World & U.S. News

Biden’s Last Stand: Pushes $750 Billion ‘Investing in America’ Out the Door Before Trump’s Return

In his final days in office, President Joe Biden has taken a dramatic step to ensure his flagship Investing in America program survives a change in leadership. By distributing nearly all available funds from his administration’s major climate and economic initiatives—approximately $750 billion—the president has locked in these investments, effectively tying the hands of the incoming Trump administration.

According to USA TODAY, the Biden administration has formally obligated roughly 99% of the existing grant funding allocated for clean energy, infrastructure, and manufacturing projects. This means the government has entered into binding contracts with private companies, state governments, and other entities to carry out these projects. Once these contracts are signed, they cannot be canceled without evidence of a breach. As Natalie Quillian, Biden’s outgoing White House deputy chief of staff, explained, “The change that we have seen over the last four years through these investments is really hard to reverse.”

At the heart of these initiatives are three pieces of landmark legislation: the $1 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act. Together, they fund a wide array of projects aimed at rebuilding the nation’s physical and economic foundation. These include repairing over 350,000 miles of highways, fixing nearly 21,000 bridges, replacing a million lead water pipes, connecting three million homes and businesses to high-speed internet, and constructing 5,000 miles of new electric transmission lines to stabilize the power grid. Additionally, the programs provide major incentives for clean energy production, such as manufacturing electric vehicles, solar panels, and advanced batteries.

The Inflation Reduction Act alone includes $400 billion in clean-energy investments. Biden’s White House has called it “the most significant investment in America since the New Deal,” with clean energy factories springing up across the country. In fact, the report obtained by USA TODAY notes that these investments have generated an estimated $1 trillion in private-sector funding. Biden’s team believes these developments will transform the economy and help the United States become a global leader in clean energy. “We are now better positioned than any nation in the world to win the economic competition of the 21st century,” Biden wrote in the report.

Biden’s approach is strategic. By channeling substantial funds into projects that benefit Republican-leaning districts, he hopes to make these initiatives politically difficult to dismantle. As the report points out, a significant number of clean energy factories and infrastructure projects are located in red-leaning areas. Biden himself acknowledged this during his recent remarks to the U.S. Conference of Mayors: “Will the next president really stop an electric battery facility in Liberty, North Carolina? Will he shut down a new solar factory being built in Cartersville, Georgia?” By placing these projects in regions that benefit politically powerful constituencies, Biden is betting that even members of the opposing party will hesitate to roll back programs that bring jobs and economic growth to their districts.

However, critics have raised concerns about the long-term impact of these massive expenditures. While the White House celebrates these investments as essential to America’s future, detractors warn that injecting such a vast amount of money into the economy over a short period could contribute to inflation. Even Biden acknowledged the challenges of managing public perception: “There are things that are going to create enormous wealth and work out there, but it takes time,” he told USA TODAY earlier this month. Some experts worry that the ambitious timeline and scale of these projects may lead to higher costs for taxpayers and prolonged inflationary pressures.

As President-elect Trump prepares to take office, he faces limited options. Many of these grants are locked into contracts that, according to White House officials, cannot simply be revoked. Even if Trump sought to cancel certain programs, the legal structure of these agreements would require proof of noncompliance by the recipient—something not easily obtained. Furthermore, the political risk of pulling the plug on popular projects in key districts would likely be a major deterrent.

In sum, Biden’s administration has not only distributed nearly every available dollar for Investing in America initiatives but has done so in a way that leaves little room for reversal. By formally obligating these funds through contracts and situating projects in politically advantageous regions, Biden has crafted a legacy that will be difficult for his successor to undo. While supporters hail this as a historic investment in the nation’s future, critics caution that the high costs and potential inflationary impact could overshadow these achievements. As the political and economic debates continue, one thing is clear: the Investing in America program represents a bold—and expensive—attempt to shape the country’s future trajectory.

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