Following weeks of intense media speculation and continued pressure from Democratic lawmakers, big donors and senior advisers, President Joe Biden Announced He says he will withdraw from the presidential race. First sitting president to resign just before Election Day“I believe it is in the best interest of our party and our country for me to step down and focus on fulfilling the duties of my presidency for the remainder of my term,” Biden said in the letter Sunday.
He endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor: “Today, I fully endorse and support Kamala to be this year’s party’s nominee.” He said In a separate statement, Harris announced her intention to run for president through the Biden campaign: “I am honored to have the President’s endorsement, and my intention is to seek and win this nomination.” She said.
During his term, President Biden managed to pass a surprising number of major policies into law despite the narrow Democratic majority in the Senate. His greatest achievement was signing the Inflation and Climate Action Act (IRA), the largest climate change spending bill in U.S. history, which could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 42% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels. Announcing his withdrawal, Biden called it “the most significant climate change bill in the history of the world.”
Despite his legislative successes, the 81-year-old Democrat has faced widespread criticism after appearing weak during a June debate and leaving many in his party feeling unfit to lead the country for another four years. Proposed climate change measures fail to pass And the United States Shortages are still projected The goal of his administration is Reduce emissions by at least 50% by 2030.
Former President Donald Trump has vowed to undo many of Biden’s policy accomplishments if he becomes president. Includes a portion of IRAAnd many of Trump’s top advisers and members of his former administration helped craft a blueprint that advocates rolling back most of the nation’s climate and environmental protections. Any Democratic candidate running against Trump will have a critical mission: defend America’s already fragile climate and environmental legacy from Republican attacks.
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With Biden’s support, Vice President Harris Former U.S. Senator from Californiais the Democratic front-runner, but that doesn’t mean she’ll automatically be the nominee. There are less than 30 days until the Democratic National Convention on August 19. The thousands of Democratic delegates who have already voted for Biden will either choose a candidate before the convention or hold an open convention to find a new candidate. Hasn’t happened since 1968.
As vice president, Harris Claimed She voted in favor of allocating $20 billion to the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, aimed at helping disadvantaged communities facing the effects of climate change, and frequently promoted the IRA at events, touting the bill’s investments in clean energy jobs, such as installing energy-efficient lighting and replacing gas furnaces with electric heat pumps. She was also the highest-ranking U.S. government official to attend the International Climate Change Conference in Washington on November 24, 2010. COP28 was held in Dubai last year.At the same conference, Harris announced a U.S. effort to double energy efficiency and triple renewable energy capacity by 2030. Announced $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund to help developing countries adapt to the challenges of climate change, Politico reported The amount is “subject to the availability of funds,” according to the Treasury Department.
“Vice President Harris will be essential to the Biden Administration’s most significant climate achievements and has a long track record as an influential climate advocate,” Evergreen Action, a climate policy group, said in a statement.
Harris said he may have exaggerated “One trillion dollars over 10 years” The numbers explain the Biden administration’s investments in climate change. She puts the amount at If you add up all the major investments of the administration over the past four years,Some of them are only vaguely related to climate change.
As a 2019 presidential candidate, Harris was suggested During the campaign, Biden proposed a $10 trillion climate plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. This plan includes 100% carbon neutral electricity by 2030. The plan would have 50% of new car sales be zero-emission vehicles by 2030 and 100% of cars by 2035. But the proposal, like similarly ambitious climate change proposals released by other Democrats during that campaign, was little more than a campaign wish list. A better indicator of what his climate plan as president would be might be better than his record as vice president, since many of her policies were set by Biden’s administration. It might be buried in his record as San Francisco district attorney from 2004 to 2011 and as California attorney general from 2011 to 2017.
As District Attorney, Harris Created and an Environmental Justice Unit to address environmental crimes that affect San Francisco’s poorest residents. Indicted Harris subsequently sued several companies, including U-Haul, for violating hazardous waste laws. Harris subsequently touted her environmental justice unit as the first of its kind in the nation. investigation But it turns out the department has only filed a few lawsuits, none of which were against major industrial polluters in the city.
As attorney general, Harris secured an $86 million settlement from Volkswagen for putting emissions-cheating software in its vehicles and investigated Exxon Mobil over its climate change disclosures. submitted He filed civil lawsuits against Phillips 66 and ConocoPhillips for environmental violations at their gas stations, ultimately winning $11.5 million in damages. settlementAnd she Conducted a criminal investigation An oil company was indicted over the 2015 Santa Barbara oil spill. The company was found guilty. Convicted on nine criminal charges.
“We need to do more.” Harris said Speaking at the Dubai Climate Summit late last year, he said: “Our collective actions – or, worse, our inaction – will affect billions of people for decades to come.”
Clayton Aldern contributed to this article and contributed reporting.
