{"id":2196181,"date":"2024-03-11T05:05:02","date_gmt":"2024-03-11T09:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-national-science-foundation-spent-millions-in-emergency-covid-funds-last-year-the-spending-had-nothing-to-do-with-covid\/"},"modified":"2024-03-11T05:10:54","modified_gmt":"2024-03-11T09:10:54","slug":"bidens-national-science-foundation-spent-millions-in-emergency-covid-funds-last-year-the-spending-had-nothing-to-do-with-covid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-national-science-foundation-spent-millions-in-emergency-covid-funds-last-year-the-spending-had-nothing-to-do-with-covid\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden&#8217;s NSF misused COVID funds on unrelated expenses"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbidens-national-science-foundation-spent-millions-in-emergency-covid-funds-last-year-the-spending-had-nothing-to-do-with-covid%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2196181&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>Exploring the Impact\u200c of Climate Change on Floodplains<\/h2>\n<figure><figcaption>(Drew Angerer\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div>\n<p>Since January 2023, President Joe Biden&#8217;s National Science Foundation (NSF)\u2063 has\u2063 allocated\u200c millions of dollars in \u200dgrants funded by the American\u200d Rescue Plan, Biden&#8217;s \u2062$1.9 trillion COVID stimulus package. These grants, while unrelated to COVID, support crucial \u200cresearch on climate change.<\/p>\n<p>The American Rescue Plan, aimed at providing relief to families affected by the COVID-19 crisis, allocated $600 million to the NSF.\u200d The agency committed to using this funding to assist individuals\u200d and institutions most impacted by the pandemic. However, three years after the legislation was signed, the money is still being distributed through research grants that have no direct connection to COVID.<\/p>\n<p>For instance,\u200d in July 2023, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/awardsearch\/showAward?AWD_ID=2335893&#038;HistoricalAwards=false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">grant<\/a> of $246,000 was awarded to Amherst College in Massachusetts to deepen our understanding of how floodplains respond\u200d to climatic \u2062changes. Another grant of over $7 million was given\u2062 to the University of Texas at\u200d Austin to create a welcoming environment for marginalized researchers. Additionally, the NSF provided \u200d$181,000 to California Polytechnic State University to investigate the structural organization and changes within a \u200dschool \u2062of \u2063fish.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, federal spending disclosures \u200breveal that \u2063the \u200dNSF has awarded more than $23 million in American Rescue Plan grants since \u2064January 2023, all unrelated to COVID.<\/p>\n<p>This revelation challenges the defense of the spending package by congressional Democrats, as economists argue that it contributed to \u2064the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/23036340\/biden-american-rescue-plan-inflation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">surge \u2063in inflation<\/a>, reaching a nearly 40-year high. While Republicans criticized the bill as wasteful, claiming it was unnecessary\u200b for boosting the U.S. economy, Democrats hailed it as a lifeline\u200d for struggling Americans.<\/p>\n<p>However, many of the funded projects were obscure and \u2064not directly tied to the pandemic. Furthermore,\u2063 some \u2062recipients of American Rescue Plan funds faced challenges in utilizing the funds within the designated timeframe.<\/p>\n<p>In the year following the bill&#8217;s passage, American schools only spent 7 percent of the $122 \u200dbillion in federal aid allocated to\u200d them. Meanwhile, many districts used the\u200c funds for bonuses for teachers and administrators.<\/p>\n<p>Economists attribute the $2 trillion\u200d price tag of the American Rescue Plan to\u200d the inflationary pressures. Although President Biden initially dismissed the idea that his stimulus spending caused inflation, his own administration acknowledged in its annual &#8220;Economic\u200d Report of the President&#8221; that such spending &#8220;could have\u2063 contributed\u200c to high inflation.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Other economists, including the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, explicitly state that the American Rescue Plan significantly contributed to \u200dinflation. In \u2063October 2022, then-House \u200dMajority Whip Jim Clyburn (D., S.C.) admitted that congressional Democrats were aware that the spending would lead to \u2062increased inflation.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the Amherst College \u2064grant, the NSF allocated\u2063 $219,000 to Radford University in October to study <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/awardsearch\/showAward?AWD_ID=2404991&#038;HistoricalAwards=false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">oyster reef erosion<\/a>. This project aims to understand the erosion processes occurring in areas where oysters are found, as these ecosystems have suffered significant \u2064losses due to\u200c various\u2064 factors.<\/p>\n<p>Neither the White House nor the NSF have responded to requests for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What are the implications of climate change on floodplains and their effectiveness as a regulatory \u200bmechanism for mitigating flooding?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u200d Rican-rescue-plan-covid-19-stimulus-economy&#8221; target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; rel=&#8221;noopener&#8221;>inflation crisis<\/a>\u200c\u200c plaguing the United States\u200b. Critics\u200c argue that the indiscriminate allocation of funds, regardless of their relevance to the \u200dpandemic, undermines the credibility of the relief package and diverts resources from areas that are in urgent need of support.<\/p>\n<p>However, amidst the ongoing debate over the allocation\u200b of funds, we\u2062 must not overlook \u200dthe importance of the\u200d research being conducted by the NSF on\u2064 climate change. One area of study \u2063that\u200c deserves\u200c attention is the impact \u200cof climate change on \u2062floodplains.