Sixteen right-wing Maga nutball governors have sent the President of the United States a letter stating that they know how best to invest the bipartisan infrastructure funds allocated to their respective states. The grifter's Governors's letter lectured Joe Biden, who has made climate resiliency a priority for all cabinet members in minimizing the onslaught of destruction we see across the country.
From the letter:
For the IIJA to be implemented successfully, states have to be partners to the federal government. It is critical that your administration consider how simplicity, flexibility, and finality will drastically improve states’ ability to develop and implement plans. Excessive consideration of equity, union memberships, or climate as lenses to view suitable projects would be counterproductive. Your administration should not attempt to push a social agenda through hard infrastructure investments and instead should consider economically sound principles that align with state priorities.As we have seen with the implementation of the American Rescue Plan Act, restrictions on the use of funds not authorized by statute are unacceptable and often struck down by the judicial system. In addition, excessive new discretionary grant programs would circumvent the planning process and potentially cause a programming and oversight nightmare. Further, there should be no overlap or inconsistencies with discretionary grant programs and existing funding programs.A clear example of federal overreach would be an attempt by the Federal Highway Administration to limit state widening projects. Attempts to disallow the use of funding for general purpose widening projects would be biased against rural states and states with growing populations. Such a policy fails to recognize the differences in state priorities, funding levels, and transportation networks across the 50 states. Future prosperity would be negatively impacted if this anti-growth mindset is allowed to become firmly entrenched in transportation policy.
The irate governors were furious that the letter sent by Mitch Landrieu noting the infrastructure dollars are meant for "working to achieve goals around creating good middle-class jobs, supporting disadvantaged and underserved communities, advancing climate resilience and sustainability, and investing in American manufacturers," rather than line the pockets of your donors (my words not Mitch's). These charlatans have not invested in Medicaid for their states, pandemic funding is used for anything but covid action. Those dollars have been used to balance their state budgets and take care of their corporate owners all while redirecting funds for more policing.
House Republicans tout infrastructure funding they voted against
“When these Republicans had the chance to actually do something good for their constituents, they refused,” Nebeyatt Betre, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a statement. “We’re not going to let them get away with this blatant attempt to rewrite history.”
Republicans have pushed back on the characterizations of their votes, arguing that they had issues with Democrats' larger agenda that included the bipartisan package, called the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
“Congresswoman Hinson opposed the infrastructure package because it was tied to trillions of other spending in the House. 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," a spokesperson for Hinson told ABC News.
Our current infrastructure was designed for a different century and a different climate; that climate no longer exists as temperatures increase, rainfall patterns change, and sea levels rise with heavier storm surges and heavier rainfall than in years past. GQP governors in the south know this to be true. They just don't give a flying fuck about their constituents.
It's a new world full of disasters and catastrophes, and we are unprepared. The bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law, though imperfect, does have funding that will prepare many areas for the storms, heat, and droughts yet to come.
