House Republican Conference chair Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-New York) recently patted herself on the back for a $1.8 million federal grant a community within her district received. However, that money came from a bill she and every other Republican opposed.Local publication North Country This Week...
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'Serial liar': Stefanik roasted after taking credit for federal money she voted against
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) departs a news conference following the Republican conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol on January 17, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Carl Gibson
March 13, 2024
House Republican Conference chair Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-New York) recently patted herself on the back for a $1.8 million federal grant a community within her district received. However, that money came from a bill she and every other Republican opposed.
Local publication North Country This Week — based in Stefanik's 21st House District in upstate New York —
reported that the US Department of Agriculture grant went toward the South Raquette Water District in Massena, NY. Stefanik took credit for the funding, telling the outlet that she helped fast-track the grant application through the House Appropriations Committee to quickly get the funds approved.
"Infrastructure has been a top priority for some time and I am able to offer assistance in a very targeted way, whether it be for water projects, sewer projects or supporting our first responders," she said.
READ MORE: 'I fought for it': Republican takes credit for $650,000 in federal funds from bill she voted against
"I am proud to announce that I secured $1,857,000 for a Water District Development Project for the Town of Massena in this year’s appropriations process,"
Stefanik wrote in a Tuesday tweet. "This funding will go toward providing public water service to the residents of Massena."
Stefanik
didn't actually vote for those funds, which were part of the Inflation Reduction Act that passed the House of Representatives in 2022. In a
now-deleted statement posted to her House.gov website, she called the legislation a "radical spending bill that will raise taxes and crush hardworking families and small businesses."
"[Democrats] have made their priorities clear, and they are not for the American people. I will continue to stand up against reckless government spending and any tax increases,"
Stefanik said at the time, adding that the bill "also wastes $350 billion on 'Green New Deal' provisions that prioritize large cities over rural communities."
Others on X/Twitter took issue with Stefanik boasting about her district receiving the funds she voted against. In addition to a community note (a public fact-checking feature on the platform) specifying that Stefanik "voted Nay along party lines with every other Republican" against the bill, she was also slammed by various journalists, public figures and commentators for her tweet.
READ MORE: GOP rep celebrates infrastructure bill funding he voted against and called 'socialism'
"So
@RepStefanik is flat-out lying, here—she voted *against* funding for this project," Food Network personality Ted Allen
tweeted, tagging the New York Republican's official account. "The town of Massena can thank President Biden and the Democrats for improving their water service via the Inflation Reduction Act."
"She voted against this money, and I’m fully aware her people won’t ever know she voted against this money," retired tennis star Andy Roddikk
tweeted.
Stefanik's tweet also ruffled the feathers of other conservatives, including Norman Ornstein, who is an emeritus scholar at the Koch-funded American Enterprise Institute. In a
tweet, Ornstein called the congresswoman "'lickspittle for [former President Donald] Trump, as well as a "supporter of violent insurrection" who "loves Vladimir Putin."
"Serial liar, world-class hypocrite," Ornstein wrote.
