Fact Check: Biden established Juneteenth as a federal holiday with a stroke of his pen.

Fact Check: Biden established Juneteenth as a federal holiday with a stroke of his pen.

Published June 20, 2025
VERDICT
True

# Fact Check: "Biden established Juneteenth as a federal holiday with a stroke of his pen." ## What We Know On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden sig...

Fact Check: "Biden established Juneteenth as a federal holiday with a stroke of his pen."

What We Know

On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, which officially established June 19 as a federal holiday in the United States. This act commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, specifically marking the day in 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to free the last enslaved African Americans. Biden stated that making Juneteenth a federal holiday was one of his proudest actions as President, emphasizing the importance of recognizing this significant moment in American history (GovInfo, White House).

The legislation passed with bipartisan support, reflecting a growing recognition of the historical significance of Juneteenth. The holiday is now recognized as a federal holiday, making it the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established nearly four decades prior (AP News, NY Times).

Analysis

The claim that Biden established Juneteenth as a federal holiday "with a stroke of his pen" is accurate in the context that he signed the legislation into law, thereby making it official. However, it's important to note that this action followed a legislative process that included the proposal of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act (S.475), which was passed by both chambers of Congress before being signed by the President (Congress.gov, Reuters).

The sources reporting on this event, including major news outlets like the New York Times and NPR, provide reliable coverage of the event, detailing the significance of the holiday and the legislative process that led to its establishment (NY Times, NPR). These sources are credible and well-regarded in the field of journalism, ensuring that the information presented is accurate and trustworthy.

While the phrase "with a stroke of his pen" simplifies the process, it captures the essence of the President's role in formalizing the holiday. The signing of the bill was indeed a pivotal moment, representing a culmination of advocacy and legislative effort to recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday.

Conclusion

Verdict: True. The claim that President Biden established Juneteenth as a federal holiday with a stroke of his pen is accurate, as he signed the legislation that made it official. While the process involved legislative action, the signing marked a significant moment in recognizing the historical importance of Juneteenth in American history.

Sources

  1. PDF Administration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr., 2023 - GovInfo
  2. A Proclamation on Juneteenth Day of Observance, 2023
  3. S.475 - Juneteenth National Independence Day Act 117th Congress
  4. PDF Juneteenth National Independence Day Holiday
  5. Biden signs bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday
  6. Biden Signs Law Making Juneteenth a Federal Holiday
  7. What is Juneteenth and when did it become a US federal holiday?
  8. Biden Signs Juneteenth Holiday Into Law

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And they deliberately lied and by the way Jake Tapper had a bombshell 01:08 book exposing the incredible scandal that Biden's mental decline was covered up by Jake Tapper. There's a Yiddish word and that truly is how dare we lie and cover up what we all knew. Now I have been asked literally a thousand times by Texans. Was running the country? And I'm going to give 01:40 you the most terrifying answer. I don't know. I genuinely don't know. And not a single Democrat here cares. The most telling proof of Biden's decline came with the signature of the president. The symbol of executive authority that was outsourced to a machine. Mister Wald you're a lawyer who served in the White House Council's Office. You understand the gravity of presidential action. Does the president's signature 02:10 carry legal and constitutional weight under article two? Yes. Is the act of signing an executive order or signing a law or granting a pardon a delegable duty of the president. Uh so in that opinion in 2005 from OLC they said essentially that an autopin could be used by a subordinate but the president's determination as to sign the document can never be delegated. Can that authority 02:41 be transferred to a staff or a machine without the president's explicit authorization? Never. And if you look at the statistics, the statistics are stunning. In 2021, President Biden issued 78 executive orders. None were signed with an auto pen. That first year the presidency, Biden I suppose was relatively lucid and 78 executive orders he signed by hand. The second year, however, we see the auto pen emerged. 03:15 The first auto pen executive order was issued on 15th 2022. After that day 100% of the executive orders issued in 2022 were signed by an autopen. In 2023 Biden issued twenty-four executive orders. 16 were auto penned. In 20twenty-four Biden issued 19. 14 were auto penned. 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