Young Not Stupid: If Only 6% of Biden's Infrastructure Bill Is for Infrastructure, What's the Other 94% For?
The following is an installment in a weekly series of commentary articles by Cameron Arcand, founder of the conservative commentary website Young Not Stupid and a contributor to The Western Journal.
President Joe Biden’s next major legislative push is on infrastructure, but his proposed $2 trillion plan might be more fluff than concrete.
A recent analysis from Fox News determined that less than $750 billion actually goes towards what is typically considered infrastructure, like roads and bridges.
The aforementioned total includes $115 billion to “modernize” roads and bridges that need repair and $80 billion to expand and conduct maintenance for Amtrak, Fox News reported.
By this estimate, it means that only around six percent of “The American Jobs Plan” truly fulfills its advertised purpose.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy criticized the plan as a waste of taxpayer dollars.
“Not an April Fools joke: President Biden’s so-called ‘infrastructure’ plan spends less than 6% to repair bridges, highways, and roads,” the high-ranking Republican tweeted last week.
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Not an April Fools joke: President Biden’s so-called “infrastructure” plan spends less than 6% to repair bridges, highways, and roads. pic.twitter.com/Dx64xMELGb
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) April 2, 2021
So what does the other 94 percent cover?
With the administration using the term “care infrastructure,” it includes billions for the elderly and disabled, scientific research and development and expanding broadband internet access.
Biden hopes that Congress will also approve $174 billion in electric car subsidies in hopes to increase EV chargers nationwide and convert a percentage of public transportation to electric.
The biggest winner of all? Unions.
Yes, after Biden betrayed the blue-collar labor unions after the cancellation of the Keystone XL Pipeline, he is hoping to make amends with the group.
He has proposed that $400 billion will go towards union jobs, but critics are skeptical that this will go against his green energy plans, according to Politico.
While Biden loves to pretend that he is a bipartisan leader, his spending dreams are going to be a turnoff to any Republican support.
As it is considered one of the most basic functions of government, infrastructure should be one of the issues where conservatives and liberals can unite, and Biden is even failing at that pursuit.
His somewhat contradictory union support seems to be an attempt to swoon West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, a swing vote who does not always vote with the rest of his caucus.
The United States has spent trillions in recent months on coronavirus relief, and the national debt is only getting higher.
While Republicans only become debt hawks when the presidential administration is the opposite party, they need to kick that mentality into high gear.
Improving infrastructure is a significant way to better the nation, and unrelated spending is not going to help effectively reach that goal.
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