Joe Biden

Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. (born 20 November 1942) is an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, Delaware. He is a member of the Democratic Party and the incumbent senior U.S. Senator from Delaware. Biden is currently serving his sixth term and is sixth-longest serving among current Senators and Delaware's longest-serving Senator. He is the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in the 110th Congress. Biden has served in that position in the past, and he has served as Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. He was a candidate for the Democratic Party's nomination in the 2008 presidential election. He is now both the Democratic vice presidential nominee for the November 2008 election and a candidate for re-election in the U.S. Senate.

Early life and education

Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the son of Joseph Robinette Biden, Sr. (1915–2002) and Catherine Eugenia "Jean" Finnegan (born 1918).[1][2] He was the first of four siblings[2] and is of English heritage on his father's side and Irish heritage on his mother's side.[1] He has two brothers, James Brian Biden and Francis W. Biden, and a sister, Valerie (Biden) Owens.[3]

The Scranton area was in economic decline during the 1950s, and Biden's father could not find enough work.[4] The Biden family moved to Claymont, Delaware, when Biden was 10 years old,[2] and he grew up in suburban New Castle County, Delaware. His father then prospered as a car salesman and the family's circumstances were middle class.[4][5] One of his grandfathers was a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate.[5] Biden suffered from stuttering through much of his childhood and into his twenties;[6] he overcame it via long hours spent reciting poetry in front of a mirror.[7] Biden attended the Archmere Academy in Claymont,[8] where he was athletically, not academically, oriented[9] and a natural leader among the students.[7] He graduated in 1961.[8]

Biden attended the University of Delaware in Newark,[10] where by his own later description he was a lazy student.[11] He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in history and political science in 1965,[2] ranked 506th of 688 in his class.[12]

He went on to receive his Juris Doctor from Syracuse University College of Law in 1968,[10] where by his own description he again underperformed and ranked 76th of 85 students.[11][13] During his first year there, he was accused of having plagiarized 5 of 15 pages of a law review article. Biden said it was inadvertent due to his not knowing the proper rules of citation, and Biden was permitted to retake the course after receiving a grade of F, which was subsequently dropped from his record.[13] (The issue came up in 1987 during Biden's presidential campaign, and later that year the Delaware Supreme Court's Board of Professional Responsibility cleared Biden of the plagiarism charges regarding his standing as a lawyer, saying Biden had "not violated any rules".)[14] Biden was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1969.[10]

Biden received five student draft deferments during this period, with the first coming in late 1963 and the last in early 1968, at the peak of the Vietnam War.[15] In April 1968, he was reclassified by the Selective Service System as not available for service due to having had asthma as a teenager.[15] Biden was not a part of the anti-Vietnam War movement; he would later say that at the time he was preoccupied with marriage and law school, and that he "wore sports coats ... not tie-dyed".[16]

Family and early political career

On August 27, 1966, while in law school, Biden married Neilia Hunter, who was from an affluent background in Skaneateles, New York.[2][17] They had met in 1964 while on spring break in the Bahamas, and he had overcome her parents' initial reluctance for her to be dating a Roman Catholic.[18] They had three children, Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III (born 1969), Robert Hunter (born 1970), and Naomi Christina (born 1971).[2]

In 1969, Biden began practicing law in Wilmington, Delaware, and was soon elected to the New Castle County, County Council, where he served from 1970 to 1972.[10]

The 1972 U.S. Senate election presented Biden with a unique circumstance. Longtime Delaware political figure and Republican incumbent Senator J. Caleb Boggs was considering retirement, which would likely have left U.S. Representative Pete du Pont and Wilmington Mayor Harry G. Haskell, Jr. in a divisive primary fight. To avoid that, U.S. President Richard M. Nixon helped convince Boggs to run again with full party support.[19] Biden's campaign had virtually no money; it was managed by his sister Valerie Biden Owens (who would go on to manage his future campaigns as well) and staffed by other members of his family, and relied upon handed-out newsprint position papers.[20] Biden's campaign issues focused on withdrawal from Vietnam, the environment, civil rights, and "change".[20] His energy level, his attractive young family, and his ability to connect with voters' emotions gave Biden an advantage over the ready-to-retire Boggs.[5] Biden won the November 7, 1972 election in an upset by a margin of 3,162 votes.[20]

