I doubt anyone but the most devoted political nerds are aware of even a fraction of what the Biden administration has accomplished this year – virtually drowned out in the tsunami from Donald Trump’s legal escapades and how the former president is likely to be the actual dictator in a second term he only fantasized about being in the first (Project 2025).

But what’s notable about this 2023 year-end review: after achieving the most consequential results in the first two years since LBJ and FDR is the sheer amount the Biden-Harris administration got done despite a Republican-dominated House committed to causing chaos, dysfunction, and obstruction (passing only 27 out of 724 bills into law).

Interestingly, despite the constant drumbeat of how people are “suffering” – inflation, border crisis, Ukraine, Israel-Hamas War – holiday sales and travel are hitting records; the year-end “misery index” (the sum of the unemployment and inflation rates) is at 6.8, the lowest since before the pandemic and down from 10.7 a year ago; while the stock market has hit historic highs and companies are reporting record profits.

In fact, inflation is now sharply lower than when President Biden took office. This has contributed to a surge in consumer confidence, the Conference Board reported, while the University of Michigan reported consumer sentiment soaring 14% in December. But “suffering” has become a meme.

In essence, 2023 was so productive because of all Biden accomplished in his first two years with a Democratic Congress –Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, Inflation Reduction Act, CHIPS, Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. 2023 was a year of implementation. But as we review all that has been accomplished, keep in mind that none of it would have happened under Trump or any other Republican president. In fact, Republicans are holding the government hostage unless these programs are repealed. Here’s a summary: 

Lowering Prescription Drug and Health Care Costs: • 15 million Americans now save $800 a year on health insurance. • Capped insulin cost at $35 for seniors, made recommended vaccines free; drug companies now required to pay rebates to Medicare if they raise prices faster than inflation. • Pushed Big Pharma to finally allow Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices, starting with the 10 costliest, most widely used drugs used to treat blood clots, cancers, arthritis, diabetes. • Cracked down on surprise medical bills, impacting 1 million Americans a month. • Got 42 states to expand Medicaid postpartum coverage from two months to 12. Record number of insured Americans, strongest Obamacare enrollment ever.

Tackling Inflation and Cracking Down on Junk Fees: • Inflation spurred by the pandemic has fallen 65% since last summer. • Gas prices are down more than $1.90 a gallon from the peak; grocery inflation is at its lowest level in two years; egg prices are down a $1 a dozen. • Cracked down on hidden junk fees in airline tickets, banking, investment advice, health insurance and apartment rentals, saving Americans billions of dollars a year. • Pushed banks to reduce overdraft and bounced check fees, saving consumers $5 billion a year. • Helped 22 million households save $500 million a month on internet bills.

Tackling the Climate Crisis, Lowering Energy Costs, and Protecting the Environment: • Inflation Reduction Act, providing for largest investment in climate action ever, created 210,000 new clean energy jobs in 2023 alone. • Helped secure a historic, international agreement at COP28 to transition away from fossil fuels, triple renewable energy globally by 2030. • Spurred hundreds of billions of dollars in private sector investment in wind, solar, electric vehicles, saving families an average of $500 a year on energy costs. • Protected 21 million acres of public lands and waters while making real progress on environmental justice. • Launched American Climate Corps. • Executive action to cut emissions across the economy, including issuing standards to reduce methane pollution.

Investing in America: • Awarded $400 billion for 40,000 infrastructure projects across 4,500 communities. • Unleashed a manufacturing and clean energy boom spurring $600 billion in private sector investments, including $160 billion in battery and EV supply chains. • Invested $250 billion to improve transportation infrastructure: roads, bridges, airports, public transit and rail service. • Appropriated $40 billion in funding to states to build affordable, reliable high-speed Internet infrastructure. • Implemented CHIPS and Science Act strengthening US supply chains. • Improved access to clean drinking water, reliable electricity and high-speed Internet in rural communities. • Biden’s Buy America/Invest in America policy is keeping that investment in the USA.

Protecting Access to Reproductive Health Care: • Signed Executive Orders to protect access to abortion, contraception and the right to travel across state lines to obtain care in reaction to state abortion bans that followed the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. • Helped ensure that women receive emergency medical care including miscarriages. • Strengthened privacy protections for patients and doctors. • Defending women’s ability to access medication abortion in court. • Calling on Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade.

Creating Jobs and Raising Wages: • Economic policies created over 14 million jobs, including 800,000 manufacturing jobs, while unemployment has stayed below 4% for 22 straight months. • Backed unions, collective bargaining – the most pro-union president in history. • A record 14.6 million applications to start new businesses. • Wages, wealth and the share of working-age Americans with jobs are higher than before the pandemic. • US has posted the strongest economy, fastest recovery of G7 countries.

Making America Safer from Gun Violence: • Passed Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the first significant gun violence legislation in 30 years with enhanced background checks for buyers under 21, expanded mental health programs and support for red flag laws. • Created White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. • Funded an additional 14,000 school based mental health professionals, a 35% increase nationwide. • Issued 40 executive actions to keep guns out of dangerous hands and off our streets.

Making Higher Education More Affordable: • Approved $127 billion in debt cancellation for 3.6 million Americans — more than any president in history – despite Republican-led lawsuits. • Launched SAVE plan which will cut undergraduate loan payments in half and prevent student loan balances from growing due to runaway interest. • Helped 700,000 people access Public Service Loan Forgiveness. • Invested $7 billion in Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Help for Veterans: • PACT Act, the most significant expansion of veterans’ benefits in 30 years, is getting health care to military and veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. • Policies to end veterans’ homelessness, housing 35,000 veterans in 2023 alone. • Made historic investments in mental health care, including $450 million to launch 988 suicide and crisis hotline.

Strengthening Democracy at Home and Abroad, While Restoring U.S. Leadership: • Standing up for Israel, Ukraine. • Strengthening NATO, winning congressional support to add Finland and Sweden to the Alliance. • Actions to combat hate including first-ever national strategy to counter antisemitism and Islamophobia, legislation to enhance state and local law enforcement’s ability to respond to hate crimes and make lynching a federal crime. • Speaking out against discrimination, racism, anti-LGBTQI+ hate. • Advocating for stronger voting rights.

As Biden has said: “Don’t compare me to the Almighty. Compare me to the Alternative.”