Biden makes 11th-hour push to Trump-proof green jobs program

Now that President Joe Biden's term is in its final hours, it is becoming clear to many just how many steps his administration has taken to “Trump-proof” a number of liberal agenda items and pet projects.

As the Daily Caller reports, a green jobs boondoggle known as the American Climate Corps (ACC), championed by the likes of far-left Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), is a beneficiary of Biden's last-minute work aimed at thwarting funding cuts potentially sought by the incoming administration.

Winding down, but not going away

According to the outlet, Biden administration officials have been taking steps to wind down the ACC, a public works endeavor established by executive order back in 2023.

The ACC has been described as a public works program meant to hire and train individuals to perform work on climate-related projects.

By bringing the program to a conclusion -- at least in its current iteration -- the administration hopes to erect barriers to any Trump attempt to defund the 15,000 jobs the ACC currently encompasses.

Such an effort by the incoming administration would, Biden officials believe, stem in part from the fact that the word “climate” is in the program's name.

Even if the ACC itself is no longer in existence, those employed by it will likely retain their roles, given that many of the programs linked to it are funded via other agencies, such as the Commerce Department, the Interior Department, the Labor and Energy Departments, AmeriCorps, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, a fact which could make true defunding a difficult and complex proposition.

Program draws detractors

As the Daily Caller notes, the public works program with a clear emphasis on a climate change agenda has long drawn criticism, particularly from Republicans.

Back in 2021, Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell blasted the endeavor as “pure socialist wish fulfillment” that had little positive effect.

Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Institute, declared the ACC “a waste of taxpayer dollars, echoing the same pitfalls as the proposed National Climate Bank.”

Isaac went on to allege that programs of the ACC's nature “distort free markets, prioritize optics over measurable results, and provide no environmental benefits. Instead of solving real problems like energy reliability and affordability, these initiatives misdirect resources that could otherwise drive innovation and economic prosperity.”

Going even further was Steve Milloy of the Energy & Environmental Legal Institute, who suggested that because Biden created the ACC via executive fiat, Trump should reverse it the very same way, musing, “It is not possible for the Climate Corps to improve the weather, and it was not authorized by Congress in the first place.”

Protecting a flawed legacy

As USA Today has noted, Biden has been taking numerous steps in recent weeks in an effort to “Trump-proof” his legacy in a host of policy realms, something O.H. Skinner of the Alliance for Consumers suggests is little more than a move by the administration to “waste as much taxpayer money as it possibly can on its way out the door in a ridiculous effort to hamper the incoming Trump administration's commonsense policies that will lower prices for the American people.”

Fortunately for the millions of Americans who returned Trump to the Oval Office, as determined as Biden may be to safeguard what he thinks is his impressive progressive legacy, the president-elect is even more focused on setting the country back on the right track and will swiftly take steps to do just that.