After a series of polls showing Trump with the advantage in the crucial swing state of Michigan, the Biden administration is now offering $100 million to auto workers and small auto suppliers.
Of the last 11 polls taken in Michigan, eight showed former President Trump leading, one showed a tie, and two had President Biden leading. Michigan’s 15 electoral votes could prove pivotal in the close race expected between Biden and Trump.
The two candidates know how crucial the state is. The Detroit Free Press noted that Trump has made three visits to the state in the last 2½ months while Biden visited UAW workers in February in Warren, Michigan, Saginaw in March, and is expected to speak at the Detroit NAACP’s dinner on May 19.
On Monday, the White House announced that the Department of Energy will set aside $50 million of its Automotive Conversion Grants Program “to help small- and medium-sized suppliers convert from manufacturing internal combustion engine parts to manufacturing parts for the EV supply chain.”
Additionally, the Department of Energy “is setting aside up to $50 million of its Industrial Assessments Center Implementation Grants Program to help auto suppliers kickstart manufacturing diversification and conversion projects.”
There’s more: “The Small Business Administration will leverage its Small Business Investment Company program to catalyze millions of dollars in private capital for the EV supply chain to help small and medium-sized manufacturers grow and diversify their businesses. … The Small Business Administration plans to establish a new Working Capital Pilot Program under its signature 7(a) lending program to provide lines of credit to small businesses, including auto parts manufacturers and distributors, to support their domestic or export finance needs.”
Biden’s policy vis-à-vis Israel and Hamas has been heavily influenced by his apparent desire to cater to the desires of the Muslim community in Michigan. On October 30, roughly three weeks after the October 7 massacre in which the terrorist group Hamas murdered more than 1200 Israelis, Muslim leaders wrote a letter to Biden and the “Democratic Party leadership” titled “2023 Ceasefire Ultimatum,” in which they vowed to withhold Muslim voter support for “any candidate who did not advocate for a ceasefire.”
Within days, the Biden administration reportedly warned Israel that support for its war effort would erode.
“Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken – who departed Thursday for Israel with a message on protecting civilian lives – have all explicitly pressed the case in recent private conversations with the Israelis, telling them that eroding support will have dire strategic consequences for Israel Defense Forces operations against Hamas,” CNN reported in early November.
On March 25, the Biden administration refused to veto a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate Gaza ceasefire, with no conditions for the release of hostages held by Hamas. “On April 4, in a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden reportedly harangued Israel, all but threatening to cut off military aid to the Jewish state unless it capitulated to his demands,” The Jerusalem Post reported.
