A list of all of Joe Biden’s vetoes

President Joe Biden waited two years into his term in office to issue his first presidential veto, but he is concluding his term with the most vetoes since former President Bill Clinton.

Days before Christmas, the White House announced that Biden had vetoed the JUDGES Act, a bill that would have allowed President-elect Donald Trump and future presidents to expand the federal judiciary.

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The move marked his 13th veto since March 2023. Former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush finished their respective terms with 12 vetoes, while Trump concluded his first term with 10.

Here are the 13 bills Biden has vetoed since stepping foot in the White House.

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1. March 20, 2023

H.J.Res.30 — Providing for congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to “Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder Rights”

Biden’s first veto was to strike down a bill looking to void a Labor Department rule allowing retirement plans to account for “environmental, social, and governance factors.”

“The Republican-led resolution would force retirement managers to ignore these relevant risk factors, disregarding the principles of free markets and jeopardizing the life savings of working families and retirees,” the president wrote in a statement explaining his decision.

2. April 6, 2023

H.J.Res.27 — Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers, Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency relating to “Revised Definition of ‘Waters of the United States’”

Biden vetoed legislation that would undo his own administration’s 2023 rule specifying which U.S. waterways fell under federal jurisdiction pursuant to the Clean Waters Act.

The president argued that rolling back the rule would cause “uncertainty” and inhibit economic growth across the country.

3. May 16, 2023

H.J.Res.39 — Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Commerce relating to “Procedures Covering Suspension of Liquidation, Duties and Estimated Duties in Accord With Presidential Proclamation 10414”

The president largely kept, or even expanded, the Trump administration’s tariffs on Chinese imports, but the Biden administration did suspend some of those tariffs for solar panels and their component parts in an effort to expand solar energy in the states.

Biden’s May 16, 2023, veto killed Republican efforts to reinstate the tariffs on solar imports.

4. May 25, 2023

H.J.Res.42 — Disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022

Biden intervened in Congress’s efforts to overturn 2022 Washington, D.C., police reform legislation, as allowed by the Home Rule Act, that opponents say led to an increase in crime in the capital city.

“While I do not support every provision of the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022, this resolution from congressional Republicans would overturn commonsense police reforms such as: banning chokeholds; setting important restrictions on use of force and deadly force; improving access to body-worn camera recordings; and requiring officer training on de-escalation and use of force,” the president wrote in his veto statement. “The Congress should respect the District of Columbia’s right to pass measures that improve public safety and public trust.”

5. June 7, 2023

H.J.Res.45 — Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to “Waivers and Modifications of Federal Student Loans”

Biden faced a number of roadblocks in his efforts to make good on a campaign promise to promote student loan debt relief, but he was able to use his veto powers to stop one effort from Republicans to overturn a 2022 Education Department rule that effectively paused payments and interest for federally backed student loans.

“The Department of Education’s action is based on decades-old authority, granted by the Congress,” Biden wrote at the time. “Multiple administrations over the last two decades have used this authority, following the same procedures as my Administration, to protect borrowers from the effects of national emergencies and military deployments. The Department of Education’s exercise of this authority has never previously been subject to the Congressional Review Act.”

6. June 14, 2023

S.J.Res.11 — A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to “Control of Air Pollution From New Motor Vehicles: Heavy-Duty Engine and Vehicle Standards”

As with student loan debt, Biden flexed his veto powers to protect his administration’s future-focused electric vehicle agenda.

In June 2023, the president again shot down attempts to roll back the stricter vehicle emissions standards set for cars and trucks finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency the year prior.

Biden argued that attempts to roll back the EPA rule would negatively affect public health and ultimately “squander” billions of dollars in lost revenue in an expanded EV industry.

7-8. Sept. 26, 2023

S.J.Res.9 — A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service relating to “Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Lesser Prairie-Chicken; Threatened Status with Section 4(d) Rule for the Northern Distinct Population Segment and Endangered Status for the Southern Distinct Population Segment”

AND

S.J.Res.24 — A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service relating to “Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Endangered Species Status for Northern Long-Eared Bat”

Biden vetoed a pair of Republican-led resolutions that sought to remove conservation protections for native chickens and bats.

