Fact check: Where did our money go during the Biden Harris administration?

1. Summary of the results

The Biden-Harris administration allocated substantial federal funding across multiple sectors and programs. Major infrastructure investments included $42.45 billion for high-speed internet deployment nationwide ^[1] and over $4.2 billion for transportation projects through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law ^[2]. The administration also invested $8.28 billion in community development financial institutions to support underserved communities ^[3].

However, significant concerns about fiscal management emerged. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that Medicare cost-shifting policies will cost taxpayers at least $7 billion in 2025 ^[4]. More dramatically, a House Oversight Committee report found that American taxpayers lost over $100 billion to fraud and improper payments in COVID-19 relief programs, while Biden family members allegedly received over $27 million from foreign entities ^[5].

Economic outcomes show conflicting assessments: The Treasury Department claimed the U.S. achieved the strongest post-pandemic recovery among advanced nations with historically low unemployment ^[6]. Conversely, the House Ways and Means Committee reported a 20.5% price increase since the administration began, with real wages declining by 3.4% and inflation remaining above the Federal Reserve's 2% target for 43 consecutive months ^[7].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks crucial context about the scale and complexity of federal spending. It doesn't acknowledge that administrations manage trillions in federal expenditures across mandatory programs, discretionary spending, and emergency responses.

Two fundamentally different narratives emerge:

• Democratic/Administration perspective: Emphasizes successful infrastructure investments, community development funding, and strong economic recovery metrics ^{[1] [2] [3] [6]}
• Republican/Opposition perspective: Highlights waste, fraud, inflation impacts, and declining real wages ^{[5] [7]}

Political beneficiaries of each narrative:

• Democrats and infrastructure contractors benefit from emphasizing successful program deployments and economic recovery statistics
• Republicans and fiscal conservatives benefit from highlighting waste, fraud, and inflation impacts to support their governance arguments
• Community development organizations benefit from the $8.28 billion investment narrative ^[3]

The question also omits discussion of emergency pandemic spending, which represents a massive portion of expenditures during this period and context for both the relief programs and associated fraud losses.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The phrasing "Where did our money go" contains inherent bias by implying money was misplaced or wasted rather than allocated through normal governmental processes. This framing predisposes readers toward a negative interpretation of federal spending.

The question fails to distinguish between different types of spending - infrastructure investments, emergency relief, ongoing programs, and alleged waste/fraud - treating all expenditures as equivalent. The House Oversight Committee's findings about $100 billion in COVID relief fraud ^[5] represent a specific subset of spending, not the entirety of administration expenditures.

Additionally, the question doesn't acknowledge that federal spending continues regardless of administration, with much spending predetermined by existing laws and programs. The framing suggests all spending was discretionary when significant portions were mandatory or emergency-related.

Economic data manipulation appears on both sides: Republicans emphasize cumulative price increases ^[7] while Democrats highlight comparative international performance ^[6], with each side selecting metrics that support their preferred narrative about fiscal stewardship.