Amazon’s Jeff Bezos releases glowing endorsement of Biden infrastructure plan

Of course we’re talking about Amazon. A corporate juggernaut that back in January announced expansion plans for Boston, meaning 3000 more jobs in the area.

April 6, 2021

Jeff Bezos said in a statement:

“We support the Biden Administration’s focus on making bold investments in American infrastructure. Both Democrats and Republicans have supported infrastructure in the past, and it’s the right time to work together to make this happen. We recognize this investment will require concessions from all sides -- both on the specifics of what’s included as well as how it gets paid for (we’re supportive of a rise in the corporate tax rate). We look forward to Congress and the Administration coming together to find the right, balanced solution that maintains or enhances U.S. competitiveness.”

The obvious go-to reaction is calling out Amazon's ability to avoid having to pay corporate taxes in the very recent past. A justifiable way to respond to their endorsement here, surely.

But don't forget the political foreplay in Washington DC, highlighted by Texas Senator Ted Cruz: "President Biden’s $2 trillion plan is really just the Green New Deal-lite masquerading as an infrastructure plan. His proposal calls for more money to be spent on electric vehicles than on America’s roads, bridges, ports, airports, and waterways combined."

At face value the costly $2 trillion proposal described by ABC plans to “modernize thousands of miles of roads, fix thousands of bridges, expand broadband access and replace all lead pipes carrying drinking water” seems like worth the spending.

But even a moment of reflection reminds Americans about how much political pork crept into the $2.2 trillion CARES Act. If anything many of the places where that $2.2 trillion was spent, in a meaningful way, qualify as “infrastructure” related areas. Many can justify "$1.5 billion for Amtrak" and even a "$100 million for underground rail project in Silicon Valley."

But questions fester when reading the CARES Act had "$50 million for environmental justice grants" and "$500 million for museums & Native American language preservation."

So Amazon’s statement on its face seems to express a form of optimism and unity in Washington DC. But recent infrastructure-related moves by the Biden administration shakes potential confidence.

Biden’s executive order stopping the Keystone XL pipeline project cost at least hundreds of jobs (if not thousands). The whole "most of the estimated jobs were temporary" fact-check nitpick aside, it doesn’t take away from the importance of the pipeline in terms of being a long-term energy infrastructure development.

On Biden’s first day in office he made a rush to judgement by immediately halting further construction on the US - Mexico border wall. Even before fully getting his bearings in the White House. The President clearly came to regret his decision as the immigration situation quickly spiralled out of control. One can’t fathom the taxpayer dollars wasted now that the Biden administration is seeking to restart some border wall construction, to fill in gaps and holes where migrants are slipping through.

The common theme is that if Biden left both the above mentioned things intact, Americans would be in more confident shape right now.

So is Amazon really better off for backing Biden's administration right now?

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