The president claimed that the lesser prairie chicken is a critical indicator of a healthy grassland and that removing its threatened status “would undermine America’s proud wildlife conservation traditions, risk the extinction of a once-abundant American bird, and create uncertainty for landowners and industries who have been working for years to forge the durable, locally led conservation strategies that this rule supports.”

The president similarly claimed that the northern long-eared bat should retain its endangered status, as they account for $3 billion worth of insect and pest control each year.

9. Dec. 19, 2023

S.J.Res.32 — A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection relating to “Small Business Lending Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (Regulation B)”

Biden’s final veto of 2023 was issued to protect a rule at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau requiring banks to compile and report small financial information.

The president, as expected, claimed the legislation “would harm all those that stand to benefit from expanded transparency and accountability.”

“By hampering efforts to promote transparency and accountability in small business lending, Republicans are siding with big banks and corporations over the needs of small business owners,” he wrote. “Small businesses are the engines of our economy, and my Administration will not support policies that hurt their ability to thrive and grow.”

10. Jan. 24

S.J.Res.38 — A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Federal Highway Administration relating to “Waiver of Buy America Requirements for Electric Vehicle Chargers”

A bipartisan effort to repeal the Biden administration waiver allowing federally funded electric vehicle stations to skirt certain “Buy America” requirements ultimately ended in Biden’s first veto of 2024.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, sponsored the measure in the Senate and claimed that Biden’s veto “hurts American companies and empowers foreign adversaries, like China, to control our energy infrastructure.”

11. May 3

H.J.Res.98 — Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the National Labor Relations Board relating to “Standard for Determining Joint Employer Status”

Biden stepped back into the fight in May to stop Republicans from rolling back his administration’s rules and regulations.

This time, the president went to bat for the National Labor Relations Board’s new standards defining joint-employer status.

“The NLRB’s rule would prevent companies from evading their bargaining obligations or liability when they control a worker’s working condition — even if they reserve such control or exercise it indirectly through a subcontractor or other intermediary,” Biden wrote at the time. “Without the NLRB’s rule, companies could more easily avoid liability simply by manipulating their corporate structure, like hiding behind subcontractors or staffing agencies. By hampering the NLRB’s efforts to promote the practice and procedure of collective bargaining, Republicans are siding with union-busting corporations over the needs of workers and their unions.”

12. May 31

H.J.Res.109 — H.J.Res.109 – Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to “Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121”

Biden’s 12th veto struck down a bill going after the Securities and Exchange Commission’s special rules for cryptocurrency custodians.

Opponents of the Biden administration rule argued that it made it impossible for traditional banks to engage in crypto services, but the president was undeterred, vowing that his administration “will not support measures that jeopardize the well-being of consumers and investors.”

“Appropriate guardrails that protect consumers and investors are necessary to harness the potential benefits and opportunities of crypto-asset innovation,” he continued. “My Administration is eager to work with the Congress to ensure a comprehensive and balanced regulatory framework for digital assets, building on existing authorities.”

13. Monday

S. 4199, the “Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved Act of 2024” or the “JUDGES Act of 2024.” – To authorize additional district judges for the district courts and convert temporary judgeships.

Days before Biden issued his 13th veto, he defeated Trump in a simmering proxy battle of judicial appointments. While his predecessor held the decisive Supreme Court appointment advantage, having named three new justices to his one, Biden has appointed more judges overall.

However, when Congress took a look at the legal landscape of the country, lawmakers determined there needed to be significantly more judges. The JUDGES Act would have created 66 new positions, handing Trump, in his second term, a clear path to pick up where he left off in reshaping the federal judiciary.

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Biden did not acknowledge his tussle with Trump over judges in his statement to the Senate vetoing the bill, but he criticized lawmakers for “hastily” adding judgeships “with just a few weeks left in the 118th Congress” and senators in particular for holding open several vacancies.

“Those efforts to hold open vacancies suggest that concerns about judicial economy and caseload are not the true motivating force behind passage of this bill now,” he wrote.

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