Fact check: Has President Biden issued mass or category-based pardons (e.g., drug offenses, nonviolent, military) and when?

Executive Summary — Short Answer Up Front

President Biden has used his clemency power in several category-based and mass actions, including a large pardon for thousands of former service members convicted under the UCMJ ban on consensual gay sex (June 26, 2024), a mass federal pardon for simple marijuana possession (December 2024), and very large commutation grants for people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses in January 2025. His administration recorded thousands of individual acts of clemency across these moves, and critics and congressional investigators have framed some actions within partisan narratives about accountability and presidential capacity ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}.

1. A sweeping military pardon reshaped benefits for veterans

On June 26, 2024, President Biden issued a presidential proclamation granting a full, complete, and unconditional pardon to persons convicted of unaggravated violations of Article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice for consensual, private conduct from May 31, 1951, through December 26, 2013. The action aimed to allow affected veterans to apply for certificates of pardon and to restore benefits and dignity long withheld, making the pardon explicitly category-based and retrospective to a defined date range. The proclamation was presented by the White House as an issue of decency and restoration for those punished under an obsolete military policy ^{[1] [6] [7]}.

2. A mass marijuana pardon and the scale of federal relief

In late 2024 the administration announced a mass pardon addressing simple federal marijuana possession, with reporting indicating a 6,500-person pardon for simple possession under federal law. The measure was a category-based clemency action focused on nonviolent drug possession and linked to evolving federal and state approaches to marijuana policy. The move was framed administratively as a corrective measure to address past enforcement disparities and to align federal practice with broader policy shifts, and it was reported alongside lists cataloguing individuals pardoned under the initiative ^{[2] [8]}.

3. Commutations for nonviolent drug offenders — the biggest single-day relief

In January 2025, the administration announced commutations for nearly 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses, arguing many sentences were longer than they would be under current law and that commutations would correct historic sentencing disparities, especially those tied to crack-cocaine penalties. Media accounts characterized the action as setting records for the number of individual pardons and commutations under a single presidency, and advocates called it one of the largest single-day acts of clemency in modern history while urging further use of pardon power for other categories such as death-penalty cases ^{[3] [9] [10]}.

4. Aggregate scale: more clemency acts than prior presidents, by counting method

Analyses published in early 2025 reported that President Biden granted 4,245 acts of clemency during his tenure to that point, a figure presented as higher than any previous president when tallying pardons, commutations, and related actions. That aggregate combines the category-based mass pardons and the many individual grants, producing a numerical record described by some outlets as unprecedented. The metric depends on counting methods — combining mass proclamations and many individual acts — and this comprehensive total was highlighted in reporting as a benchmark of the administration’s clemency strategy ^{[4] [9]}.

5. Political reactions, accountability questions, and contested narratives

These clemency actions prompted divergent reactions: advocates praised restorative justice and correction of sentencing inequities, while critics raised concerns about proximity and propriety in certain individual pardons, including the president’s decision to pardon his son, as documented in lists of pardons. Separately, a House committee report released in October 2025 questioned the president’s decision-making capacity and suggested those concerns could bear on clemency actions; that report was partisan and framed within a broader oversight agenda, and it reflects how clemency has become a focal point for political scrutiny as well as legal and ethical debate ^{[8] [5] [11]}.

6. What the record means and outstanding questions for policy and oversight

The administration’s pattern shows a clear preference for category-based remedial pardons and large-scale commutations targeting nonviolent drug offenses, simple marijuana possession, and historic military convictions for consensual conduct. These actions address systemic policy shifts but also raise questions about selection criteria, transparency in individual reviews, and the balance between broad restorative proclamations and case-by-case justice. Ongoing oversight and commentary will continue to weigh the legal mechanics, the human impact on beneficiaries, and the political narratives that shape public understanding of presidential clemency ^{[3] [6] [4]}.