The Biden administration continually falls back on promises made to the public. While the White House has repeatedly boasted that “One Year In, President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act is Driving Historic Climate Action and Investing in America to Create Good Paying Jobs and Reduce Costs,” the administration quietly funneled $50 million in taxpayer funds earmarked for clean energy to two groups that oppose immigration enforcement.
These groups do not work for a better environment. They should not receive this money. Plus, amid Biden’s tough-on-immigration rhetoric, the hypocrisy is palpable.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), in her investigation of spending from the Inflation Reduction Act, found several instances of gross misuse of funds. The Environmental Protection Agency chose the New York Immigration Coalition and New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice as partners to distribute $50 million of the $3 billion set aside in the IRA for environmental and climate block grants, the Wall Street Journal reported last week.
Instead, they adamantly support abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, believe guarding borders is “racist and classist,” and want to block state and local government employees from cooperating with federal immigration officials, Capito said. These groups, regardless of anyone’s opinion on immigration, should not be receiving taxpayer dollars. When a group is so divisive in their messaging and not actually deeply dedicated to the cause they are receiving money for, they should not get any taxpayer funds.
The EPA continues to demonstrate a concerning pattern of misusing funds designated under the Inflation Reduction Act. Rather than exercising careful scrutiny over organizations vying to administer taxpayer dollars, it continues to haphazardly distribute these funds. This approach starkly contrasts with its duty to act as a responsible steward of public finances. Such negligence not only compromises the integrity of the funding process but also undermines the public trust in the EPA’s ability to manage resources effectively and responsibly.
The EPA once again faced criticism for allocating $50 million from the same grant program to the Climate Justice Alliance, a group known for supporting anti-Israel protests. On its website, a homepage tab directs visitors to a section titled “Free Palestine,” asserting that the matter is linked to climate justice. The decision to fund a group that refers to Israel as a colonist state raises questions about the use of taxpayer dollars. Our alliance with Israel is important to us, and funding activities that contradict this partnership is a significant failure.