Biden Uses Infrastructure Bill To Fulfill Ask from Hedge Fund Billionaire Donor’s Foundation

President Joe Biden used his $1 trillion infrastructure bill to boost an environmental foundation run by a hedge fund billionaire who contributed tens of thousands of dollars to the Democrat’s campaign.

The White House on Wednesday announced $1.1 billion in funding from Biden’s infrastructure bill will go toward preserving the Everglades in southern Florida. The move comes less than a year after billionaire investor and Everglades Foundation founder Paul Tudor Jones lobbied the Biden administration to commit $2.9 billion to the group’s cause. Just months before making the ask, Jones contributed $50,000 to the Biden Victory Fund and an additional $2,800 to Biden’s campaign.

“It’s Washington’s turn to help, with $725 million a year in matching dollars for Everglades restoration,” Jones’s foundation said in a national ad that aired shortly after Biden’s inauguration. “President Biden, let’s finish the job.”

In addition to Jones’s status as a prominent Biden donor, Biden’s Interior Department hired the foundation’s former CEO, Shann Estenoz, to serve as its policy head for national parks. The foundation celebrated the move—Estenoz’s successor said he was “thrilled” to see her join the administration. – READ MORE