The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is distributing $900 million to school districts across 47 states to purchase green school buses, as part of its broader climate agenda. This funding comes at a time when American public school students continue to face academic challenges, particularly in the wake of COVID-19 lockdown policies.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan stated that the investment in clean school buses is intended to protect children’s health and improve air quality while supporting American manufacturing. However, critics argue that the focus on green initiatives may be misplaced given the pressing educational needs of students.
Recent assessments have shown that educational outcomes for American students have declined since the pandemic, with many struggling to meet grade-level proficiency in key subjects like reading and math. Some of the school districts receiving funding for green buses, such as those in Prince George’s County, Maryland, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Bridgeport, Connecticut, have reported particularly low proficiency rates among their students.
The Biden administration’s $1 trillion-plus climate agenda seeks to reduce emissions across various sectors of American life, including transportation. While proponents argue that investing in clean energy and infrastructure is crucial for the future, others question whether these priorities align with the immediate needs of students who have fallen behind academically.
The Biden administration’s push for eco-friendly school buses is a central component of its broader “environmental” objectives, which claim to improve public school infrastructure and reduce pollution. But this initiative fails to prioritize the more critical issue of raising standards in a public school system that is falling behind.
This story perfectly illustrates the Biden administration’s inclination toward grandiose gestures and symbolism, while failing to deliver tangible, practical results for the American people. Whenever the president is confronted with his own shortcomings, he invokes a noble cause to justify why Americans should accept a diminishing quality of life. In this case, we observe a handout that places appeasing the radical environmental left above genuinely enhancing the education of students across the nation.
