White House Outlines Biden’s To-Do List for Final Weeks in Office

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The president’s priorities include expanding clemency, providing student debt relief, and allocating remaining funds from his signature law.

WASHINGTON—The White House in a new memo on Dec. 15 has outlined President Joe Biden’s key priorities to accomplish his stated goals before leaving office next month.

The president’s priorities include expanding clemency and pardons, advancing climate-related initiatives, providing student debt relief, and addressing concerns about artificial intelligence (AI), according to a new memo by Ben LaBolt, senior advisor to the president and communications director. Biden will also prioritize allocating additional funds from his signature laws including the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the CHIPS Act.

“The President has been clear to his team that we need to make every day count, and build on the historic progress we have made,” LaBolt said in the memo. “In the coming weeks, you will see him do just that.”

On Dec. 12, Biden issued pardons for 39 people convicted of non-violent crimes and commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 others, in the largest single-day act of clemency in history.

Biden has commuted more sentences at this point in his presidency than his recent predecessors. He is also the first to issue categorical pardons to people convicted of using or possessing marijuana and former military members convicted of private conduct related to their sexual orientation.

In the coming weeks, the president will “take additional action in the clemency and pardons space,” LaBolt said.

Biden has made climate action a central focus of his presidency through both executive measures and legislation, such as the IRA.

In his final weeks, the president will maintain this focus by “taking action to protect our lands and waters and continue our climate ambition alongside state, local, and tribal and business leaders,” according to the White House.

In addition, Biden will take action on AI, though the specifics remain unclear.

On Oct. 24, Biden issued a national security memorandum on the use of AI.

“The United States must lead the world in the responsible application of AI to appropriate national security functions,” the memorandum read.

Biden has repeatedly warned of threats stemming from the development of AI.

During a keynote address on Sep. 24 to the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, the president warned of AI’s use in creating “profound risks, from deepfakes to disinformation to novel pathogens to bioweapons.”

“Nothing is certain about how AI will evolve or how it will be deployed. No one knows all the answers,” Biden said, urging countries to work together to address issues surrounding the use of this new technology.

Another priority for Biden before his tenure ends is providing additional student debt relief. In October, the Biden administration said it had approved a total of $175 billion in student debt relief for nearly 5 million borrowers.

In the final stretch, the White House will also focus on distributing all unspent money before the new administration takes the reins.

The president will continue “investing in all of America, announcing high-speed internet funds to states, CHIPS funding awards, IRA funding, and more,” LaBolt said.

According to the White House, 98 percent of the funds have already been allocated, including for the investment projects made under the $800 billion IRA and the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Law.

The president has directed his staff to disburse as much funding as possible before the end of his term.

On Dec. 11, the Biden administration awarded $735 million in grants to 70 recipients to help purchase 2,400 zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles.

The day before, on Dec. 10, the administration announced the allocation of $6.2 billion in direct funding to Micron Technology as part of the CHIPS Act to help fund the construction of several memory chip facilities in the United States.

Micron plans to invest $100 billion in New York and $25 billion in Idaho over the next two decades, according to a statement by the Department of Commerce.

“A Presidency is not measured just in weeks, months, or four-year terms alone—rather its impact is evaluated for years and decades to come,” LaBolt said. “The dividends of the Biden-Harris Administration will continue to transform the country long after January 20, 2025.”