Billions Wasted, Progress Halted: The Tragic Cost of DEI Under Biden
As President Biden’s term draws to a close, the impact of his administration’s insistence on embedding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) into every facet of federal spending becomes glaringly apparent. What was meant to be the transformative Build Back Better plan has, instead, become a bureaucratic nightmare where projects meant to benefit everyday Americans are hindered by red tape. From climate initiatives to broadband and energy programs, the federal government’s obsession with DEI has paralyzed progress, resulting in wasted billions and broken promises.
Take, for example, the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program — a $42.5 billion initiative launched under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in November 2021. This initiative was supposed to bridge the gap in rural connectivity, but by late 2024, not a single rural household has been connected. Despite the substantial budget, what we’ve seen is an avalanche of mandates, paperwork, and community benefit plans — all requiring compliance with DEI standards that have little to do with the actual work of laying broadband cables. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) initially awarded SpaceX’s Starlink the contract to deliver satellite internet to rural Americans, but that contract was mysteriously canceled following President Biden’s direction for federal agencies to scrutinize Elon Musk. According to FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, Starlink could have connected every rural home for less than half of what has been allocated for BEAD, yet politics and ideology took precedence over practical solutions.
The Electric Vehicle (EV) charging station initiative fares no better. Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) passed in November 2021, $7.5 billion was allocated to build 500,000 charging stations across the country. By the end of Biden’s term, only a handful have been installed, scattered across nine states. Meanwhile, Tesla, unfettered by bureaucratic mandates, has rolled out 62,400 charging stalls over the past decade and is set to add another 11,000 this year. Experts estimate that the DEI requirements attached to the federal EV program have inflated costs by as much as 75%, making the government initiative an exercise in inefficiency and mismanagement.
The hurdles imposed by DEI compliance have forced states into an impossible position. Many struggle to find contractors that can fulfill both the technical requirements of federally funded projects and the diversity mandates of the administration. In the face of these challenges, new companies are being hastily formed — firms that exist solely to navigate the bureaucracy and check the DEI boxes. Far from uplifting minority communities, this setup results in artificial structures that delay progress and inflate costs. Instead of selecting the most competent contractors, we find ourselves in an era where meeting a diversity checklist outweighs the ability to actually get the job done.
Then there’s NASA, once a proud symbol of American innovation, now bogged down by the same DEI rules. The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket was initially budgeted at $7 billion but has ballooned to more than $23 billion. The Orion capsule has seen similar budget overruns, from an expected $6.7 billion to over $13 billion, while the mobile launch tower’s costs have skyrocketed from $383 million to over $1 billion. All of these projects are years behind schedule, and Biden’s NASA, saddled with DEI obligations, has struggled to meet its objectives. In stark contrast, SpaceX — free from the burden of such constraints — has achieved unparalleled success, carrying over 60% of the world’s payload to space and handling 65% of global launches in 2024. SpaceX has also launched nearly 60% of all active satellites currently in orbit. Their accomplishments serve as a stark reminder of what happens when efficiency and capability are prioritized over bureaucratic ideologies.
The Biden administration’s DEI requirements go beyond just cost; they fundamentally distort the purpose of government spending. The Justice40 initiative, for instance, mandates that at least 40% of benefits from certain federal investments flow to “disadvantaged communities.” While this sounds noble in theory, in practice it creates layers of bureaucracy that only serve to complicate projects. A green aluminum smelter receiving $500 million in federal funding isn’t just there to develop new technology — it must also serve social objectives that are completely unrelated to metallurgy or efficiency. The focus on meeting social justice goals diverts attention from achieving actual, measurable outcomes.
The reality of Biden’s term is one of missed opportunities. The projects that were supposed to transform our infrastructure, bolster our economy, and uplift communities have become mired in inefficiency. The billions allocated since 2021 should have driven America forward, yet the insistence on ideological purity has led to delays, cost overruns, and missed opportunities. As 2024 comes to an end, rural America is still waiting for broadband, EV charging stations are a rare sight, and NASA is a shadow of its former self.
DEI is not just a policy; it is an ideology with roots in Marxist thought. Its objective is not simply to promote fairness but to fundamentally reshape the American identity, erode national cohesion, and undermine our market economy. It replaces merit with arbitrary quotas, leading to a dilution of capability across critical sectors. The Biden administration has used DEI as a tool to signal virtue rather than focusing on effective governance, resulting in scenarios where the most competent individuals and firms are sidelined for those that meet diversity metrics.
Time and again, the Democrats have proven their incompetence when managing large-scale projects without politicizing them beyond recognition. Instead of efficient infrastructure, we get politically motivated tokenism. Instead of hiring the best minds, we get virtue-signaling appointees who cater to the outrage mobs of social media rather than advancing national interests. And now, as Biden’s presidency nears its conclusion, American taxpayers are left with little more than the bill for a litany of failures.
However, hope is not lost. With President Trump on the brink of reassuming office, his newly announced Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, aims to cut through the bureaucratic mess left by these DEI mandates. DOGE will prioritize cost-saving measures, eliminate inefficiencies, and get things done effectively. America needs leaders who put results above virtue signaling, who prioritize capability over quotas. Reagan once said, “The person who agrees with you 80% of the time is your ally.” It’s time we refocus on real allies, real results, and the real progress this country needs — unencumbered by ideologically driven inefficiency.
To truly rebuild this nation, we need a government that champions merit, efficiency, and outcomes. The failures of the Biden years must serve as a reminder of what happens when ideology trumps practicality. With renewed leadership that values action over rhetoric, we can restore American potential and move forward as a stronger, more capable nation.
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