Score another one for Joe Biden

Dear Palmer Report readers: it's Bill Palmer. I'm as sick of Trump as you are. I'm expanding Palmer Report's operations so we can lead the fight against Trump. Click here to donate $25 or $50.

The last time I saw a bald eagle was in July, while visiting the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. I enjoyed observing quite a few of them up close, all the while not realizing that, despite the bald eagleโ€™s prominent spot in the Great Seal of the United States, it had not officially become the national bird. Later that same month, things would begin to change.

On July 29, in a rare unanimous vote, the U.S. Senate passed a bill conferring the distinction of national bird, which has remained vacant over the centuries, to the bald eagle. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who introduced the bill on June 20, called the bald eagle nothing less than โ€œa symbol of our countryโ€™s freedom and strength.โ€

Earlier this month, a House version of the bill also passed the House without opposition. That brought it to President Joe Bidenโ€™s desk, where he signed it into law on Tuesday ahead of the holidays. The lawโ€™s text details the long history and integral role the bald eagle has played in the United States, from history and economics to entertainment.

Among other things, the bald eagleโ€™s image is the leading insignia for all U.S. military branches and thousands of federal entities, including branches, departments, and agencies. Many businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and sports teams across the country incorporate the bald eagle into its logo. Bald eagles are also a core part of the spiritual lives and sacred belief systems of most Indigenous peoples and Tribal communities.

As one of President Bidenโ€™s final legislative acts in a career dedicated to public service spanning several decades, this monumentally symbolic law cements the bald eagleโ€™s status as a cherished national icon. Its passage, with broad bipartisan support, offers a rare moment of unity along with hope that the 119th Congress, which gets sworn in on January 3 (the end of next week), can find ways to work together to accomplish meaningful progress on issues that are important to all Americans.

Dear Palmer Report readers: it's Bill Palmer. I'm as sick of Trump as you are. I'm expanding Palmer Report's operations so we can lead the fight against Trump. Click here to donate $25 or $50.