Digging Holes
Political Campaign Signs Paid for By Pothole Joe with Your Tax Dollars.
Joe Biden wants you to know he is spending your money—and lots of it—by putting up thousands of billboards along roads and other publicly funded projects over the country declaring they were “funded by President Joe Biden.” You’re also paying for those.
Cool story Joe, but we all know you aren’t funding anything… you’re charging your trillion dollar spending spree to taxpayers.
As predicted, Biden is using the “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law” as a piggy bank to pay for partisan pork projects, like this, that are totally unrelated to roads and bridges. Even the liberal CNN admits, “the president has stretched the definition of infrastructure.” But who would have ever guessed Biden would stretch the meaning to include public financing for his own re-election infrastructure?
Folks, political campaign signs are not infrastructure. It’s obvious the real intent of these posters is to pave the way for Biden’s re-election.
In fact, the number of car repairs caused from potholes has increased since Biden signed his “infrastructure law." Some streets have so many craters they are being compared to the surface of the moon. Folks are literally raising money on GoFundMe to fill potholes. Others are spray painting around them to alert drivers. A volunteer firefighter hoping to help motorists avoid hitting the holes by highlighting them is even being charged with criminal mischief. The pothole problem is costing motorists billions of dollars in auto damage every year.
Meanwhile, “Pothole Joe” is spending tax dollars on campaign signs rather than fixing the roads in disrepair.
If that isn’t maddening enough, Bidenomics is also wiping out the spending increases for infrastructure. Highway construction costs are up nearly 70 percent since Biden became president. Because the dollar isn’t going nearly as far as it once did, the actual amount put towards transportation could be reduced as much as 40 percent over the next five years, according to the administration’s own estimates.
This highway robbery is enough to give taxpayers road rage!
Why is there no billboard next to the seven electric vehicle charging stations built over the past two years boasting that they were bought by the Biden administration with $7.5 billion? Such a sign could proudly declare, “This billion dollar boondoggle brought to you by President Biden!” Now, that would give everyone, no matter what kind of vehicle they drive, a real charge.
A similar sign should be posted alongside the route of the $8.3 billion pet rail project of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco. The Biden administration has committed at least $3.4 billion to complete the 1.3-mile gravy train that is on track to be one of the most expensive transit projects in the world. That certainly qualifies it as a historical attraction deserving of a sign for public recognition.
For years, I’ve been attempting to show how Washington spends tax dollars so every American can decide for themselves if they are getting their money’s worth.
Despite authoring numerous laws requiring public disclosure, however, the Biden administration refuses to provide price transparency to taxpayers. Yet, the White House can put up billboards taking credit for projects being paid for with tax dollars.
That is why I am giving my June 2024 Squeal Award to the White House Office of Management and Budget for playing politics with taxpayer money.
I am also demanding a calculation of the total number and costs of these campaign signs and for the White House to start posting the price of every project for the folks who are actually funding them—the American taxpayers.
Joni Ernst, a native of Red Oak and a combat veteran, represents Iowa in the United States Senate.
