2 weeks Ago By Tom Ozimek
White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients has outlined a high-priority agenda for the Biden administration’s remaining 42 days in office, rallying his team for a final push to achieve key policy goals, including canceling more student debt and getting as many judicial nominees confirmed as possible. In a memo to White House staff on Dec. 9, Zients urged staff to capitalize on the limited time remaining for the administration of President Joe Biden, whose term ends on Jan.
20, 2025, when President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in. “We have 42 days left to sprint to the finish line and get as much done as possible for the American people,” Zients wrote in the memo viewed by The Epoch Times. Zients said that in the final 42 days left in the Biden administration, there are plans to continue accelerating funding distributions for projects like high-speed internet expansion and clean energy initiatives.
He noted that around 98 percent of the funding legally available through legislation enacted under Biden—including the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the $800 billion or so Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)—have already been allocated. “The President has directed us to keep up this pace and obligate as much funding as possible before the end of the term, so expect more action on high-speed internet funds to states, CHIPS incentives funding, IRA funding, and more,” Zients wrote.
With limited time remaining, Biden is also prioritizing judicial confirmations, according to Zients, who highlighted the administration’s appointments of diverse candidates thus far, including record numbers of women of color and labor lawyers confirmed as federal judges. “At his direction, we are urging the Senate to confirm as many nominees as possible in the time we have left,” Zients wrote. In addition to judicial nominations, the White House is working with Congress to secure disaster relief funding and avert a potential government shutdown, a looming threat amid partisan divides on Capitol Hill.
Zients also said Biden would “keep working to lower costs for families” during his final stretch in office, including by rolling out more student debt cancellation for public service workers and other borrowers. There are also plans to announce in January the full implementation of a $2,000 cap on Medicare Part D prescription drug costs. The Biden administration is also intensifying efforts on the foreign policy front, according to Zients, who highlighted a strong focus on brokering a Gaza cease-fire with hostage releases through diplomacy with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, and Israel.
Also, the administration is bolstering Ukraine’s defense capabilities in its ongoing war with Russia by delivering more artillery, air defense systems, and other critical military support as part of a previously announced aid surge. “And there’s so much more we’re working on—we have announcements to come on everything from climate to conservation to AI and more,” Zients wrote in the memo. “Thank you for making the most of this final 42-day sprint,” he wrote.
“Let’s finish strong.”.
