The $550 billion in green-energy provisions in the multi-trillion-dollar Democratic spending bill add up to the greatest corporate welfare program in history. If you don’t believe this, simply consult the White House list of its business cheerleaders.

“Business Leaders from Across the Country Applaud the Build Back Better Framework,” boasted a Friday statement from the White House. The press release goes on to say that “the framework is designed to level the playing field and make corporations and the wealthiest pay their...

The new GM logo is seen on the facade of the General Motors headquarters in Detroit in March.

Photo: Rebecca Cook/REUTERS

The $550 billion in green-energy provisions in the multi-trillion-dollar Democratic spending bill add up to the greatest corporate welfare program in history. If you don’t believe this, simply consult the White House list of its business cheerleaders.

“Business Leaders from Across the Country Applaud the Build Back Better Framework,” boasted a Friday statement from the White House. The press release goes on to say that “the framework is designed to level the playing field and make corporations and the wealthiest pay their fair share.”

Well, not all corporations, and not all of the wealthiest. If you’re in the green business that the President favors, you’re in the money—and delighted by the prospect. The press release lists approving quotes from Microsoft President Brad Smith, DHL, Cummins Inc., and a host of utility and green-energy companies that will soon be taxpayer beneficiaries.

Our favorite is the statement from General Motors, the auto maker that famously became known as Government Motors when it received a financial bailout in 2008. GM had a market capitalization of about $79 billion on Friday, but the company has nonetheless been one of the most aggressive public supporters of taxing other Americans to lift its electric-vehicle business.

We’ll quote the GM statement in full to give you a flavor of how completely it has been politically co-opted:

“General Motors applauds President Biden and those who have worked tirelessly to advance the Build Back Better Plan, and is pleased to see progress on legislation that will bring critical improvements to the country. Build Back Better lays the foundation for sustainability policies that will help address climate change and improve environmental quality and resiliency. GM supports those goals and, critically, we support those provisions that accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles and establish the U.S. as a global leader in electrification today, and into the future.”

And CEOs wonder why Americans who pay the country’s bills don’t trust big business.