2020s in United States history

[38] Clusters of infections and deaths have occurred in nursing homes, long-term care facilities, prisons and other detention centers, meatpacking plants, houses of worship, and urban areas; large gatherings that occurred before widespread shutdowns and social distancing (Mardi Gras in New Orleans, a conference in Boston sponsored by Biogen, and a funeral in Albany, Georgia) accelerated transmission.The act includes one-time payments to individuals, strengthened unemployment insurance, additional health-care funding, and loans and grants to businesses to deter layoffs.[66] In early 2020, the outbreak of coronavirus in the United States resulted in mass shutdowns of government in cities across the country in order to try to control the spread of this highly-contagious illness.Conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the Supreme Court on October 26 along partisan lines, despite earlier Republican arguments that it is inappropriate to choose justices during a presidential election year.[68] On December 21, Congress approved a second $900 billion stimulus bill, including a $600 check for individuals, $300 extra for unemployment benefits for 11 weeks, and $25 million for rental assistance, as well as funding for distribute of COVID-19 vaccines.[71] On January 6, 2021, a mob of 2,000–2,500 supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump attacked the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.[a][72][73] They sought to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election[74] by disrupting the joint session of Congress assembled to count electoral votes that would formalize President-elect Joe Biden's victory.[75][76] The Capitol Complex was locked down and lawmakers and staff were evacuated as rioters assaulted law enforcement officers, vandalized property, and occupied the building for several hours.The Congressional Progressive Caucus of the Democratic Party, a major backer of the bill, had urged President Biden to enact the green energy and climate change provisions into law by executive order.[citation needed] In 2022, the United States experienced a severe shortage of infant formula as a result of the 2021–2022 global supply chain crisis compounded by a large scale product recall.[87][88][89]In February 2022, President Joe Biden released a statement condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine as "unprovoked and unjustified" and accused Putin of starting a "premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering".[93] Biden additionally condemned Russian oligarchs who had supported Putin, stating that "We are joining with our European allies to find and seize your yachts, your luxury apartments, your private jets.The decision overturned both Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), giving individual states complete authority over any aspect of abortion not preempted by federal law.Chief Justice John Roberts concurred with the decision upholding Mississippi law but did not join the majority in the opinion overturning Roe and Casey.Day one actions of his presidency included restoring U.S. participation in the Paris Agreement, revoking the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline and halting funding for the Mexico–United States border wall.[123] Biden proposed a significant expansion of the U.S. social safety net through the Build Back Better Act, but those efforts, along with voting rights legislation, failed in Congress.[126] The foreign policy goal of the Biden administration is to restore the US to a "position of trusted leadership" among global democracies in order to address the challenges posed by Russia and China.He completed the withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Afghanistan, declaring an end to nation-building efforts and shifting U.S. foreign policy toward strategic competition with China and, to a lesser extent, Russia.[130][131] During the Israel–Hamas war, Biden condemned the actions of Hamas and other Palestinian militants as terrorism and announced American military support for Israel; he also sent humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and brokered a four-day temporary pause and hostage exchange in 2023 followed by a three-phase ceasefire in January 2025.The group of experts who made the analysis said that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act alone will make only a small reduction in emissions, but they did not count at all the impact of measures regarding highways and public transport.[155] On March 26, 2020, the United States accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of narcoterrorism and offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest.[157] Stocks fell to 18,592 points (Dow average) on March 23 after a procedural Senate vote on a coronavirus economic stimulus bill failed for the second time in two days.[1] In late February 2020, the Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign sued The New York Times for libel for intentionally publishing a false opinion article related to Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.[164] Similar testimony in February 2020 that Russia was trying to help the campaigns of President Trump and Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders[165] led to the firing of acting director of national intelligence, retired Vice Adm. Joseph Maguire,[166] and his replacement by Richard Grenell.William Schaffner, a CDC adviser and infectious-disease specialist at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine said, "The notion of accepting a test developed by someone else I think was a bit alien.Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases warned that the sick and elderly were particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus, saying people to avoid large crowds.Sporting events, concerts, and political rallies were canceled or rescheduled; schools and universities were closed, businesses advised their employees to work from home, and stock market values fell.[185][205] Trump banned most travel from Europe on March 11, but his comments did little to assure the stock market, which fell amid fears of breaks in the supply chain and even recession.[206] Concern about the economic fallout from the pandemic prompted the Federal Reserve Bank to lower interest rates to near zero and to purchase $700 billion worth of government securities on March 15.[207] After passing the Senate 92-8[208] on March 18, President Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which provides free testing and paid leave for certain workers.[217] As soon as trade sanctions were lifted against the Chinese telecom manufacturer ZTE in March 2020, the Justice Department announced a new investigation into the company, this time for bribery.