Here Are Seven Woke Spending Proposals in Biden’s Budget

President Joe Biden’s budget proposal of $6.9 trillion invests a significant amount of money in social programs and welfare for marginalized groups both within the United States and abroad. One example of such investment is $400 million designated for a State Department program that supports inclusive and responsible technology development in Africa. This program would facilitate access to digital technologies for women, the LGBTQ community, and other marginalized groups.

The budget focuses heavily on equity, a central concept for the White House agenda mentioned 63 times throughout the 182-page budget. Equity, unlike equality of opportunity, centers around cash transfers and programs for historically discriminated groups such as black people and the LGBT community.

Republicans have criticized Biden’s budget proposal since it is approximately $700 billion more than the $6.2 trillion projected to be spent in the 2023 fiscal year. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy referred to the proposal as “reckless,” which doubles down on far-left spending policies that have led to record inflation and the present debt crisis.

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a center-left think tank, has criticized the budget proposal for not adequately addressing the nation’s debt crisis. The budget would borrow $19 trillion over the next decade, raising the debt-to-GDP ratio to 110 percent by 2033. The president of the committee, Maya MacGuineas, stated in a press release that spending in this budget is excessive compared to spending during the pandemic and is 55 percent higher than the pre-pandemic level.

For Republicans seeking areas to make budget cuts, the following are seven proposals within Biden’s budget that they may consider:

1. Subsidized Housing for Minorities

As part of the Biden administration’s effort to enhance “access to home ownership,” the budget proposes $10 billion “in mandatory funding for a new First-Generation Down Payment Assistant program” to help address racial and ethnic gaps in homeownership and wealth. An additional $100 million would fund a pilot program aimed at expanding homeownership opportunities for first-generation and/or low-wealth first-time homebuyers. Last year, U.S. home prices reached all-time highs due to low supply.

2. Implicit Bias Training for Maternal Health Crisis

Part of the $471 million proposed to “support the ongoing implementation of the White House Blueprint to Address the Maternal Health Crisis” would go toward implementing “implicit bias training for health care providers.” Critics accuse such training programs of merely being vehicles for left-wing ideological indoctrination. Implicit-bias training sessions frequently include asking participants to enumerate instances of white privilege and, in at least one example, to affirm that all white people are racist. There is little to no evidence that implicit bias training produces a change in behavior.

3. Assistance for LGBTQ Africans to Access the Internet

To strengthen “international digital connectivity,” the budget proposes that the U.S. Agency for International Development earmark $395 million to support inclusive and responsible technology development for the LGBTQ community, women, and other marginalized groups’ safe access to digital technologies in Africa.

4. Funding for Advancing Gender Equity

The State Department would receive a $3 billion grant for expanding “gender equity and equality around the world” as part of the Biden administration’s commitment to invest in the needs of marginalized communities. The budget does not offer more information on how the funds will be used.

5. Promote ‘Gender Equity’ to Countries Abroad

As part of an agreement signed by Biden last year with six other nations committing to $600 billion in global infrastructure spending by 2027, the budget proposes $50 billion to kick-start foreign investments “to advance climate and energy security, health and health security, digital connectivity, gender equity and equality, and related transportation infrastructure.” This spending, according to the administration, will create “opportunities for American businesses.”

6. Support for Department of Energy’s Office of Economic Impact and Diversity

The Department of Energy’s Office of Economic Impact and Diversity provides direction on enhancing the objectives of equal employment opportunities for small and disadvantaged businesses, minority educational institutions, and historically underrepresented communities. The budget proposes that the office receives a $54 million budget.

7. A $1.1 Billion ‘Pay Equity Initiative’ for TSA

The “pay equity initiative” allocates $1.1 billion in additional funding for TSA staff, all in the name of “diversity, equity, and inclusion.”