But then Biden's wife and year-old daughter were killed in an automobile accident while Christmas shopping in Hockessin, Delaware on December 18, 1972,[2] just a few weeks after the election. (Neilia Biden's station wagon was hit by a tractor-trailer as she pulled out from an intersection; the truck driver was cleared of any wrongdoing.)[21] Biden's two sons, Beau and Hunter, were critically injured in the accident, but both eventually made full recoveries.[2] Biden considered resigning in order to care for them;[5] persuaded not to by Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield, he was sworn into office from one of their bedsides.[22] The accident left Biden filled with both anger and religious doubt: "I liked to [walk around seedy neighborhoods] at night when I thought there was a better chance of finding a fight ... I had not known I was capable of such rage ... I felt God had played a horrible trick on me."[22]

Biden began the practice of commuting an hour and a half each day on the train from his home in the Wilmington suburbs to Washington, D.C., which he continues to do.[5] In the aftermath of the accident, he had trouble focusing on work, and just went through the motions of being a senator; staffers were taking bets on how long he would last.[23][17] As a single father for five years, Biden left standing orders that he be interrupted in the Senate at any time if his sons called.[22] In remembrance of the accident, Biden does not work on December 18.[24] Biden's elder son, Beau, later became Delaware Attorney General and an Army attorney scheduled for service in Iraq[25] and Biden's younger son, Hunter is a Washington attorney.

In 1975, Biden met Jill Tracy Jacobs, who grew up in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania and would become a teacher in Delaware.[26] They had met on a blind date with Biden's brother's help though it turned out that Biden had already fancied Jacobs when he saw her in a local advertisement.[26] Biden would credit her with renewing his interest in both politics and life.[27] On June 17, 1977, Biden and Jacobs married.[2] They have one daughter, Ashley Blazer (born 1981).[2] Biden and his family are members of the Roman Catholic Church, and regularly attend services at St. Joseph on the Brandywine in Greenville, Delaware.[28] Biden states that he has never taken a drink in his life because alcoholism is so common in his extended family.[29]

United States Senator

In 1969, Biden began practicing law in Wilmington, Delaware, and was soon elected to the New Castle County County Council, where he served from 1970 to 1972. The 1972 U.S. Senate election presented Biden with an unusual opportunity. Popular Republican incumbent Senator J. Caleb Boggs was considering retirement, which would likely have left U.S. Representative Pete du Pont and Wilmington Mayor Harry G. Haskell, Jr. in a divisive primary fight. To avoid that, U.S. President Richard M. Nixon was invited to a meeting to convince Boggs to run again with full Republican support. Boggs ran, but without much enthusiasm, which combined with the new 18-year old voters, and a serious underestimation of Biden's campaign abilities, resulted in the very surprising Biden victory. [7]

Biden took office on January 3, 1973, at age 30, becoming the fifth-youngest U.S. Senator in United States history. He has since won additional terms easily, defeating James H. Baxter, Jr. in 1978, John M. Burris in 1984, M. Jane Brady in 1990, and Raymond J. Clatworthy in 1996 and 2002, usually with about 60 percent of the vote. He is now Delaware's longest-serving U.S. Senator ever. In the small state of Delaware, Biden is highly regarded, mostly because of his frequent presence and attention to local needs. Because of his daily commute, he is a strong and knowledgeable advocate for Amtrak. He also watches closely the interests of the Dover U.S. Air Force Base and the downstate chicken processing industry.

110th Congress

Biden serves on the following committees in the 110th U.S. Congress:
• U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, (Chairman)
• As Chairman of the full committee Biden is an ex officio member of each subcommittee.
• U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary
• Subcommittee on Antitrust Competition Policy and Consumer Rights
• Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, (Chairman)
• Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law
• Subcommittee on Immigration Border Security and Citizenship
• Subcommittee on Technology Terrorism and Homeland Security
• Caucus on International Narcotics Control (Co-Chairman)

For a comprehensive accounting of Biden's voting record see Project Vote Smart [17] and other material noted in the Reference section.

