A Quick Overview of Joe Biden’s Biggest Accomplishments

This list could be much, much longer since Biden was one of the most effective legislators of his generation, but this list showcases the millions of lives that have been positively impacted by Joe Biden.

Becoming the Second Youngest Senator Ever Elected

Remember the excitement surrounding Beto’s run in 2018? That was Joe in 1972, except Joe took it a step further and won. He improbably took on an incumbent in a red state, campaigned vigorously throughout the state, and became the second youngest person ever elected to the United State Senate.

Joe Biden’s Blocking of Robert Bork

This prevented the Supreme Court from going off a cliff into radical conservatism. Bork believed — among other radical things — that the Constitution didn’t provide a right to privacy. After Bork was shot down by the Senate, Reagan nominated Justice Kennedy, who we know was a crucial moderate swing vote for over two decades, eventually writing the opinion that made Marriage Equality the law of the land.

The Violence Against Women Act

Joe Biden co-sponsored this landmark legislation and led the fight for its passage.

Helping to End the Genocide in the Bosnia

Joe Biden was an early and outspoken of the United Nations arms embargo on the new nation of Bosnia in the early 90s. As tensions rose with neighboring Serbia, Biden pushed for an amendment in a Senate bill to call for the revoking of the arms embargo and authorizing the president to provide arms to Bosnia, so it could defend itself. As the conflict led to genocide, Biden was a leading voice in calling for swift action, including military intervention, to save civilians. At one point during a meeting with Serbian leader Slobodan Milošević, Biden shook his fist at him and called him a “damn war criminal” to his face. The threat of the United States’ “lift and strike” policy — early championed by Biden — helped force all sides to signing a peace agreement in Dayton, Ohio in 1995.

The Assault Weapons Ban

Biden was a leading voice in taking on the NRA and getting the Assault Weapons Ban included as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. Joe helped secure the votes necessary for its passage by seeking compromise amongst liberal and conservative senators. The full impact of this ban is hard to determine since it was not renewed in 2004, but some studies have shown it helped decrease the number of lives lost to mass shootings during its 10-year enactment.

His Stance on Marriage Equality

You can review how Biden’s record on LGBT rights is complicated, but reflective of us as a nation above, but Joe ultimately got this right and arrived at the stance before many in his own party. Joe famously came out in support of marriage equality before President Obama, making him the first nationally elected politician in US history to do so, during their 2012 reelection campaign. The thought at the time was that the stance could potentially hurt the ticket in the election, but Joe took the stance anyway. A few years later, the Supreme Court made marriage equality the law of the land with Justice Kennedy — the man who only sat on the Court because of Joe’s efforts to block Robert Bork — writing the historic Opinion.

Overseeing the Obama Recovery Package

Not only did Joe do what he does best — by seeking compromise to secure the votes for its passage — for the Recovery Act, but he also oversaw its implementation. The Recovery Act is taught in Public Administration textbooks for its transparency and lack of waste. Biden was instrumental in this effort. He was so tough on spending going where it needed to go that he was nicknamed “Sheriff Joe” and frequently spoke with local officials personally solve their problems. In addition to being extremely efficient in its spending, the Recovery Act also stemmed the worst of the Great Recession and led to a record period of job growth during the Obama/Biden administration.

Biden’s Role in Withdrawing from Iraq

Joe Biden’s vote to give the Bush administration the authority to use force in its quest to disarm Iraq is discussed frequently and often mischaracterized. What is less often discussed is what a vocal critic Biden quickly became of the war’s execution. Moreover, once he and President Obama assumed office, Joe was crucial in overseeing the draw down of the war.

Securing Votes for the Affordable Care Act

Even with a supermajority in the Senate, getting the Affordable Care Act through Congress was a difficult feat. In the over year long debate around the legislation, its fate was in doubt on numerous occasions. President Obama, newly elected with soaring approval numbers, expended much of his political capital selling the idea to the American people. However, when it was time to nail down the votes, it was Biden’s experience and relationships in the senate that got the deal done. It is a fact that millions of people currently have healthcare because of Joe Biden.