White House outlines priorities for last 42 days
White House chief of staff Jeff Zients on Monday outlined the priorities for President Biden’s final days in office, highlighting that another student debt cancellation announcement is forthcoming and that Biden is working to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.
In a memo to White House staff with 42 days left in the Biden administration, Zients said Biden plans to announce in January more student debt cancellation for public service workers and other borrowers and that the $2,000 prescription drug cap will fully go into effect for all Medicare Part D beneficiaries.
He also said the president is “currently engaged in another push with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel, and others to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza with the hostages released” and that Biden plans to “do more” to deliver more aid to Ukraine.
Additionally, Zients said to expect, as part of Biden’s investing in America agenda, more action on high-speed internet funds to states, CHIPS and Science Act incentives funding and Inflation Reduction Act funding. He also said the White House will continue to urge the Senate to confirm more judge nominees, as well as push Congress to pass disaster relief and avoid a government shutdown.
“There’s so much more we’re working on — we have announcements to come on everything from climate to conservation to AI [artificial intelligence] and more,” Zients said in the memo. “I know you and your teams are pushing forward on every issue, yard by yard. Thank you for making the most of this final 42-day sprint.”
While Biden has not interacted with the press much since the 2024 election, he recently was in the spotlight when he announced he would pardon his son Hunter Biden after more than a year of claiming that he would not. He also traveled to Africa last week and plans to give a speech Tuesday on the economy.
The president opted to not travel to France for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, and first lady Jill Biden went instead. President-elect Trump attended and met with French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky while in Paris.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
