It’s good to be president, especially a Democratic president running for reelection, because you can use billions of taxpayer dollars to try and buy the votes you need to win the presidential election.
The media and pundits will grumble and marvel over the hundreds of millions of donated dollars spent on the presidential campaign. But that figure, whatever it is, will pale in comparison to the billions of dollars of taxpayer money Biden will give away.
Here’s five recent examples:
(1) Last week the White House released this statement: “Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced its latest actions to expand access for small businesses to the over $700 billion spent through federal contracts each year, particularly for those owned by individuals from underrepresented communities.”
Did I say “billions of taxpayer dollars”? Make that “hundreds of billions.”
(2) Yesterday, the Washington Post reported: “Biden administration officials on Monday announced $150 million in research funding for 18 states, most of which are contested or red, as part of a raft of policies to boost the nation’s manufacturing industries ahead of the election.”
The “nation’s manufacturing industries” aren’t the only thing Biden is trying to “boost.”
(3) Last week the White House announced: “Today, President Biden will travel to the Raleigh-Durham area to announce $82 million in new investments from the American Rescue Plan’s (ARP) Capital Projects Fund to connect an additional 16,000 North Carolina homes and businesses to high-speed internet ….”
Did I mention that North Carolina is one of the key swing states Biden needs to win?
(4) The U.S. Department of Transportation announced last week: “Today, President Biden and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced more than $4.9 billion in funding from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to 37 projects through two major discretionary grant programs, the National Infrastructure Project Assistance (Mega) grant program and the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant program.”
(5) And last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture revealed: “U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is investing $207 million in renewable energy and domestic fertilizer projects to lower energy bills, generate new income, create jobs, and strengthen competition for U.S. farmers, ranchers and agricultural producers.”
Did I mention that Biden’s biggest election challenge is persuading rural voters to support him?
And remember, all of these much-hyped handouts have been in the past week. We still have nine more months to go.
Yes, running for president has never been so expensive. It’s costing those who donate to presidential candidates a lot more. But Biden’s reelection handouts are costing taxpayers—millions of whom don’t support him—hundreds of billions of dollars.
January 30, 2024