<\/p>\n<p>Floodplains, the low-lying areas adjacent to rivers and \u200dstreams, play a critical role in natural flood control. They act as storage areas for excess water\u200c during times of\u200c high precipitation, mitigating the risk of downstream flooding. \u200cHowever, the changing climate patterns and extreme\u2062 weather events caused by global \u200cwarming are \u200c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-has-nothing-to-say-about-the-future-of-the-economy\/\" title=\"Biden Has Nothing to Say About the Future of the Economy\">putting immense pressure<\/a> on these floodplains, \u2062compromising their effectiveness as a regulatory mechanism.<\/p>\n<p>Rising\u200c global temperatures have resulted in more \u2063frequent and intense rainfall events, leading to an increased\u200b risk of flooding.\u200b According to the Intergovernmental Panel on\u2064 Climate Change (IPCC), extreme precipitation events are \u200bexpected to become more prevalent in the future. This poses\u2064 a\u2063 significant threat to communities that are\u2064 situated in flood-prone areas.<\/p>\n<p>In \u200daddition to increased precipitation, climate change is also influencing other factors that impact floodplains. For instance, the melting \u200bof glaciers and polar \u2062ice caps contributes to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/shapiro-debunking-climate-change-hysteria\/\" title=\"SHAPIRO: Debunking Climate Change Hysteria\">rising sea levels<\/a>, leading to\u2062 higher \u2063water levels in rivers and exacerbating the\u2062 potential for flooding. Additionally, changes in land use patterns, such as deforestation and urbanization, further exacerbate the vulnerability of floodplains.<\/p>\n<p>The NSF-funded research on floodplains seeks\u2064 to enhance our understanding of these complex interactions between climate change and floodplain dynamics. By \u200bstudying\u200c how \u2064floodplains respond to climatic changes, \u2062researchers\u200d aim to develop models and predictive \u2064tools that can help policymakers and communities manage\u2063 and\u2064 adapt to the\u200d evolving\u2064 risk of flooding.<\/p>\n<p>This\u200c research includes studying the hydraulic processes within floodplains, such as the flow \u2063of water and sediment transport during flood events. Understanding these processes is crucial for developing effective floodplain management strategies, including the design of flood\u2063 control structures, land-use planning, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chinese-officials-plan-surveillance-system-to-target-journalists-foreign-students\/\" title=\"Chinese Officials Plan Surveillance System To Target Journalists, Foreign Students\">early warning systems<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the\u200d research also investigates the ecological impacts of climate change on floodplain ecosystems. Floodplains are\u2064 home to diverse \u2063and unique habitats that\u2062 support a\u2064 wide array of \u2063plant and animal species. Changes in hydrological patterns and the\u2064 frequency of flooding can disrupt these ecosystems,\u2063 leading to the\u200d loss of biodiversity and important ecological \u200cfunctions.<\/p>\n<p>By studying the ecological\u2064 impacts, researchers can assess the resilience of floodplain\u2064 ecosystems and develop conservation\u2063 strategies\u200d to\u2062 mitigate the potential loss of biodiversity. This research also provides insights\u2064 into the broader implications of climate change on ecosystems and the \u200dservices they provide, such\u2063 as water purification, carbon\u200c sequestration, and nutrient \u200dcycling.<\/p>\n<p>The findings from NSF-funded research on floodplains are essential for informing policymakers and stakeholders in implementing climate adaptation and mitigation measures. By understanding how floodplains will respond\u2063 to future climate scenarios, decision-makers can \u2064develop strategies to protect vulnerable communities, preserve ecosystem services, and \u2062reduce the impacts of \u200cflooding.<\/p>\n<p>While \u200dthere\u200d may be valid concerns regarding the allocation of funding, it is crucial \u200cto recognize the valuable contribution of scientific \u2063research in addressing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/poll-majority-of-americans-oppose-iran-prisoner-swap\/\" title=\"Poll: Most Americans Disapprove of Iran Prisoner Exchange\">complex challenges posed<\/a> by climate change. The NSF&#8217;s focus on floodplains exemplifies the agency&#8217;s\u200d commitment to\u2062 understanding and \u200dmitigating the \u2063impacts of climate change, which are critical for ensuring the \u200bresilience of our communities and ecosystems in the face\u200d of a changing\u200d climate.<\/p>\n<p>As \u200dthe debate over the American Rescue Plan \u2062unfolds, it \u200bis essential to separate the discussions on funding allocation from the\u2062 significance of the research being\u2063 conducted.\u200c Climate change poses a significant threat to\u2063 our\u200c natural and built environments, and it is through \u2063research that we\u200c can \u200ddevelop \u200bthe knowledge \u2063and tools necessary to\u200d navigate \u200dthis complex and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-polls-show-rapidly-changing-landscape-in-pennsylvania-senate-race\/\" title=\"New Polls Show Rapidly Changing Landscape In Pennsylvania Senate Race\">rapidly changing landscape<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>COVID-19 relief. Instead, they focus on various research projects, such as a grant awarded to a Massachusetts college to investigate floodplain responses to climate change. The NSF, under President Biden, has allocated significant funds from the American Rescue Plan to support these initiatives since January 2023<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2020,"featured_media":2196182,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/biden-cancer.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2196181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/biden-cancer.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2196181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2020"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2196181"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2196181\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2196182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2196181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2196181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2196181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}