Judiciary Committee

Biden is a long-time member of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, which he chaired from 1987 until 1995 and on which he served as ranking minority member from 1981 until 1987 and again from 1995 until 1997. In this capacity, he dealt with issues related to drug policy, crime prevention, and civil liberties.

While chairman, Biden presided over the two most contentious U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings in history, those for Robert Bork in 1987 and Clarence Thomas in 1991.[38] In the Bork hearings, Biden stated his opposition to Bork soon after the nomination, reversing an approval in an interview of a hypothetical Bork nomination he had made the previous year and angering conservatives who thought he could not conduct the hearings dispassionately.[39] At the close, Biden won praise for conducting the proceedings fairly and with good humor and courage, as his 1988 presidential campaign collapsed in the middle of the hearings.[40][39] Rejecting some of the less intellectually honest arguments that other Bork opponents were making,[38] Biden framed his discussion around the belief that the U.S. Constitution provides rights to liberty and privacy that extend beyond those explicitly enumerated in the text, and that Bork's strong originalism was ideologically incompatible with that view.[40] Bork's nomination was rejected in the committee by a 9–5 vote,[40] and then rejected in the full Senate by a 58–42 margin.

In the Thomas hearings, Biden's questions on constitutional issues were sometimes so long and convoluted that Thomas forgot the question being asked.[41] In part due to his own bad experiences in 1987, Biden was reluctant to let personal matters enter into the hearings.[41] Biden initially shared with committee but not the public Anita Hill's sexual harrassment charges, on the grounds she was not yet willing to testify.[38] After she did, Biden did not permit other witnesses to testify further on her behalf, such as Angela Wright (who made a similar charge) and experts on harrassment.[42] Biden said he was striving to preserve Thomas's right to privacy and the decency of the hearings.[42][41] The nomination came out of the committee without a recommendation and was approved by a 52–48 vote in the full Senate, with Biden opposed.[38] During and afterwards, Biden was strongly criticized by liberal legal groups and women's groups for having mishandled the hearings and having not done enough to support Hill.[42] Biden subsequently sought out women to serve on the Judiciary Committee, and emphasized women's issues in the committee's legislative agenda.[38]

Biden has been involved in crafting many federal crime laws over the last decade, including the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, also known as the Biden Crime Law, and the landmark Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA), which contains a broad array of measures to combat domestic violence and provides billions of dollars in federal funds to address gender-based crimes. In 2000, the Supreme Court ruled that the section of VAWA allowing a federal civil remedy for victims of gender-motivated violence exceeded Congress's authority and therefore was unconstitutional.[43] Congress reauthorized VAWA in 2000 and 2005.[44] Biden has said, "I consider the Violence Against Women Act the single most significant legislation that I’ve crafted during my 35-year tenure in the Senate."[45] In March 2004, Biden enlisted major American technology companies in diagnosing the problems of the Austin, Texas-based National Domestic Violence Hotline, and to donate equipment and expertise to it.[46][38]

Biden was critical of the actions of Independent Counsel Ken Starr during the 1990s Whitewater controversy and Lewinsky scandal investigations, and said "it's going to be a cold day in hell" before another Independent Counsel is granted the same powers.[47] Biden voted to acquit on both charges during the impeachment of President Clinton.

As chairman of the International Narcotics Control Caucus, Biden wrote the laws that created the U.S. "Drug Czar", who oversees and coordinates national drug control policy. In April 2003 he introduced the controversial Reducing Americans' Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act, also known as the RAVE Act. He continues to work to stop the spread of "date rape drugs" such as Rohypnol, and drugs such as Ecstasy and Ketamine. In 2004 he worked to pass a bill outlawing steroids like androstenedione, the drug used by many baseball players.[38]

Biden's legislation to promote college aid and loan programs allows families to deduct on their annual income tax returns up to $10,000 per year in higher education expenses. His "Kids 2000" legislation established a public/private partnership to provide computer centers, teachers, Internet access, and technical training to young people, particularly to low-income and at-risk youth.[48]

Foreign Relations Committee

Biden is also long-time member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and has gained considerable expertise in foreign policy, national security, and arms control. In 1997, he became the ranking minority member and chaired the committee from June 2001 through 2003. His efforts to combat hostilities in the Balkans in the 1990s brought national attention and influenced presidential policy: traveling repeatedly to the region, he made one meeting famous by calling Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic a "war criminal." He consistently argued for lifting the arms embargo, training Bosnian Muslims, investigating war crimes and administering NATO air strikes. Biden's subsequent "lift and strike" resolution was instrumental in convincing President Bill Clinton to use military force in the face of systematic human rights violations.

