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2021 in United States politics and government

Events in 2021 pertaining to politics and government in the United States.

Events

January

February

March

  • March 2 – Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) removes COVID-19 health restrictions including the mask mandate and opens businesses. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves (R) follows suit. President Biden condemns them for "Neanderthal thinking".
  • March 3 – The House passes the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, 220–212. It also passes HR 1, the For the People Act by a vote of 220–210.
  • March 4
  • Planned second attack on the Capitol by QAnon and Trump supporters, according to Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA). The House cancels its session. The event fizzled out.
  • The Senate takes up debate on the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) insists the clerks read it aloud for no apparent reason.
  • Florida lawmakers ask the Department of Justice to investigate vaccination policies that allegedly favor Governor Ron DeSantis′s wealthy political supporters and campaign contributors.
  • March 5 – Both chambers of the New York State Legislature vote to limit Governor Andrew Cuomo′s (D) emergency powers to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic in New York. Cuomo is under investigation regarding underreporting nursing home deaths during the early stages of the pandemic and another alleging sexual misconduct.
  • March 6 – The Senate votes 50-49 along party lines to approve the COVID-19 relief bill (American Rescue Plan Act of 2021) including $1,400 stimulus checks. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) was absent. The bill has to be repassed by the House before President Biden can sign it.
  • March 7 – While commemorating Bloody Sunday during the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march, President Biden signs an executive order directing federal agencies to expand access to voter registration and election information.
  • March 10 – Marcia Fudge (D-OH) casts a vote to join the House majority in approving the COVID-19 relief bill and then steps down to become United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shortly after the Senate approves her nomination, 66–34. The Senate also approves Merrick Garland as United States Attorney General on a 70–30 vote and Michael S. Regan at the EPA (66–34).
  • March 11 – President Biden officially signs the COVID-19 relief bill (American Rescue Plan Act of 2021) into law.
  • March 12 – The United States Senate approves the nomination of Representative Deb Haaland to be the Secretary of Interior (51–40). Haaland is the first Native American to hold a position in the President's cabinet.
  • March 18 – Congressman Chip Roy (R-TX) advocates lynching in the wake of the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings that killed eight women, including six Asian American women.
  • March 20 – Spring breakers riot in response to a state of emergency issued in Miami, Florida.
  • March 30
  • The Republican-controlled Kentucky General Assembly overrides the governor's veto of a law in order to undermine democratic succession in the United States Senate.
  • Arizona declares a state holiday to honor World War II code talkers; it will be celebrated on August 14.
  • March 30 – Biden nominates eleven candidates to the federal judiciary.
  • March 31 – New York legalizes recreational marijuana.

April

May

June

July

August

  • August 10
  • New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announces his resignation, effective two weeks later, following a state Attorney General report on his sexual misconduct.
  • The Senate passes the INVEST Act, 69–30.

September

October

November

  • November 2 – 2021 United States elections. New Jersey and Virginia hold their state elections in years that are one more than a multiple of 4, including 2021. Mayors across the country will also be elected on this day, and there will be some ballot questions.

December

Issues

Note: The following is a summary of key political issues in 2021.

Climate change and environment

NASA says that 2020 is tied with 2016 for the hottest year on record.

President Joe Biden signed an executive order rejoining the Paris Agreement on climate change within hours of his inauguration on January 20, signalling that he intends to prioritize the issue. He signed another order revoking the Keystone Pipeline and is expected to halt oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Census

President Biden revoked two Trump directives related to the 2020 census. One tried to determine the citizenship status of U.S. residents through administrative records, and the other sought to exclude undocumented immigrants from the numbers used for apportioning congressional seats among the states.

Drug reform

Arizona became the fifteenth state to legalize recreational marijuana on January 22, 2021. Voters in New Jersey, South Dakota, and Montana also approved making possession of recreational marijuana legal last November.

Advocates are expected to push for marijuana and drug reform at the federal level as well as reforms in bank laws that would make the business easier and safer in those areas that already allow the sale of marijuana. Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer (NY), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) have said they plan to introduce legislation removing marijuana from a federal list of prohibited drugs in 2021.

Election law

Both Democrats and Republicans support major changes to election laws, but their perspectives and proposed solutions are diametrically opposite. Republicans want an investigation of irregularities in the 2020 elections and more restrictions on mail-in voting. The Texas Legislature Georgia General Assembly, North Carolina General Assembly, and other red-state legislatures have already begun pushing for tighter restrictions. Democrats want national rules to make voting more uniform and accessible across the nation. They would mandate early voting and same-day registration along with other reforms. Also, under HR-51, if passed, would allow 16 year olds to vote and members of congress to use campaign funds for personal use. Voters would not have to show ID to vote.

Foreign policy

China

China became increasingly aggressive militarily and on trade under the Trump administration. Secretary of State nominee Antony Blinken has made it clear that the U.S.-Chinese relation will be his most important challenge. He promised to address the issue from a position of strength. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also said China is a top priority.

Middle East and Afghanistan

Biden White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that the United States would review its peace agreement with the Taliban to withdraw its remaining 2,500 soldiers from the War in Afghanistan by May. President Biden intends to sign an executive order to review Forever Wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere.

Tensions with Iran heat up on the anniversary of the Assassination of Qasem Soleimani on January 3.

As the Yemeni Civil War rages, Mike Pompeo declared the Houthi movement a terrorist organization. President Biden suspended that for a month in January so the policy can be reviewed. If the designation sticks, international banking with Yemen is likely to halt, leading to a famine in a country where 80% of the people already face food insecurity.

The Biden administration reversed Trump policies on Palestine–United States relations, restoring relations the country and promising aid.

Russia

President Biden is expected to be tougher on Russia than Donald Trump was. Biden hopes to work with Russia on an extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START).

Nuclear proliferation

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) went into effect on January 22, 2021, but critics note that no actual nuclear power has signed it. The Biden administration is concerned about North Korea and weapons of mass destruction and is determined that Iran will not gain nuclear capability. The U.S. hopes for an extension of the New START agreement with Russia. Russia agreed to discuss New START and the two countries exchanged documents after a Biden-Putin phone call on January 25.

Health

2021 begins with 346,000 pandemic-related deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Over 20 million people had been infected and 4.2 million have received the first vaccine dose by January 2, well behind the projected 20 million doses by the end of 2020. Democrats plan to increase spending to support a more robust government effort to combat the virus and to provide economic support for individuals, government entities, small businesses, and schools.

Immigration

Among his first acts as president, Joe Biden halted construction of the border wall, froze deportations of undocumented immigrants, and proposed comprehensive immigration reforms. Republicans are expected to fight changes from Trump-era policies.

Minimum wage

Twenty states and 32 cities raised their minimum wage to $15/hour or more on January 1, and five states and 18 entitites are expected to follow suit later in 2021. The fight to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 promises stiff resistance from business interests.

Terrorism

Fears of domestic terrorism outweigh foreign threats following the storming of the Capitol on January 6. More than 20,000 National Guard troops were called upon to help provide security for the January 20 inauguration of President Biden, and although there were no significant incidents in Washington or state capitals, 5,000 remained for the Trump impeachment trial. At least 135 suspect have been arrested and 400 identified as of January 26 in the attack. DHS issued a terrorist advisory starting January 27.

See also

Country overviews

Related timelines for current period

References