By Samantha Chang September 14, 2021 at 12:33pm
For hardworking American taxpayers, the Biden administration’s Afghanistan disaster is the grift that keeps on taking.
In the latest left-wing boondoggle, the administration on Monday announced plans to give an additional $64 million in humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan.
“The United States is the largest single humanitarian donor to Afghanistan, and with this announcement, will have provided nearly $330 million this fiscal year alone,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken boasted in a news release.
“This brings total U.S. humanitarian aid in Afghanistan and for Afghan refugees in the region to nearly $4 billion since 2002,” he said.
BREAKING: US to send $64 MILLION in ‘humanitarian aid’ to Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/3LjB7xdaMK
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) September 13, 2021
This latest hefty donation does not include the 65,000 refugees President Joe Biden pledged to take in this year alone from the war-torn country.
For reference, it costs taxpayers $60,000 to $133,000 to resettle one refugee in the U.S. over the course of a lifetime, according to the Center for Immigration Studies.
Do you agree with the decision to send $64 million in aid to Afghanistan?
Using this calculus, it will cost Americans $3.9 billion to $8.6 billion to relocate, feed and house this year’s “quota” of Afghan refugees.
Of course, that does not include the $2 trillion the United States has wasted during the past 20 years intervening in Afghanistan.
Nor does the shocking tally include the billions of dollars worth of military equipment left behind for the Taliban, thanks to Biden’s incompetent withdrawal.
Unbelievable incompetence pic.twitter.com/kXkkGMdJq3
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) August 23, 2021
All of this underscores that Afghanistan is the money pit that Biden just can’t quit.
These hefty handouts to foreign nationals are occurring at a perilous juncture for the United States when inflation is soaring, homelessness is surging and the economy is flailing.
On Monday, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York warned that consumer anxiety and uncertainty surrounding inflation are at record levels.
According to the Fed’s recent survey, Americans’ expectations of future inflation hit a record high in August.
Moreover, short- and medium-term inflation expectations continue to climb.
Consumers, who are already reeling from skyrocketing gas prices and grocery costs, now expect food prices to surge 7.9 percent a year from now.
They also expect rent to increase 10 percent and medical costs to rise 9.7 percent over the next year.
JUST IN – NY Federal Reserve now sees inflation at 5.2% in one year, 4% in three years; a series high with “large expected price rises” in food, rent, and medical costs.
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) September 13, 2021
Instead of reining in spending and allaying the anxiety of the Americans who have paid his salary for the past 50 years, Biden is busy sending money overseas.
“The United States has prioritized support for Afghan refugees, refugee returnees, and other displaced persons for years, and our enduring commitment is clear,” Biden’s secretary of state declared on Monday.
“We remain engaged through our full diplomatic, economic, and assistance toolkit to support the peaceful, stable future the Afghan people want and deserve,” Blinken said.
Afghan population in US surging 50%, most on welfare: @CIS_org Report https://t.co/0dnRyWHDjs
— Paul Bedard (@SecretsBedard) September 14, 2021
That’s nice. But what about ensuring the peaceful, stable future that Americans deserve? Why is that never the No. 1 priority of this White House?
Samantha Chang is a politics writer, lawyer and financial editor based in New York City.
Samantha Chang is a politics writer and financial editor based in New York City.