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Biden was supportive of the Bush administration efforts, calling for additional ground troops in Afghanistan and agreeing with the administration's assertion that Saddam Hussein needed to be eliminated. The Bush administration rejected an effort Biden undertook with Senator Richard Lugar to pass a resolution authorizing military action only after the exhaustion of diplomatic efforts. In October 2002, Biden voted for the final resolution to support the war in Iraq. He has long supported the Bush Administration's war effort and appropriations to pay for it, but has argued repeatedly that more soldiers are needed, the war should be internationalized, and the Bush administration should "level with the American people" about the cost and length of the conflict.[15]

The Biden-Gelb Plan for Iraq

In November 2006, Biden and Leslie Gelb, President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, released a comprehensive strategy to end sectarian violence in Iraq. Rather than continuing the present approach or withdrawing, the plan calls for "a third way that can achieve the two objectives most Americans share: to bring our troops home without leaving chaos behind. The idea is to maintain a unified Iraq by federalizing it and giving Kurds, Shiites, and Sunnis breathing room in their own regions." [16] The key points include:

1. Keep Iraq together by giving its major groups breathing room in their own regions and control over their daily
lives. A central government would be left in charge of common interests like defending the borders and distributing oil revenues.
2. Secure the support of the Sunnis -- who have no oil -- by guaranteeing them a proportionate share of oil revenue and reintegrating those with no blood on their hands.
3. Increase, not end, reconstruction assistance but insist that the oil-rich Arab Gulf states fund it and tie it to the creation of a massive jobs program and to the protection of minority rights.
4. Initiate a major diplomatic offensive to enlist the support of the major powers and Iraq's neighbors for a political settlement in Iraq and create an Oversight Contact Group to enforce regional commitments.
5. Begin the phased redeployment of U.S. forces this year and withdraw most of them by 2008, with a small follow-on force to keep the neighbors honest and to strike any concentration of terrorists.

Delaware matters

Biden is a familiar figure to his Delaware constituency, by virtue of his daily train commuting from there,[38] and has generally sought to attend to state needs.[32] Biden has been a strong supporter of increased Amtrak funding and rail security;[32] he hosts an annual Christmas dinner for the Amtrak crews.[32] He has been an advocate for Delaware military installations, including Dover Air Force Base and New Castle County Air Guard Base.[58]

Biden has been a sponsor of bankruptcy legislation during the 2000s, which was sought by MBNA, one of Delaware's largest companies, and other credit card issuers.[38] Biden fought for certain amendments to the bill that would indirectly protect homeowners and abortion rights; the overall bill was vetoed by Bill Clinton in 2000 but then finally passed as the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act in 2005, with Biden supporting.[38] The downstate Sussex County region is the nation's top chicken-producing area, and Biden held up trade agreements with Russia when that country stopped importing U.S. chickens.[32]

In 2007, Biden reported that he "garnered $67 million worth of projects"[59] for his constituents through congressional earmarks.

Characteristics as senator

With a net worth between $59,000 and $366,000, and almost no outside income or investment income, he is consistently ranked as one of the least wealthy members of the Senate.[60][61][62] Biden states that he has been listed as the second poorest member in Congress, a distinction that he is not proud of, but attributes it to being elected early in his career.[63]

During his years as a senator, Biden has amassed a reputation for loquaciousness,[64][65][66] with his questions and remarks during Senate hearings being especially known for being long-winded.[67][68] He has been a strong speaker and debater and a frequent and effective guest on the influential Sunday morning talk shows.[68] He has also shown, as political analyst Mark Halperin states, "a persistent tendency to say silly, offensive, and off-putting things";[68] The New York Times writes that Biden's "weak filters make him capable of blurting out pretty much anything".[66]

