President Joe Biden's $6.9 trillion budget spends tens of billions of dollars on welfare and social programs for minority groups both domestically and abroad, including a $400 million State Department program that helps foster "inclusive and responsible technology development … [for] the ability of women, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex community, and other marginalized groups to safely access digital technologies" in Africa.
Many of the spending programs revolve around equity, a concept Biden has said is at the center the White House's agenda and is mentioned 63 times throughout Biden's 182-page budget. Equity, in contrast to equality of opportunity, focuses on cash transfers and programs for groups that have been historically discriminated against, such as black people and the LGBT community.
Republicans have bristled at Biden's budget, which is roughly $700 billion more than the $6.2 trillion projected to be spent in the 2023 fiscal year. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) called the proposal "reckless" and said it is "doubling down on the same far-left spending policies that have led to record inflation and our current debt crisis."
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a center-left think tank, criticized Biden's budget for inadequately addressing the nation's debt crisis. Biden's budget would borrow $19 trillion over the next decade and raise the debt-to-GDP ratio to 110 percent by 2033.
"Spending in this budget is excessive," committee president Maya MacGuineas said in a statement. "At $6.9 trillion, spending next year would be higher than any time during the pandemic and about $2.5 trillion above the pre-pandemic level, representing growth of 55 percent."
For Republicans looking for places to start cutting from Biden's budget, here are seven places they could start:
1. Billions of Dollars in Subsidized Housing for Minorities
As part of the Biden administration's effort to expand "access to homeownership," its budget provides $10 billion "in mandatory funding for a new First-Generation Down Payment Assistant program." That fund would be used to "help address racial and ethnic homeownership and wealth gaps." A separate $100 million fund would be used for a pilot program "to expand homeownership opportunities for first-generation and/or low-wealth first-time homebuyers." U.S. home prices hit all-time highs last year, with experts citing low supply as the primary cause.
2. Half a Billion Dollars To Address 'the Maternal Health Crisis' Using Implicit Bias Training
Part of the $471 million to "support the ongoing implementation of the White House Blueprint to Address the Maternal Health Crisis" goes toward implementing "implicit bias training for health care providers."
The Washington Free Beacon has reported on implicit bias training programs in medical schools, which critics call nothing more than left-wing ideological capture. Implicit bias training sessions often include asking participants to list examples of white privilege and, in at least one case, affirm that all white people are racist. There is little to no evidence that implicit bias training leads to change in behavior.
3. $400 Million To Help LGBTQ Africans Access the Internet
As part of the Biden administration's efforts to strengthen "international digital connectivity," the U.S. Agency for International Development is earmarked $395 million for programs in Africa that advance "inclusive and responsible technology development, which also supports the ability of women, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex community, and other marginalized groups to safely access digital technologies."
4. $3 Billion To 'Advance Gender Equity and Equality Across a Broad Range of Sectors'
A $3 billion grant given to the State Department for advancing "gender equity and equality around the world" is part of the Biden administration's "commitment to invest in opportunities for women and girls and support the needs of marginalized communities, including the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex community." No further details on how the money will be spent are provided.
5. $50 Billion for Foreign Governments and Companies That Promote 'Gender Equity'
Biden signed an agreement last year with six other nations committing to $600 billion in global infrastructure spending by 2027. As part of that agreement, Biden wants $50 billion to get started on foreign investments "to advance climate and energy security, health and health security, digital connectivity, gender equity and equality, and related transportation infrastructure." That spending, according to the Biden administration, will create "opportunities for American businesses."
6. $54 Million for the Department of Energy's Office of Economic Impact and Diversity
The Office of Economic Impact and Diversity provides guidance on how the Department of Energy can "strengthen diversity and inclusion goals affecting equal employment opportunities, small and disadvantaged businesses, minority educational institutions, and historically underrepresented communities." And, should Biden get his way, the office will oversee a $54 million budget.
7. A $1.1 Billion 'Pay Equity Initiative' for the Transportation Security Agency
The folks yelling at you to remove your shoes at the airport are receiving a pay bump, all in the name of "diversity, equity, and inclusion." TSA staff will receive $1.1 billion in more funding compared with the previous year as part of Biden's "pay equity initiative."