If you’re thinking about the upcoming presidential election, don’t just look at the polls. Notice how President Biden is spending billions of taxpayer dollars on “community organizations” in “disadvantaged communities” to influence the election.
Barack Obama, who started as a community organizer and became president, was very skilled at using government money to support community organizations.
These left-wing non-profits acted like a fourth branch of government. Their workers, funded by taxpayer money but not restricted by government rules, could help increase voter turnout during elections.
Joe Biden has expanded on Obama’s strategy, using billions of dollars instead of just millions.
Recently, Senator Shelley Moore Capito from West Virginia highlighted that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gave a $50 million “environmental justice” grant to the Climate Justice Alliance.
Capito was concerned because this group supports many radical activities, including advocating for a free Palestine and fighting “political oppression.”
However, the $50 million given to the Climate Justice Alliance is just a small part of the money involved.
If Congress members had carefully read the Inflation Reduction Act before passing it in 2022, they would have seen that it provides $2.8 billion to the EPA for “environmental and climate justice block grants.”
This money can be given to many political activists, not just the Climate Justice Alliance.
Who else is getting this money? One recipient is the New York Immigration Coalition, a group that advocates for more services and political power for immigrants and refugees.
Another recipient is the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, which also pushes for immigrant rights. These groups don’t mention “climate” or “environment” in their mission statements.
Lawmakers may have thought they were approving money for climate improvement, but the fine print of the IRA allows this money to be used to “engage disadvantaged communities in State and Federal advisory groups, workshops, rule-making, and other public processes.”
In other words, it can be used for election activities.
Getting this money is easy. The EPA wants to reduce the burden of the federal grants process for small community-based organizations that support underserved communities.
The money can only go to disadvantaged communities or southern border towns.
According to Biden’s “Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool,” there are 27,521 disadvantaged communities in the US.
These communities, which often have non-English speakers and people with health issues like diabetes, usually vote Democratic. Including border towns is also strategic.
As these areas face challenges with increasing migrant populations, federal money might help maintain support for Biden’s policies.
In his first week as president, Biden issued an executive order for the Justice40 initiative. This rule requires that 40% of many types of federal spending must go to “disadvantaged communities.”
The Department of Energy is also spreading money to these communities using “community benefit plans” and making the application process flexible.
This strategy started with ObamaCare. The Affordable Care Act allowed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to distribute “community transformation grants.”
For example, Community Health Councils, which received $7.9 million in 2012, used the money to promote “voter engagement” and other social justice efforts, not just healthcare.
Now, Biden is directing every federal agency to promote voter engagement.
Although Biden’s community grants are smaller compared to his $620 billion student-debt cancellation plan, this money goes directly to political activists who can influence elections.
To preserve the integrity of democracy, tell your congressional representatives to carefully read bills before voting on them and remove these community grants that can unfairly influence elections.