Biden commutes sentences of 1,500 Americans in single day record

President Biden on Thursday commuted the sentences of 1,500 Americans who were placed in home confinement during the pandemic and pardoned another 39 people in what the White House said is the record for clemency in a single day.

Why it matters: Several members of Congress in both parties had pushed Biden to make broader use of his clemency powers in the wake of his highly unpopular decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden.

Until now, Biden had only issued 26 pardons, one of the lowest totals in recent memory.

The big picture: The 1,500 people who received commutations had all been serving their sentences in home confinement for at least a year — in accordance with the pandemic-era CARES Act, per a White House fact sheet.