President Joe Biden took the opportunity on Friday to tweak conservative Republicans who recently asked for grants from the infrastructure law that was passed last year, noting that these same lawmakers had previously blasted the legislation as socialism.
“I didn’t know there were that many socialist Republicans!” Biden exclaimed during a speech in Maryland.
Hours before the president took the podium at a Hagerstown auto plant to tout his economic policies, CNN reported that dozens of Republicans who initially opposed the billion-dollar infrastructure plan have since written letters to the administration requesting money from the bill.
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For instance, MAGA Congressman Paul Gosar (R-AZ) labeled the bill “phony” and said it “only serves to advance the America Last’s socialist agenda” while voting against it, only to later write three separate letters this year advocating for funding to projects in his district.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), a fierce Biden critic who derided the bill’s “wasteful spending,” has since written 10 letters appealing for money to be allocated for Kentucky projects that would “promote continued economic development, ease congestion, improve air quality, and support job growth throughout the region.”
After taking aim at Republicans who want to dismantle Social Security and Medicare during his Friday afternoon speech, the president then pulled out a copy of the CNN story and began reading from it.
“A report that came out at CNN says Republicans call Biden infrastructure program socialism, and then they ask for the money,” he stated. “And it goes through all of the Republicans, those who call it socialism and how they’re asking.” Biden went on to name several GOP lawmakers flagged in the report before turning back to the audience.
“I can go down the list. Look it up. Socialism. I didn’t know there were that many socialist Republicans,” the president snarked. “Think about it. I’m serious. Let’s get serious about taking care of ordinary people!”
Biden added, “Folks, look, you can’t make this stuff up. You gotta say, and I gotta say, I was surprised to see so many socialists in the Republican caucus.”
The president then pivoted to the upcoming midterm elections, claiming that “if Republicans take control of the Congress, these historic victories will be taken away” and “every kitchen table cost will go up not down.”
