Sen. Tommy Tuberville used a tweet to call attention to more than a billion dollars in federal aid to expand broadband access across Alabama.
But he didn’t vote for the 2021 legislation that made it possible.
Alabama is set to receive $1.4 billion from the federal infrastructure law to expand broadband access in the state as part of the Biden administration’s $40 billion plan to increase Internet access across the country.
The announcement was made by Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, who was the only Alabama representative to vote for the bipartisan infrastructure bill signed by President Biden.
None of the six Alabama Republicans in the House of Representatives voted for the bill.
On Tuesday morning, Tuberville trumpeted the funding in a tweet:
However, Tuberville was not one of the 19 Republicans who voted in favor of the bill back in August 2021, which passed 69-30 in the Senate. Richard Shelby, then still Alabama’s senior U.S. Senator, also voted against it.
Former President Donald Trump had urged Republicans to vote against the bill, but Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky voted for the legislation.
Former Sen. Doug Jones, who Tuberville defeated in 2020, had pointed words, not just for Tuberville, but for the rest of his Republican congressional colleagues.
“I bet they will damn sure take credit,” Jones tweeted.
Requests for comment from Tuberville’s office were not immediately returned.
Mitch Landrieu, senior advisor to the president and infrastructure law coordinator, commented later Tuesday.
“While Congressional Republicans like Sen. Tommy Tuberville continue to play political games like partisan voting at the expense of their own constituents, President Biden remains focused on delivering real results for hardworking Americans,” Landrieu said. “It’s unfortunate that some voted no but still want the dough. If they had integrity, they’d applaud President Biden’s leadership for putting us on the path to provide reliable, affordable high-speed internet to every American.”