Presidential campaigns

1988

Controversy emerged during Biden's candidacy for the U.S. presidency in the 1988 Presidential campaign; he ended his presidential campaign on September 23, 1987 after being accused of plagiarism. Though he had correctly credited the original author in all speeches but one, the one where he failed to make mention of the originator was caught on video. In the video Biden is filmed repeating a stump speech by British Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock with only minor modifications. “Why is it that Joe Biden is the first in his family ever to go a university? Why is it that my wife . . . is the first in her family to ever go to college? Is it because our fathers and mothers were not bright? . . . Is it because they didn't work hard? My ancestors who worked in the coal mines of northeast Pennsylvania and would come after 12 hours and play football for four hours? It's because they didn't have a platform on which to stand.” After Biden withdrew from the race it was learned that he had correctly credited Kinnock on all other occasions. But in the Iowa speech that was recorded and distributed to reporters (with a parallel video of Kinnock) by aides to Michael Dukakis, the eventual nominee, he failed to do so. Dukakis fired John Sasso, his campaign manager and long-time Chief of Staff, but Biden's campaign could not recover.[17][18][19]

As a part of this controversy, it was revealed that Biden had been involved in a similar incident during his first year at Syracuse University Law School in 1965. Biden initially received an “F” in an introductory class on legal methodology for writing a paper relying almost exclusively on a single Fordham Law Review article, which he had cited. Biden was allowed to repeat the course and passed with high marks. After ending his Presidential campaign Biden requested the Board of Professional Responsibility of the Delaware Supreme Court review the issue. The Board concluded on December 21, 1987, after Biden had withdrawn, that the senator had not violated any rules, although Biden did not release this result until May 1989.[20]

2004

In 2003, Biden considered joining the Democratic field of candidates for the 2004 presidential race but decided otherwise, saying he did not have enough time to cultivate a sufficient fundraising base. Some thought Biden a possible running mate for presidential candidate John Kerry, but Biden urged Kerry to select Republican Senator John McCain instead.[21] Biden also had been widely discussed as a possible U.S. Secretary of State in a Democratic administration.[22]

2008

Biden declared his candidacy for president on January 31, 2007, although he had discussed running for months prior. [23] In the January 23, 2006 edition of The News Journal, Delaware's largest daily newspaper, columnist Harry F. Themal reported that Biden "occupies the sensible center of the Democratic Party." Themal concludes that this is the position Biden desires, and that in a campaign "he plans to stress the dangers to the security of the average American, not just from the terrorist threat, but from the lack of health assistance, crime, and energy dependence on unstable parts of the world." He goes on to quote conservative Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen as saying that Biden's "manic-obsessive running of the mouth" could be the character weakness that disqualifies him.

2008 vice-presidential candidacy

In a June 22, 2008, interview on NBC's Meet the Press, Biden confirmed that, although he was not actively seeking a spot on the ticket, he would accept the vice presidential nomination if offered.[104] On August 22, 2008, Barack Obama announced that Biden would be his running mate.[105][106] The New York Times reported that the strategy behind the choice reflected a desire to fill out the ticket with someone who has foreign policy and national security experience—and not to help the ticket win a swing state or to emphasize Obama's "change" message.[107] Other observers pointed out Biden's appeal to middle-class and blue-collar voters, as well as his willingness to aggressively challenge Republican nominee John McCain in a way that Obama seemed uncomfortable doing at times.[108]

After his selection as a vice presidential candidate, he was criticized by his own diocesan bishop over his stance on abortion, which goes against the church's pro-life teachings.[109] Biden was soon barred from receiving Holy Communion by the bishop of his original hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, because of his support for abortion rights.[110] In September 2008, The New York Times reported that Biden "departed from party doctrine on abortion rights, declaring that as a Catholic, he believes life begins at conception."[111]

In general, Biden's vice presidential campaigning gained little media visibility, as far greater press attention was focused on Republican running mate Sarah Palin.[112][66] Biden nevertheless focused on campaigning in economically-challenged areas of swing states and trying to win over blue-collar Democrats, especially those who had supported Hillary Rodham Clinton.[66] Biden attacked McCain heavily, despite a long-standing personal friendship; he would say, “That guy I used to know, he’s gone. It literally saddens me.”[66]

