WASHINGTON, D.C.— President Biden today issued presidential determinations providing the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) with the authority to utilize the Defense Production Act (DPA) to accelerate domestic production of five key energy technologies: (1) solar; (2) transformers and electric grid components; (3) heat pumps; (4) insulation; and (5) electrolyzers, fuel cells, and platinum group metals. The DPA determinations are part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s plan to lower energy costs for families, strengthen national security, and achieve lasting American energy independence that reduces demand for fossil fuels and bolsters our clean energy economy.

“President Biden has invoked the Defense Production Act so that the U.S. can take ownership of its clean energy independence,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “For too long the nation’s clean energy supply chain has been over-reliant on foreign sources and adversarial nations. With the new DPA authority, DOE can help strengthen domestic solar, heat pump and grid manufacturing industries while fortifying America’s economic security and creating good-paying jobs, and lowering utility costs along the way.”

“Reducing America’s dependence on gas and oil is critical to U.S. national security,” said Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Kathleen Hicks. “In conflict, fossil fuel supply lines are especially vulnerable. The actions President Biden announced today will help strengthen our supply chains and ensure that the United States is a leader in producing the energy technologies that are essential to our future success. They will also help accelerate DoD’s transition toward clean energy technologies that can help strengthen military capability while creating good jobs for American workers.”

• * Addressing discriminatory legislative attacks against LGBTQI+ children and families, directing key agencies to protect families and children;
• * Preventing so-called “conversion therapy” with a historic initiative to protect children from the harmful practice;
• * Safeguarding health care, and programs designed to prevent youth suicide;
• *Supporting LGBTQI+ children and families by launching a new initiative to protect foster youth, prevent homelessness, and improve access to federal programs; and
• * Taking new, additional steps to advance LGBTQI+ equality.

The measure includes millions of dollars for mental health, school safety, crisis intervention programs and incentives for states to include juvenile records in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

It also makes significant changes to the process when someone ages 18 to 21 goes to buy a firearm and closes the so-called boyfriend loophole, a victory for Democrats, who have long fought for that.

In a CBS News poll released on Sunday, half of Democratic respondents said that Friday’s ruling ending federal abortion protections for every woman in the country made them more likely to participate in the upcoming midterm elections; by comparison, the percentage of Republicans who said the same was 30 points lower.

Those results may indicate a significant voter enthusiasm gap between Democratic and Republican-leaning voters that could hamstring the GOP’s efforts to win back majorities in the House and Senate, and thereby prevent Joe Biden from passing any significant legislation supported by his party’s base for at least two years.

And Democrats weren’t the only ones in the poll more energised to vote. Independent voters who said they were more likely to participate in the upcoming midterms as a result of the Roe decision outnumbered Republicans (28 per cent to 20 per cent). And a clear majority of independents oppose GOP efforts, currently being launched in states around the country, to restrict or totally ban abortion.

The American public is rendering its initial judgment on the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and most disapprove of the ruling, including two-thirds of women who disapprove.
By more than a 20-point margin, Americans call it a step backward rather than forward for America. And women, by more than three to one, think the ruling will make women's lives worse rather than better.

In a majority decision, the United States Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade which, for nearly fifty years, guaranteed access to abortion in the United States. However, majorities of Americans oppose the Court’s ruling and have concerns that the decision will have broader constitutional implications. Following the decision, President Joe Biden asserted that Roe will be on the ballot in November. 61% of Americans agree, saying the Court’s decision will make them more likely to vote in this year’s midterm elections, and, by a double-digit margin (15 points), they think the decision will motivate them to vote for a congressional candidate who will support federal legislation that will restore the protections of Roe v. Wade.