Joseph Biden Jr., former Vice President of the United States (and President of the Senate)

Biden was Vice President of the United States (and President of the Senate) and was a Democrat. He served from 2009 to 2017.

He was previously a senator from Delaware as a Democrat from 1973 to 2009.

Biden is running for President of the United States. We’re tracking the legislative records of the candidates who served in office:

What can GovTrack data tell us about the thirteen most recent and current Members of Congress running for President? [updated May 3, 2019]
Health and Criminal Justice legislation introduced by the candidates [updated May 1, 2019]
Oversight and Immigration legislation introduced by the candiates [updated May 20, 2019]
Finance and Economy legislation introduced by the candidates [update May 31, 2019]

Photo of Vice President Joseph Biden [D, 2009-2017]

Analysis

Ideology–Leadership Chart

Biden is shown as a purple triangle ▲ in our ideology-leadership chart below. Each dot was a member of the Senate in 2008 positioned according to our liberal–conservative ideology score (left to right) and our leadership score (leaders are toward the top).

The chart is based on the bills Biden sponsored and cosponsored from Jan 7, 2003 to Dec 11, 2008. See full analysis methodology.

Enacted Legislation

Biden was the primary sponsor of 42 bills that were enacted. The most recent include:

View All »

We consider a bill enacted if one of the following is true: a) it is enacted itself, b) it has a companion bill in the other chamber (as identified by Congress) which was enacted, or c) if at least about half of its provisions were incorporated into bills that were enacted (as determined by an automated text analysis, applicable beginning with bills in the 110^th Congress).

Bills Sponsored

Issue Areas

Biden sponsored bills primarily in these issue areas:

Government Operations and Politics (19%) Crime and Law Enforcement (18%) International Affairs (17%) Armed Forces and National Security (11%) Economics and Public Finance (10%) Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues (9%) Science, Technology, Communications (8%) Health (8%)

Recent Bills

Some of Biden’s most recently sponsored bills include...

View All » | View Cosponsors »

Voting Record

Key Votes

Biden voted Nay

S.J.Res. 5 (111th): A joint resolution relating to the disapproval of obligations under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.

Joint Resolution Defeated 42/52 on Jan 15, 2009.

Biden voted Yea

H.R. 6124 (110th): Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008

Veto Overridden 80/14 on Jun 18, 2008.

Biden voted Not Voting

H.R. 2419 (110th): Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008

Bill Passed 79/14 on Dec 14, 2007.

The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Pub.L. 110–234, H.R. 2419, 122 Stat. 923, enacted May 22, 2008, also known as the 2008 U.S. ...

Biden voted Nay

S.Con.Res. 20 (110th): A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of Congress that no funds should be cut off or reduced ...

Concurrent Resolution Agreed to 82/16 on Mar 15, 2007.

Biden voted Yea

On the Nomination PN177: Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., in the Army, to be General

Nomination Confirmed 83/14 on Feb 8, 2007.

Missed Votes

From Jan 1973 to Jan 2009, Biden missed 1,781 of 14,556 roll call votes, which is 12.2%. This is much worse than the median of 2.0% among the lifetime records of senators serving in Jan 2009. The chart below reports missed votes over time.

Show the numbers...

