially among young voters. Now, before he leaves office, activists are calling for Biden to broker a permanent ceasefire and issue an executive order to stop arms deals with Israel.

But Palestine isn’t the only issue. From the death penalty to student loans, activists around the country hope to pressure Biden to enact specific policy changes before he leaves office next year, including election promises on which he has yet to follow through. According to the Poynter Institute’s Biden Promise Tracker, Biden has only fulfilled about 28% of his campaign promises and stalled on about 32%.

Given his current position as a lame duck, activists are encouraging him to use his remaining few months in office to take action in various areas, including issues Biden vowed to address—but failed to deliver on—during his presidency.

A lasting ceasefire in Palestine

Days after Oct. 7 last year, Biden flew to Israel and pledged military support, and has since sent the state $6.5 billion in military assistance. As of Aug. 15, Israel has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, including more than 16,000 children, and but the death toll could be much higher.

In February, Biden claimed he was pushing for a pause in Israel’s war on Gaza to allow for aid blocked by Israel to reach Palestinians. However, he has made little progress in achieving a lasting ceasefire deal, said Nour Jaghama, a Palestine campaign organizer with the feminist anti-war group CODEPINK.

“To me, it was just kind of to save face a bit, not actually backing that with any significant action to reach the ceasefire deal,” Jaghama said. “He needs to stop arm sales to Israel and, within that, broker a successful ceasefire plan before he leaves office.”