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House Republican touts benefits of infrastructure law he voted against
LIBBY CATHEY
Wed, November 17, 2021, 3:37 PM·5 min read
Alabama Republican Rep. Gary Palmer faced sharp criticism after he touted the benefits for his district from a provision in the
infrastructure bill he voted against.
On Monday, the same day President Joe Biden signed the
$1.2 trillion bill into law, Palmer issued a press release taking credit for a provision he introduced directing $369 million to the Northern Beltline project, a 52-mile, six-lane corridor under construction in his home state.
"Funding the Northern Beltline has consistently been one of my top priorities," Palmer said in a
statement. "Birmingham is currently one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country without a complete beltline around it. Completing the Northern Beltline will benefit the entire region and enhance economic development and employment opportunities."
He went on to cite the Appalachian Regional Commission for estimating the project will have an annual economic impact exceeding $2 billion in 10 years and create 14,000 jobs.
"This is the opportunity we have been working for as a region and a state. Now is the time for us to take advantage of it and complete the work by finishing the Northern Beltline and building a better future for the Birmingham metro area and central Alabama," Palmer said.
But Palmer had previously blasted the bill when it passed on Nov. 6 and said in a
statement that he supported infrastructure funding "focused on national priorities rather than wasting hundreds of billions of dollars on a Green New Deal wish list and programs under the guise of human infrastructure that simply expand government control of our lives."
While $7.5 billion in
new funds are set aside to build out electric vehicle charging stations, a provision in the Green New Deal, the bill is focused on core infrastructure needs and includes $550 billion in new spending.
Democrats blasted the GOP congressman after he tweeted about the law, deeming him a "hypocrite" as Palmer appeared to take credit for the provision benefitting his home state but failed to mention his "no" vote on the bill.
"You mean the funding you voted against? That funding? #DemocratsDeliver," said Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., in a tweet.
Elizabeth Hance, a spokesperson in Palmer's Capitol office, said Palmer's opposition was to the overall bill being "full of problems, including items not related to traditional infrastructure."
"He said in the initial release that the Northern Beltline was a positive measure, even though he opposed the overall legislation. Had they brought the bill he authored to the floor as a stand-alone piece of legislation, or even a package that was truly paid-for infrastructure, he would have supported the overall bill. They did not," she said in a statement shared with ABC News. "It should not be surprising that he supports a provision that he authored and that was noted in the initial release about the infrastructure bill."