Time Period	Votes Eligible	Missed Votes	Percent	Percentile
1973 Jan-Mar	67	2	3.0%	25^th
1973 Apr-Jun	192	73	38.0%	75^th
1973 Jul-Sep	167	2	1.2%	25^th
1973 Oct-Dec	168	4	2.4%	25^th
1974 Jan-Mar	94	7	7.4%	25^th
1974 Apr-Jun	179	14	7.8%	25^th
1974 Jul-Sep	138	11	8.0%	25^th
1974 Oct-Dec	133	17	12.8%	25^th
1975 Jan-Mar	118	12	10.2%	60^th
1975 Apr-Jun	141	32	22.7%	40^th
1975 Jul-Sep	170	19	11.2%	80^th
1975 Oct-Dec	182	24	13.2%	40^th
1976 Jan-Mar	109	21	19.3%	60^th
1976 Apr-Jun	263	25	9.5%	60^th
1976 Jul-Sep	315	65	20.6%	40^th
1976 Oct-Oct	13	8	61.5%	40^th
1977 Jan-Mar	92	17	18.5%	43^rd
1977 Apr-Jun	178	25	14.0%	71^st
1977 Jul-Sep	233	13	5.6%	57^th
1977 Oct-Dec	133	34	25.6%	71^st
1978 Jan-Mar	78	6	7.7%	43^rd
1978 Apr-Jun	119	21	17.6%	71^st
1978 Jul-Sep	237	25	10.5%	57^th
1978 Oct-Oct	86	15	17.4%	71^st
1979 Feb-Mar	32	5	15.6%	80^th
1979 Apr-Jun	121	13	10.7%	70^th
1979 Jul-Sep	171	29	17.0%	80^th
1979 Oct-Dec	184	46	25.0%	80^th
1980 Jan-Mar	67	10	14.9%	70^th
1980 Apr-Jun	216	37	17.1%	60^th
1980 Jul-Sep	179	21	11.7%	80^th
1980 Oct-Dec	84	26	31.0%	80^th
1981 Jan-Mar	57	0	0.0%	0^th
1981 Apr-Jun	125	6	4.8%	69^th
1981 Jul-Sep	122	4	3.3%	38^th
1981 Oct-Dec	193	22	11.4%	62^nd
1982 Feb-Mar	79	4	5.1%	69^th
1982 Apr-Jun	127	13	10.2%	85^th
1982 Jul-Sep	177	7	4.0%	69^th
1982 Oct-Dec	86	5	5.8%	62^nd
1983 Feb-Mar	54	3	5.6%	67^th
1983 Apr-Jun	122	12	9.8%	73^rd
1983 Jul-Sep	92	2	2.2%	40^th
1983 Oct-Nov	103	7	6.8%	53^rd
1984 Jan-Mar	45	0	0.0%	0^th
1984 Apr-Jun	144	2	1.4%	20^th
1984 Jul-Sep	68	1	1.5%	20^th
1984 Oct-Oct	34	0	0.0%	0^th
1985 Jan-Mar	22	2	9.1%	84^th
1985 Apr-Jun	116	5	4.3%	74^th
1985 Jul-Sep	60	4	6.7%	74^th
1985 Oct-Dec	183	21	11.5%	84^th
1986 Jan-Mar	51	2	3.9%	42^nd
1986 Apr-Jun	103	9	8.7%	74^th
1986 Jul-Sep	149	3	2.0%	58^th
1986 Oct-Oct	56	7	12.5%	89^th
1987 Jan-Mar	50	20	40.0%	96^th
1987 Apr-Jun	123	69	56.1%	96^th
1987 Jul-Sep	120	55	45.8%	96^th
1987 Oct-Dec	127	15	11.8%	84^th
1988 Jan-Mar	84	76	90.5%	96^th
1988 Apr-Jun	137	137	100.0%	96^th
1988 Jul-Sep	127	94	74.0%	96^th
1988 Oct-Oct	31	5	16.1%	68^th
1989 Jan-Mar	26	0	0.0%	0^th
1989 Apr-Jun	77	4	5.2%	89^th
1989 Jul-Sep	118	2	1.7%	67^th
1989 Oct-Nov	91	1	1.1%	56^th
1990 Jan-Mar	48	1	2.1%	63^rd
1990 Apr-Jun	95	1	1.1%	43^rd
1990 Jul-Sep	114	2	1.8%	79^th
1990 Oct-Oct	69	1	1.4%	75^th
1991 Jan-Mar	41	1	2.4%	86^th
1991 Apr-Jun	74	5	6.8%	89^th
1991 Jul-Sep	96	3	3.1%	75^th
1991 Oct-Nov	69	3	4.3%	82^nd
1992 Jan-Mar	61	0	0.0%	0^th
1992 Apr-Jun	74	1	1.4%	57^th
1992 Jul-Sep	117	8	6.8%	79^th
1992 Oct-Oct	18	0	0.0%	0^th
1993 Feb-Mar	93	2	2.2%	77^th
1993 Apr-Jun	99	3	3.0%	69^th
1993 Jul-Sep	109	4	3.7%	83^rd
1993 Oct-Nov	94	3	3.2%	67^th
1994 Jan-Mar	86	12	14.0%	94^th
1994 Apr-Jun	92	3	3.3%	75^th
1994 Jul-Sep	136	2	1.5%	53^rd
1994 Oct-Dec	15	2	13.3%	86^th
1995 Jan-Mar	125	6	4.8%	74^th
