Rep. Ashley Hinson
Republicans have adamantly fought against President Joe Biden's infrastructure plan but now a growing list of them are taking credit for the funding provided by the same plan they opposed.
According to HuffPost, over the last several days, several Republican lawmakers have issued press releases praising funding that will be used to improve United States highways and other infrastructure. On Wednesday, January 19, Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) described the $829 million in funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to improve infrastructure along the Mississippi River as “game-changing.”
“Over 60 percent of our nation’s grain exports travel through this lock and dam system, and it is a massive economic engine for the entire state,” Hinson said in a statement.
“That’s why I helped lead a bipartisan group of my colleagues in urging the Administration to prioritize funding for these essential upgrades," she added, "I’ll always fight to ensure Iowans’ taxpayer dollars are reinvested at home in Iowa."
However, Hinson's latest remarks differ vastly from her stance back in November. At the time, she described the package as “a raw deal for Iowans” and “spending at its worst,” according to a statement given to HuffPost by her spokeswoman, Sophie Seid.
“Congresswoman Hinson opposed the infrastructure package because it was tied to trillions of other spending in the House,” Seid, said in a statement. “Since the bill was signed into law, this money was going to be spent regardless. If there’s federal money on the table she is, of course, going to do everything she can to make sure it is reinvested in Iowa.”
Another Republican lawmaker in Texas also lauded the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' funding announcement on Wednesday. Since the funds will also help to mitigate flooding in Fort Worth, Texas, Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) verbalized her support for the bill.
Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) also released statements touting the infrastructure funding announcement.
“When I voted for the bipartisan infrastructure bill, I was voting for exactly this type of federal support for critical infrastructure that Iowans depend on,” Grassley said in a statement.
Grassley and Blunt were among the 19 Senate Republicans who voted in favor of the bill.
Reprinted with permission from Alternet
