Despite assurances from the bill’s most staunch advocates that it is a fiscally responsible proposal, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) concluded that the newly-passed bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure package will add $256 billion to the deficit over a 10-year period.
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) on Tuesday slammed the Democrat-sponsored infrastructure bill as being “loaded with giveaways to big cities” and for Alabama not having “a fair slice of the pie.”
“I’ve travelled the state from top to bottom, and I know firsthand that Alabama, like many states across the country, needs a robust investment in real infrastructure,” said Tuberville. “I’ve said all along I’d be for a bill that invests every penny of every dollar in improvements to our roads, bridges, waterways, and rural broadband.”
He added, “Unfortunately, Democrats have missed an opportunity to deliver the bill that the American people truly need. Instead, the final legislation is loaded with giveaways to big cities and pet projects that have little to do with real infrastructure. Worse, we’re using fuzzy math and IOU’s to hide the real cost of this massive legislation. I can’t vote for a bill that fails to give Alabama a fair slice of the pie while also saddling Alabama taxpayers with even more debt.”
The infrastructure bill, which passed the Senate late Tuesday morning, garnered support from every Senate Democrat with 19 Republicans joining them. However, the bill’s fate is yet to be determined as House Democrats must follow the lead from the upper chamber and pass with unwavering support from their own party. Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus have threatened to hold up the bill unless certain climate and social demands are met through the budget reconciliation process which will be voted on later this fall.
Additionally, Alabama’s junior senator took to social media to blast Senate Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget plan, a separate spending proposal. Should both the infrastructure bill and budget plan pass Congress without changes, the legislation would add a combined $4.7 trillion in new federal spending.
Look at all those zeros. pic.twitter.com/wITspvF5ZM
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) August 10, 2021
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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