White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients told staffers Monday to spend as much money as allowed under federal law in the final 42 days before President Biden leaves.
In a memo to White House staffers, Mr. Zients urged his team to keep doling out cash for President Biden’s legislative victories, including his bipartisan infrastructure law; climate health and tax law dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act; COVID-19 stimulus and his measure to boost domestic semiconductor chip manufacturing known as the CHIPS and Sciences Act.
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“The president has directed us to keep up this pace and obligate as much funding as possible before the end of the term so expect more action on high-speed Internet funds to states, CHIPS incentive funding, and more,” Mr. Zients wrote in the memo obtained by The Washington Times.
All four bills added up to roughly $5 trillion in new spending, with $1.9 trillion for the COVID-19 stimulus package, $1.2 trillion for the infrastructure law, $52 billion to boost semiconductor manufacturing, and $1.2 trillion for the health, climate and tax law.
Mr. Zients urged staffers to dispense the remaining $46 billion that is available in fiscal 2025, which would keep the Biden-authorized money flowing through the first year of President-elect Trump’s administration. Mr. Trump has vowed to claw back most of the laws or at least dismantle as much as he can.
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Mr. Zients told his staff they have several concrete goals over the next six weeks.
In addition to doling out as much as possible, he urged staffers to focus on working with the Senate to confirm judges; achieve a ceasefire in the war in Gaza and continue to deliver assistance to Ukraine.
Mr. Zients also teased announcements coming soon on everything from conservation to artificial intelligence, but did not offer any concrete details.
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