1995 Apr-Jun	171	8	4.7%	85^th
1995 Jul-Sep	184	3	1.6%	64^th
1995 Oct-Dec	133	6	4.5%	92^nd
1996 Jan-Mar	60	1	1.7%	57^th
1996 Apr-Jun	122	1	0.8%	60^th
1996 Jul-Sep	121	0	0.0%	0^th
1996 Oct-Oct	3	0	0.0%	0^th
1997 Jan-Mar	35	1	2.9%	78^th
1997 Apr-Jun	125	0	0.0%	0^th
1997 Jul-Sep	103	7	6.8%	92^nd
1997 Oct-Nov	35	5	14.3%	96^th
1998 Jan-Mar	52	4	7.7%	84^th
1998 Apr-Jun	131	5	3.8%	78^th
1998 Jul-Sep	109	3	2.8%	71^st
1998 Oct-Oct	22	0	0.0%	0^th
1999 Jan-Mar	81	2	2.5%	78^th
1999 Apr-Jun	111	9	8.1%	91^st
1999 Jul-Sep	112	3	2.7%	78^th
1999 Oct-Nov	70	1	1.4%	53^rd
2000 Feb-Mar	51	1	2.0%	76^th
2000 Apr-Jun	120	10	8.3%	93^rd
2000 Jul-Sep	89	3	3.4%	75^th
2000 Oct-Dec	38	3	7.9%	64^th
2001 Jan-Mar	63	0	0.0%	0^th
2001 Apr-Jun	157	5	3.2%	89^th
2001 Jul-Sep	68	3	4.4%	74^th
2001 Oct-Dec	92	1	1.1%	44^th
2002 Jan-Mar	59	1	1.7%	34^th
2002 Apr-Jun	107	2	1.9%	48^th
2002 Jul-Sep	61	4	6.6%	89^th
2002 Oct-Nov	26	0	0.0%	0^th
2003 Jan-Mar	112	20	17.9%	93^rd
2003 Apr-Jun	150	6	4.0%	85^th
2003 Jul-Sep	108	6	5.6%	91^st
2003 Oct-Nov	89	3	3.4%	78^th
2004 Jan-Mar	64	5	7.8%	88^th
2004 Apr-Jun	88	4	4.5%	81^st
2004 Jul-Sep	42	3	7.1%	81^st
2004 Oct-Dec	22	5	22.7%	87^th
2005 Jan-Mar	81	3	3.7%	87^th
2005 Apr-Jun	89	5	5.6%	82^nd
2005 Jul-Sep	76	5	6.6%	88^th
2005 Oct-Dec	120	17	14.2%	96^th
2006 Jan-Mar	83	7	8.4%	94^th
2006 Apr-Jun	107	14	13.1%	95^th
2006 Jul-Sep	73	3	4.1%	79^th
2006 Nov-Dec	16	10	62.5%	99^th
2007 Jan-Mar	126	33	26.2%	97^th
2007 Apr-Jun	112	33	29.5%	94^th
2007 Jul-Sep	119	39	32.8%	95^th
2007 Oct-Dec	85	68	80.0%	97^th
2008 Jan-Mar	85	4	4.7%	84^th
2008 Apr-Jun	77	16	20.8%	94^th
2008 Jul-Sep	47	13	27.7%	97^th
2008 Oct-Dec	6	3	50.0%	98^th
2009 Jan-Mar	5	3	60.0%	98^th

Primary Sources

The information on this page is originally sourced from a variety of materials, including:

unitedstates/congress-legislators, a community project gathering congressional information
The House and Senate websites, for committee membership and voting records
United States Congressional Roll Call Voting Records, 1789-1990 by Howard L. Rosenthal and Keith T. Poole.
Martis’s “The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress”, via Keith Poole’s roll call votes data set, for political party affiliation for Members of Congress from 1789 through about year 2000
GPO Member Guide for the photo
GovInfo.gov, for sponsored bills

Vice President Joseph Biden Jr.

Links

Follow GovTrack on social media for more updates:

On GovTrack Insider:

I have an opinion I want to share.

I need help, have a question, or want to schedule a tour.

Analysis

Ideology–Leadership Chart

Enacted Legislation

Bills Sponsored

Issue Areas

Recent Bills

Voting Record

Key Votes

Biden voted Nay

Biden voted Yea

Biden voted Not Voting

Biden voted Nay

Biden voted Yea

Missed Votes

Primary Sources