2008 Senate candidacy

After ending his 2008 presidential bid in January, Biden focused instead on running for a seventh Senate term against Republican Christine O'Donnell. In late August 2008, he was picked by Obama to be his running mate. Biden is nevertheless continuing to run for Senate re-election as well as Vice President,[113] as permitted by Delaware state law.[32] If he won both races, he would resign from the Senate before Inauguration Day – January 20, 2009, assuming he chose to become Vice President.[113] Delaware's Democratic governor, Ruth Ann Minner, or possibly her successor, would then appoint someone else to serve the first two years of his term.[113] There has been speculation in the media as to who the appointee might be.[114][115]

Controversial comments

Indian-Americans

While speaking to a group of Indian-Americans in Delaware, Biden stated in regards to his relationship with the Indian-American community: "I've had a great relationship. In Delaware, the largest growth in population is Indian Americans — moving from India. You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking." His comment was caught on C-SPAN. When asked to explain further, Margaret Aitken, a Biden spokeswoman stated "The Senator [Biden] admires, supports and respects the Indian-American community." "The point Senator Biden was making is that there has been a vibrant Indian-American community in Delaware for decades. It has primarily been made up of engineers, scientists and physicians, but more recently, middle-class families are moving into Delaware and purchasing family-run small businesses..."[24]

Barack Obama

On January 31, 2007, Biden took his first steps into the presidential campaign, but his comments about other candidates overshadowed his entrance[25]. Biden especially drew criticism in the popular press for his evaluation of Senator Barack Obama; Biden was quoted in the New York Observer as saying: "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy, ... I mean, that's a storybook, man." [18] The audio of the interview, posted on the Observer's website, reportedly includes a significant pause after "African-American," suggesting that the Observer's transcript was misleading. [19] Biden sought to clear up the controversy by apologizing to Obama on the same day and repeated his regret on The Daily Show that same evening: "Look, the other part of this thing that got me in trouble is using the word clean. I should have said fresh." Some media observers labeled Biden's announcement a "launch pad disaster."[20] African-American 1984 and 1988 Democratic Presidential candidate Jesse Jackson telephoned Biden and reported afterward "Senator Biden...assured me that he regrets that his remarks were misinterpreted. He was serious and contrite. To me, this was a gaffe, not a statement about his philosophy or ideology."[26]

Political positions

A method that political scientists use for gauging ideology is to compare the annual ratings by the Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) with the ratings by the American Conservative Union (ACU).[122] Biden has a lifetime liberal 72 percent score from the ADA through 2004, while the ACU awarded Biden a lifetime conservative rating of 13 percent through 2007.[123] Using another metric, Biden has a lifetime average liberal score of 77.5 percent, according to a National Journal analysis that places him ideologically among the center of Senate Democrats.[124] The Almanac of American Politics rates congressional votes as liberal or conservative on the political spectrum, in three policy areas: economic, social, and foreign. For 2005–2006, Biden's average ratings were as follows: the economic rating was 80 percent liberal and 13 percent conservative, the social rating was 78 percent liberal and 18 percent conservative, and the foreign rating was 71 percent liberal and 25 percent conservative.[125]

Various interest groups have given Biden scores or grades as to how well his votes align with the positions of each group. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) gives him an 86 percent lifetime score, with a 91 percent score for the current session of Congress.[126] Biden received a 91 percent voting record from the National Education Association (NEA) showing a pro-teacher union voting record.[127] Biden opposes drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and supports governmental funding to find new energy sources.[128] Biden believes action must be taken on global warming. He co-sponsored the Sense of the Senate resolution calling on the United States to be a part of the United Nations climate negotiations and the Boxer-Sanders Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act, the most stringent climate bill in the United States Senate.[129] Biden cites high health care and energy costs as two major threats to the prosperity of American businesses, and believes that addressing these issues will improve American economic competitiveness. Biden was given a 100 percent approval rating from AFL-CIO indicating a heavily pro-union voting record. Biden is opposed to the privatization of Social Security and was given an 89 percent approval rating from the Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA), an organization of retired union members.

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