As President Joe Biden’s lone term comes to an end, the administration has unleashed a torrent of executive orders, regulatory decisions, and bureaucratic maneuvers, signaling a deliberate and calculated attempt to hamstring the incoming Trump administration. This flurry of last-minute activity, cloaked under the guise of policy-making, is a blatant effort to entrench Biden’s left-wing agenda and erect roadblocks that will stymie President Trump’s plans to restore economic growth, lower consumer costs, and unleash American energy independence.
Among the most egregious of these actions is Biden’s newly announced offshore drilling ban—a sweeping policy decision that will have immediate and long-lasting consequences for energy prices, job creation, and America’s energy independence. Equally disturbing are new regulatory moves, such as the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Intramural Research Program Access Planning Policy, a measure that targets intellectual property rights and disrupts the free-market innovation ecosystem. These decisions reveal the Biden administration’s true priorities: empowering bureaucrats and activists at the expense of working families and seniors.
The Offshore Drilling Ban: America Last, Again
Just last week, President Biden announced a dramatic expansion of the offshore drilling ban, effectively locking away vast reserves of American energy. This decision is not only a direct assault on domestic energy producers but also a gift to foreign competitors like Russia and OPEC nations. By restricting exploration and drilling in U.S. waters, the Biden administration has set the stage for higher energy costs and greater dependence on foreign oil—policies that disproportionately harm middle-class families.
This offshore drilling ban will undoubtedly make it harder for the incoming Trump administration to jumpstart energy production and bring down gas prices. Let’s not forget: energy prices impact everything, from the cost of food to transportation to home heating. While President Trump will undoubtedly work to undo this disastrous policy, the red tape and regulatory hurdles crafted by Biden’s team are designed to delay, obstruct, and frustrate those efforts.
Moreover, the offshore drilling ban exemplifies a broader pattern within the Biden administration: weaponizing the federal bureaucracy to advance progressive goals and constrain future administrations. By tying up domestic energy resources and choking off new investment, Biden’s actions will make it harder for President Trump to restore America’s energy dominance—a hallmark of his first term that delivered record-low gas prices and unparalleled job growth.
The NIH’s Intramural Research Policy: A War on Innovation
If the offshore drilling ban represents a war on America’s energy producers, the NIH’s recently announced Intramural Research Program Access Planning Policy is an equally aggressive assault on America’s innovation ecosystem.
The NIH’s new policy would require innovators to submit “access plans” before they can develop new products that rely on publicly held patents owned by the NIH. This move is nothing more than a backdoor attempt to centralize control over the innovation process, with bureaucrats taking on the role of gatekeepers. The policy flies in the face of key policy frameworks and laws that have been foundational in supporting our world-class research ecosystem and by allowing researchers to commercialize federally funded inventions and fuel innovation. By demanding subjective “access plans,” the Biden administration risks chilling investment in cutting-edge research—an outcome that will ultimately harm consumers and patients alike.
What’s worse, the NIH’s policy isn’t confined to its own intellectual property. The request for information released alongside the policy makes clear that the administration intends to expand its reach to jointly-owned intellectual property created through public-private partnerships. This would create a perverse incentive for private companies to avoid partnerships with government agencies altogether, jeopardizing the development of life-saving medications and technologies.
Like the offshore drilling ban, the NIH policy is part of a broader Biden strategy to impose burdensome regulations that cause unnecessary roadblocks for the incoming Trump administration as they embark on creating a new, improved policy landscape. By targeting the intellectual property rights that drive America’s innovation economy, Biden’s NIH is deliberately undermining the free market in favor of centralized government control. The result? Higher costs for consumers, fewer breakthroughs in medicine and technology, and an innovation ecosystem paralyzed by bureaucratic interference.
A Pattern of Obstruction
The offshore drilling ban and the NIH policy are just two examples of the Biden administration’s last-minute regulatory blitz. Other actions, from restrictions on pipeline projects to expanded climate mandates, follow the same playbook: impose sweeping new regulations to entrench progressive policies and create maximum resistance to the incoming Trump administration’s agenda.
This pattern of obstruction is deeply concerning because it prioritizes partisan politics over the needs of American families. By driving up energy costs, stifling innovation, and expanding government overreach, Biden’s midnight moves are laying the groundwork for economic stagnation and higher prices across the board. Working families and seniors—already grappling with inflation and rising costs—will bear the brunt of these policies.
Moreover, the Biden administration’s actions reveal a fundamental distrust of the free market. Whether it’s energy production, intellectual property rights, or medical innovation, Biden’s policies consistently place the heavy hand of government over the efficient workings of the private sector. This ideological approach ignores decades of evidence showing that free markets deliver better outcomes for consumers, drive down costs, and foster innovation.
The Road Ahead: Reversing the Damage
President Trump’s return to the White House offers hope for reversing Biden’s disastrous policies and restoring America’s economic strength. But make no mistake: the challenges are significant. Biden’s offshore drilling ban and NIH policy are just the tip of the iceberg. The Trump administration will need to act swiftly and decisively to dismantle the web of regulations and executive orders designed to obstruct progress.
Key priorities for the Trump administration should include:
1. Restoring Energy Independence: Rolling back the offshore drilling ban and clearing the way for increased domestic energy production must be at the top of the agenda. By unleashing America’s energy resources, President Trump can deliver lower prices and greater economic growth.
2. Defending Intellectual Property Rights: The Trump administration should work with Congress to reinstate the principles of the Bayh-Dole Act and protect the innovation ecosystem from government overreach. Strong intellectual property protections are essential to ensuring continued investment in research and development.
3. Streamlining Regulatory Reform: President Trump must build on the successes of his first term by further streamlining the regulatory process. This includes dismantling unnecessary regulations imposed during the Biden era and restoring the free-market principles that drive prosperity.
Conclusion: A Fight for America’s Future
The Biden administration’s final flurry of executive orders and regulatory decisions is a transparent attempt to thwart the will of the American people and sabotage President Trump’s incoming administration. These actions, from the offshore drilling ban to the NIH’s innovation-stifling policies, are emblematic of an administration more concerned with legacy-building than with serving the needs of everyday Americans.
President Trump has a monumental task ahead, but with the right policies and a steadfast commitment to free-market principles, he can undo the damage and restore America’s economic vitality. The stakes could not be higher: the future of America’s energy independence, innovation economy, and prosperity hang in the balance.
Let the work begin.
