Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) slammed President Biden for his unprecedented move to stand on the picket line with members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) in Michigan. The president’s attempt to score political points at the strike inappropriately tips the scale in favor of the UAW and comes with serious costs to the American taxpayer.
In the letter, Foxx writes: “As the leader of the executive branch, you have an obligation to demonstrate impartiality in situations where the government is a regulator. … Your decision to engage in a self-aggrandizing photo op aimed at currying political favor with the UAW, which has withheld its endorsement from you, inserted the Department of Labor (DOL) in another private-sector labor dispute.”
The letter continues: “Furthermore, your photo op may have come with serious costs to the taxpayer. In 2022, the Air Force stated that the cost to operate Air Force One is $177,843 per flight hour or just over $2,964 per minute. … Considering the flight alone, your 12-minute appearance, which was the sole stated purpose of your stop in Michigan, cost taxpayers $19,760 per minute. … I am concerned about your frivolous use of significant taxpayer funds to engage in a photo opportunity that resembled a campaign stop, only immediately to jet off to engage in an actual fundraiser.”
Foxx concluded by requesting answers to several questions, including:
How much did the President’s trip to Michigan cost taxpayers?
Was the President’s trip to Michigan official activity or campaign activity?
How did the White House coordinate with federal agencies with regard to the trip to Michigan?
How did Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su and White House senior advisor Gene Sperling assist the President with his trip to Michigan?
