Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) faced criticism from the White House on Friday after he proudly announced the commencement of a bridge project in his home state that was made possible by money from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which Tuberville voted against in the summer of 2021.
“Proud to announce that the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project will be receiving a $550 million grant from the Department of Transportation,” Tuberville wrote in a post on X, along with a statement from his office. “This is a HUGE WIN for Mobile, the state of Alabama, and the entire Southeast region.”
The White House, which has called out Republicans for similar behavior, didn’t appreciate the discrepancy between the former Auburn University football coach’s current sentiment and past actions.
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“Those are someone else’s points, coach,” Biden spokesman Andrew Bates told The Daily Beast.
Within hours of Tuberville’s post, users on X also took issue with his attempt to take some ownership of the project.
“My Alabama colleagues like @SenTuberville are right — this is a MAJOR win,” wrote Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL). “It’s a shame he voted against the bill that made it possible. As Alabama’s only Member of Congress to vote FOR President Biden’s Infrastructure Law, I’m proud to see these funds coming to our state!”
Tuberville isn’t alone in making public comments praising federal spending for the project, despite having a voting record that doesn’t square up. As noted by AL.com, all eight of Alabama’s Republican representatives in Congress requested federal support for it in a letter last month to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. None of them, however, voted for the infrastructure legislation in 2021.
