Opinion: VP on "biggest issues facing the Black community" at Black Voters for Biden-Harris coalition in PA

What if you aren’t diabetic, pay your debt, and don’t need an abortion? The economy, immigration, and inflation are the top issues for most voters.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris visited Philadelphia on May 29, 2024, to launch the "Black Voters for Biden-Harris" coalition, aiming to energize Black voters ahead of the 2024 election.

The pair highlighted what they deem as their administration's achievements for Black communities with Vice President Harris leading off the event taking credit for delivering on 2020 campaign pledges.

“Joe Biden gave his word that we would fight to address some of the biggest issues facing the black community” Harris said, before going on to outline how the administration has implemented policies they believe delivered on their campaign promises to Black Americans.

Student loan debt

In 2020, we promised to forgive student loan debt. Do I see people testifying? Can I get a witness?

The Biden-Harris Administration has now approved nearly $138 billion in student debt cancellation for almost 3.9 million borrowers.

Harris praised Bidens determination she told the audience, after the United States Supreme Court struck down the initial plan to forgive billions of dollars.

The administration estimated a typical Black borrower would see his or her loan balance cut nearly in half and approximately one in four Black borrowers would have their balance forgiven. Black women, in particular, carry a disproportionate burden of student debt.

President Biden's student loan cancellation could cost taxpayers between $870 billion and $1.4 trillion, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

This cost is higher than all historic spending on higher education prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, all projected education appropriations over the next decade, the federal cost of offering universal pre-K and universal affordable childcare, and the cost of tripling the Pell Grant program.

More than 60 percent of Americans do not have a college degree, and 87 percent of adults without student loans will be forced to pay for the 13 percent who do.

Abortion

And then he [ Trump] handpicked three members of the United States Supreme Court,  with the intention  that they would overturn Roe v. Wade. And, and as he intended, they did.  And today, one in three women and more than half of black women of reproductive age live in a state with an abortion ban, a Trump abortion ban.

About 40% of women who get abortions in the U.S. are Black.

Despite bans on abortion in many states, the number of abortions in the US increased by 11% in 2023 compared to 2020, reaching the highest number in over a decade. The increase was seen in states without total bans, with a 26% rise in abortions provided. Bordering states of those with bans experienced significant increases, such as Illinois (71%), New Mexico (256%), Virginia (77%), and North Carolina (44%).

Insulin

“In 2020, Joe Biden and I vowed that we would lower the cost of healthcare like insulin. For far too many years. Too many of our seniors with diabetes had to make the awful decision about either filling their prescription or paying their rent.  And Black Americans are 60% more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes. So, we capped the cost of insulin for our seniors at $35 a month”.

Upon taking office the Biden administration stopped an executive order issued by President Trump that intended to make insulin more affordable, but the order would have only helped low-income patients at select clinics.

President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act in August 2022, which mandated a $35 cap on out-of-pocket insulin costs for Medicare enrollees.

Gun Violence

To address this crisis, under the president's leadership, we passed the first major gun safety law in nearly 30 years.

The Biden-Harris Administration implemented the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, expanding firearm background checks. The rule clarifies when a person needs to become a licensed dealer and run background checks, closing loopholes that allowed unlicensed sellers to operate. The Justice Department estimates that over 20,000 unlicensed sellers will now be required to conduct background checks.

Medical debt reporting

We also took on the issue of debt, which makes so many people feel like they can never get ahead.  Take, for example, medical debt.  We are now making it so medical debt can no longer be included on your credit score, so that medical debt cannot impact a person's ability to get a car loan, an apartment lease, or a home loan.

The measures announced by the Biden administration focus on federal credit programs and do not directly address private consumer loans such as those from banks or other financial institutions. However, the administration has encouraged all agencies to eliminate medical debt as a factor for underwriting in credit programs, whenever possible and consistent with law. Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion—said they would stop including some medical debt on credit reports.

The rule does not dismiss any debt, individuals are still responsible for paying it. However, having an appearance of less debt may help borrowers obtain car loans and other consumer debt.

Black Voters

Other achievements the Biden-Harris administration claim for Black Americans are the appointment of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court and the decrease in Black unemployment rates.

While these efforts have undoubtedly benefitted some in the Black community, have the Biden-Harris administration made the lives of Black America as a whole better? What if you aren’t diabetic, pay your debt, and don’t need an abortion? The economy, immigration, and inflation are among the top issues for most voters in the context of the 2024 election.

In Joe Biden, we have a fighter, a leader with skill, vision, determination, and compassion. A leader who keeps his promises, Harris said. The pair will take their winning message to the Black community, especially in battleground states-in hopes of increasing Black voter turnout.

Black Americans' desire to vote in this year's election is down sharply compared with four years ago, according to a Washington Post-Ipsos poll.