Client Alert
June 2024 Presidential Debate: Key Policy Takeaways
Client Alert
July 10, 2024
Following the June 27, 2024, Presidential Debate, our team compiled a list of key takeaways focusing on the presidential candidates’ policy positions.
Joe Biden
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
- President Biden highlighted his support of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which the President said represented “the most extensive climate change legislation in history, in history.”
- According to the White House, the Inflation Reduction Act “has already spurred [as of February 2024] a clean energy boom, contributing to more than $360 billion in private sector clean energy announcements since President Biden took office.”
- Biden criticizes Trump’s withdrawal from the “Paris Peace Accord – Climate Accord,” which Biden “immediately rejoined” again after taking office.
- Biden stressed “The only existential threat to humanity is climate change,” and that Trump “wants to undo all that I’ve done.”
- Biden also highlighted the establishment of “a Climate Corps for thousands of young people” to “learn how to deal with climate, just like the Peace Corps.”
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS & NATIONAL SECURITY
- On the war in Ukraine, President Biden emphasized the need to continue to support Ukraine by supplying weaponry (as opposed to cash). He noted that Putin was a war criminal. He also emphasized the need to support NATO and to address the potential for Russia’s invasion of a NATO country.
- On October 7 and the hostages, Biden says he has promoted a three-point plan which includes (1) trading hostages for a cease fire, (2) implementing the cease fire, and (3) engaging in reconstruction.
- On the border and the fentanyl crisis, Biden addressed more security at the border and used the fentanyl screening machines as an example. He also mentioned the work that Mexico has committed to carrying out with respect to stopping fentanyl production.
HEALTH CARE
- President Biden emphasized his administration’s efforts to lower prescription drug pricing, highlighting the Inflation Reduction Act’s caps on the cost of insulin.
- Biden stated that restoring and protecting access to reproductive healthcare is a goal of his administration and expressed opposition to determining reproductive rights on a state-by-state basis.
- Biden expressed continued support for the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
- Biden expressed a desire to protect Medicare and stated he would reduce healthcare costs for seniors by raising taxes on the income of citizens with income above $400,000 per year.
Donald Trump
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
- Former President Trump said he wants “absolutely immaculate clean water and I want absolutely clean air, and we had it. We had H2O. We had the best numbers ever.”
- At the same time, Trump emphasized the use of “all forms of energy, all forms, everything” during his Administration.
- Trump stood by his decision to withdraw from “the Paris Accord,” stating it “was going to cost us a trillion dollars, and China nothing, and Russia nothing, and India nothing. It was a ripoff of the United States.”
- Trump did not respond to Biden’s claim that a new Trump administration would seek to stop the clean energy subsidies implemented by the Inflation Reduction Act.
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS & NATIONAL SECURITY
- Former President Trump expressed that China will be a focus for additional tariffs in order to reduce the trade deficit and create a more even playing field for trading partners.
- On immigration, Trump has promised to close the border and to begin deporting immigrants who entered the country illegally. Tied in with the immigration crisis, Trump also addressed the fentanyl crisis.
- On Iran, Trump would re-focus an aggressive foreign policy on reducing access to funds. Trump identifies Iran as a destabilizing force in the world and identified October 7, Yemen, Syria, and the Red Sea as examples.
- On the war in Ukraine, Trump has said that ending the war should be a primary focus of European states and less a U.S. focus given geographic proximity of the former. Related to Ukraine, Trump referenced the WSJ reporter who has been held in the Russian Federation and proposed that he would work to obtain his release before inauguration day.
HEALTH CARE
- Trump did not directly call for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) during the debate.
We will continuously monitor and provide updates on the 2024 Presidential Debates, delivering insights on four critical regulatory areas: government contracts and national security, energy and environmental issues, technology and artificial intelligence, and health care. Stay informed by visiting our 2024 U.S. Presidential Candidates Policy Overview.
Disclaimer: This content is strictly dedicated to providing public information on the candidates’ policy positions and in no way indicates an affiliation with any political party or candidate.
