Tracking politicians' promises

The Promise:

“Yes, I would. In large part, I would go back,” Biden said. “I’d still insist they keep the commitments they said they would make when we, in fact, set the policy in place.”

Update: Biden removes Cuba from the state sponsors of terrorism list

The Promise:

“Yes, I would. In large part, I would go back,” Biden said. “I’d still insist they keep the commitments they said they would make when we, in fact, set the policy in place.”

Update: Biden restored some travel and remittances to Cuba, but did not go as far as Obama

The Promise:

"Restore the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate in place before the U.S. Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision. ... Biden will restore the Obama-Biden policy that existed before the Hobby Lobby ruling: providing an exemption for houses of worship and an accommodation for nonprofit organizations with religious missions. The accommodation will allow women at these organizations to access contraceptive coverage, not through their employer-provided plan, but instead through their insurance company or a third-party administrator."

Update: Promise Broken: Biden proposed rules to expand contraception coverage, but none were finalized

The Promise:

"Because we cannot ensure we get death penalty cases right every time, Biden will work to pass legislation to eliminate the death penalty at the federal level ... These individuals should instead serve life sentences without probation or parole."

Update: Biden commutes sentences of all but three convicts on federal death row

The Promise:

"The Northern Triangle (Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.)is riven by violence, plagued by narco-trafficking, and held in fear by criminal organizations wielding military-grade weapons, and it is particularly dangerous for women and children. Biden will propose a four-year, $4 billion package of assistance for the region, with aid linked to governments in the region delivering measurable reductions in gang and gender-based violence, improvements in legal and educational systems, and implementation of anti-corruption measures, among other things."

Update: Biden found compromise in promise to invest $4 billion in Central American to mitigate immigration

The Promise:

"Reducing the uninsured rate for African Americans ... nationally, 11% of nonelderly African Americans are uninsured, compared to 8% of white people."

Update: Black uninsured rate continues to fall under Biden

The Promise:

"To bolster retirement security for older African Americans who have spent a lifetime working, the Biden Social Security reform plan will raise benefits for vulnerable beneficiaries—including widows and widowers, low-wage workers, and long duration beneficiaries who may have exhausted all other assets. In addition, Biden proposes to boost average benefits across the board while putting Social Security on a long-term path to solvency by raising payroll taxes for workers with more than $400,000 in earnings."

Update: Biden signs bipartisan law to end Social Security reductions for certain public-sector workers

The Promise:

"Protect undocumented members of our armed services, veterans, and their spouses from deportation, because if you are willing to risk your life for this country, you and your family have earned the chance to live safe, healthy, and productive lives in America. ... Biden will not target the men and women who served in uniform, or their families, for deportation."

Update: Joe Biden compromises on promise to protect military personnel and veterans from deportation

The Promise:

"Biden will enact legislation to prohibit all online sales of firearms, ammunition, kits, and gun parts."

Update: Joe Biden’s administration did little to restrict online gun sales

The Promise:

"Biden will more than triple the number of community health workers – often workers of color serving the communities where they live – who are part of a national effort to both prevent and treat chronic conditions in underserved, economically-disadvantaged urban and rural communities."

Update: Biden directed funding to recruit community health workers, but didn’t add 150,000

The Promise:

"Joe Biden will work with Congress to pass legislation that creates a roadmap to citizenship for the nearly 11 million people who have been living in and strengthening our country for years."

Update: Biden broke his promise to provide citizenship to millions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally

The Promise:

"Reduce our unacceptably high maternal mortality rate, which disproportionately impacts Native mothers. From 2007 to 2016 Native women were 2.3 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women. California came up with a strategy that halved the state’s maternal death rate. As president, Biden will reduce our unacceptably high maternal mortality rate, starting by taking the California strategy nationwide."

Update: Maternal mortality rate remains high, but Joe Biden took steps to improve outcomes

The Promise:

"Setting a goal that disadvantaged communities receive 40% of overall benefits of spending in the areas of clean energy and energy efficiency deployment; clean transit and transportation; affordable and sustainable housing; training and workforce development; remediation and reduction of legacy pollution; and development of critical clean water infrastructure."

Update: Independent assessments show mixed results from environmental justice push

The Promise:

"Expand broadband, or wireless broadband via 5G, to every American – recognizing that millions of households without access to broadband are locked out of an economy that is increasingly reliant on virtual collaboration."

Update: Biden invested to increase broadband access, but it will take time for Americans to see benefits

The Promise:

"Joe Biden will direct the CDC to provide specific evidence-based guidance for how to turn the dial up or down relative to the level of risk and degree of viral spread in a community, including when to open or close certain businesses, bars, restaurants, and other spaces; when to open or close schools, and what steps they need to take to make classrooms and facilities safe; appropriate restrictions on size of gatherings; when to issue stay-at-home restrictions."

Update: Biden used evidence for COVID-19 guidance, but experts say other factors likely influenced decisions