Staff Reports
People, the Biden administration is back at it! They are granting municipalities and states greater latitude to store funds from a pot of $100 billion in unspent pandemic relief through 2024. Indeed, they are simply allowing them to accumulate that amount of money while hardworking Americans struggle. This Treasury Department regulation that goes unnoticed is akin to granting unrestricted access to a confectionery store for children; it spells catastrophe.
Biden turns COVID-19 relief into ‘slush fund’ for state, local spending spreeshttps://t.co/JJxfshxFE8 pic.twitter.com/iN4PLb9xoB
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) December 5, 2023
The aforementioned fund, the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund, was established in accordance with Vice President Biden's American Rescue Plan, which has a budget of $1.9 trillion. The Biden administration has now manipulated the regulations in order to establish an organization they refer to as a "election-year slush fund." This implies that local and state governments may consider funds obligated beyond 2024, provided that they submit a report to the Treasury no later than April. It is the same as writing them a blank check without a due date.
A right-leaning think tank, the Economic Policy Innovation Center, exposes this Bidenomics slush fund for what it truly is: a transparent attempt to amass cash. They are emphasizing how this modification to the regulation enables local and state governments to report funds to the Treasury by April and have them considered obligated beyond 2024. Using taxpayer funds is akin to participating in a financial game of hide-and-seek.
Although the Treasury spokesperson may attempt to manipulate the situation, the deadline established by Congress for state and local governments remains unchanged. In reality, this rule change merely provides leeway and additional time for state and local governments to spend the money instead of returning it to the federal government. It is widely recognized that an excess of government funds leads to the provision of golf courses and lottery prizes for vaccinated citizens, among other things.
In reality, states and local governments have only committed 56% of the total appropriation for the $350 billion program, according to authors Paul Winfree and Brittany Madni. They can only speculate on the inventive methods they will devise to spend the money during the additional time allotted to them by this new regulation. Possibly they will begin financing yoga classes for felines or constructing stables for unicorns; who knows with these extravagant spenders?
Nonetheless, it gets even better! States, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office, spent billions on initiatives with minimal ties to the COVID-19 pandemic. For golf courses, swimming pools, sports stadiums, tennis courts, and even rodeos, we are discussing millions of dollars! Furthermore, it is crucial to acknowledge the $4.2 million that was authorized for the provision of legal services intended for asylum-seekers, immigrants, and refugees in Illinois. It is akin to an unrestrained expenditure without any sense of responsibility.
Furthermore, to add insult to injury, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham utilized sixteen million dollars from the pandemic recovery fund to operate a lottery aimed at recipients of the COVID-19 vaccine. It is as though they are employing tax dollars as if they were play money, distributing them to all individuals with the expectation of securing a prize. Does this represent government accountability?
The Biden administration's management of pandemic relief funds is manifestly a catastrophic failure. They are permitting local and state governments to spend money on politically contentious initiatives and frivolous projects, while hardworking Americans are forced to foot the bill. Washington needs to exercise some fiscal responsibility immediately; this simply will not suffice.
