Top Points:
Kamala Harris and Bidenbucks: With President Biden out of the race, Vice President Kamala Harris stands to benefit from the taxpayer-funded get-out-the-vote operation known as “Bidenbucks,” which is aimed at mobilizing traditionally Democrat voters through mass mail-in ballots.
Controversial Executive Order 14019: Biden’s Executive Order 14019, disguised as “Promoting Access to Voting,” has been revealed to involve federal agencies collaborating with left-wing groups to promote voting access, raising concerns about the use of taxpayer funds for partisan purposes.
Lack of Transparency and Legal Battles: Despite multiple Freedom of Information Act requests and congressional subpoenas, the Biden administration has been withholding related records, leading to ongoing legal battles and criticism for lack of transparency.
Full Report:
President Joe Biden might have stepped away from the presidential race, but the controversial “Bidenbucks” initiative is far from over. Vice President Kamala Harris, now the presumptive Democratic nominee, is poised to benefit from this taxpayer-funded get-out-the-vote operation.
Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI) emphasized the need for transparency, stating, “The public deserves answers for how this Executive Order is being implemented, particularly as VP Harris becomes the new nominee.”
Hans von Spakovsky, a former member of the Federal Election Commission and manager of the Heritage Foundation’s Election Law Reform Initiative, expressed his concerns in a recent interview. “I think what they’re doing is an unlawful use of federal taxpayer dollars, and I don’t think any president has the right to do it,” he said.
Documents obtained by the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project reveal that federal agencies are collaborating with left-wing activist groups to encourage traditionally Democrat voters to cast mail-in ballots for Harris in the upcoming election. Despite Biden’s withdrawal from the race, this constitutionally questionable initiative continues unabated, with Biden endorsing Harris as his successor.
Kyle Brosnan, chief legal counsel for the Oversight Project, noted, “We have published thousands of records showing this is a mass mobilization of the federal government to enhance and advance the presidential reelection effort.”
The Oversight Project's microsite contains a wealth of records tracking Biden’s Executive Order 14019, signed in 2021, which is ostensibly aimed at “Promoting Access to Voting.” However, as watchdogs like The Federalist and the Heritage Foundation have discovered, this directive is laden with partisanship.
Critics have dubbed it “Bidenbucks,” drawing a parallel to the “Zuckbucks” funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg during the 2020 election, which primarily targeted Democrat-leaning areas. This time, Bidenbucks seems poised to dwarf its predecessor.
Brosnan explained that the executive order directed federal agencies to develop plans to promote voting access, particularly through agencies that engage with the public via welfare and other government programs. These agencies are to use taxpayer resources to facilitate voter registration and mass mail-in ballots, often with the assistance of White House-approved NGOs and state officials.
As expected, these “approved helpers” are predominantly left-wing organizations. “We’ve found that all of the approved NGOs involved are left-wing organizations that promote radical ideas with elections, such as registering noncitizens to vote, using prisons as voter registration hubs, and basically mobilizing all of the unsecured issues that we saw in 2020,” Brosnan said.
One such group is Demos, closely tied to the far-left faction of the Democratic Party led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). According to activist tracker InfluenceWatch, Demos emphasizes voting rights expansion, a hybrid environmentalist-left agenda, and a liberal interpretation of racial equality.
The Federalist reported that Biden appointed former Demos executives K. Sabeel Rahman and Chiraag Bains to key positions in his administration. They oversee the implementation of Bidenbucks, according to the Foundation for Government Accountability. Susan Rice, Biden’s former domestic policy adviser, was also instrumental in this effort.
The ultimate goal is clear: ensure a significant turnout of Democrat voters through mass mail-in voting.
Despite numerous Freedom of Information Act requests and congressional subpoenas, the Biden administration has been less than forthcoming with related records. Rep. Steil subpoenaed 15 Biden Cabinet officials, demanding they turn over communications and documents related to Bidenbucks.
Steil remarked on his X account, “Biden’s Voting Access Executive Order is the administration’s latest scheme to tilt the scales ahead of 2024. I’ve subpoenaed the Biden admin for documents related to EO 14019 as Congress did NOT appropriate taxpayer funds for partisan activities.”
On Thursday, Steil told The Federalist, “Federal agencies should never be used to influence the outcome of elections. The public deserves answers for how this Executive Order is being implemented, particularly as VP Harris becomes the new nominee.”
The Biden administration has fought several lawsuits over this issue, with the Department of Justice arguing that the records are “presidential communication privileged” documents. This lawsuit is currently being appealed.
Republican senators have introduced a bill to prohibit federal agencies from using taxpayer funds for partisan voter mobilization efforts, but the Democrat-controlled Senate has blocked it.
Brosnan concluded, “If this is really a good government, good for the republic, public participation in the electoral system mechanism as the administration and congressional Democrats are claiming it is, then why are they fighting any attempt at transparency at any step?”
Original Story by M.D. Kittle, The Federalist.
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