It’s no secret that Grammy Award-winning singer and actress Barbra Streisand is no fan of former President Donald Trump.
The Funny Girl has been vocal for years about her intense distaste for the former president, even going so far as to threaten to leave the country, according to The Statesman, if he were to win the 2016 election — a threat she has yet to carry out.
Among Streisand’s chief complaints about Trump was what she considered his lavish expenditure, whether on a border wall or the cost of security detail for his family when they weren’t living in the White House, which Streisand complained was costing the taxpayers.
For instance, in 2017, Streisand tweeted, “If Trump continues to house family in NYC & vacation at this rate, it will cost taxpayers $526 mill. Arts budget is only 1/4 this cost.”
If Trump continues to house family in NYC & vacation at this rate, it will cost taxpayers $526 mill. Arts budget is only 1/4 this cost.
— Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) March 20, 2017
Another of her tweets, which really did not age well, read, “@realDonaldTrump wants to build $22B wall on U.S.’s dime, even as illegal immigration has been declining for years.”
.@realDonaldTrump wants to build $22B wall on U.S.’s dime, even as illegal immigration has been declining for years. #TrumpAccomplishments
— Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) April 23, 2017
Should Streisand be made to pay back this money?
With all this concern for taxpayer money, you would think Streisand, who is worth a whopping $430 million according to Forbes, could manage to pay her own gardener and personal assistant during the COVID-19 pandemic without taking it from the taxpayers.
But as usual, Hollywood elites believe the rules apply to everyone else but them.
According to the New York Post, Streisand’s film production company, Barwood Films Ltd., received over $200,000 in Paycheck Protection Program loans that were later forgiven by the federal government, according to an investigation.
The loans, $103,662 in 2020 and $103,127 in 2021, were intended to help small businesses retain employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Paycheck Protection Program established specific requirements for loan forgiveness. Recipient companies had to utilize at least 60 percent of the allocated funds to retain staff at existing compensation levels. The remaining 40 percent could cover other operating expenses like utilities, critical supplies, safety precautions or rent.
Barwood Films complied by directing over half of the PPP loans received toward payroll costs without wage cuts. As a result, the Small Business Administration waived both the outstanding loan balances along with accrued interest.
Barwood Films claimed the funds would protect six jobs, including an “executive support” employee and a groundskeeper for Streisand’s $20 million Malibu, California, estate where the company is registered, according to the Post.
Apparently, the “A Star is Born” star could not have survived the pandemic if she didn’t have someone bringing her her chai lattes on demand or had to deal with the eyesore of imperfectly manicured lawns.
Even while she was skimming off taxpayers, Streisand was still attacking then-President Donald Trump.
Six days after Streisand’s company Barwood Films Ltd., was approved for $103,662 to fund six workers, according to the Post, Streisand dashed off another nasty tweet belittling the then-president’s spending.
“Trump is obsessed with wasting money on his wall,” she wrote. “Maybe all that money should have been spent on testing, ventilators, and personal protective equipment for our healthcare professionals. The virus doesn’t care about the wall that he falsely said Mexico was paying for.”
Trump is obsessed with wasting money on his wall. Maybe all that money should have been spent on testing, ventilators and personal protective equipment for our health care professionals. The virus doesn’t care about the wall that he falsely said Mexico was paying for.
— Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) April 12, 2020
While America struggled with shutdowns and businesses struggled to stay afloat, Streisand was likely struggling with the life-altering decision about which of her five gorgeous mansions on her compound in Malibu, described in Architectural Digest, she wanted to live in during lockdown.
It’s no wonder Streisand was so worried about where Trump was using taxpayer money.
For Streisand, those funds were better spent on her ornate gardens than securing the border for Americans trying to make a living.
