Rosendale Votes Against Infrastructure Bill
U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., has released a statement regarding his opposition to a $1.2 trillion spending package passed under the guise of an “infrastructure” bill.
The House approved the bill by a 228-206 margin on Friday, Nov. 5. Thirteen Republicans voted with the majority of Democrats.
Rosendale says he recognizes the need for infrastructure improvements in the United States especially in rural communities. However, this legislation is chock-full of liberal priorities with just a portion spent on hard infrastructure projects like roads, bridges and critical water systems.
Rosendale said,t his bill is a trojan horse filled with billions of dollars to fund Green New Deal priorities, push the left’s social justice agenda, and invade Americans’ privacy.
“We’ve seen the impact of inflation as the prices of gas, food and everything in between skyrocket due to the Biden administration’s inordinate spending. Passing this legislation, which Democratic leaders have tied to their $1.75 trillion reconciliation package, will increase taxes, place a massive debt burden on generations of American families, and increase the inflation surge that is already crushing millions of hard-working Americans,” Rosensale said. “It is irresponsible for Congress to force the American taxpayer to fund an infrastructure bill that barely touches on infrastructure/ A country cannot tax and spend its way into prosperity. This bill will add to our spiraling national debt and burden Americans with the crippling impacts of the left’s inflationary policy.”
Background on some of the most egregious provisions included in this bill: Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) Tax Pilot Program: The bill grants $10,000,000 to, and directs the secretary to establish a VMT tax pilot program under the guise of a “per-mile user fee pilot.”
This program is likely a gateway to a permanent blanket VMT tax. A VMT tax would further increase the costs of transporting consumer goods when inflation is already at record highs. There are serious privacy concerns with this program, which directs the secretary to consider using smartphone applications, third-party onboard diagnostic (OBD) devices, and telemetric data collected by automakers to track vehicle miles traveled.
Safe Routes to School: The bill includes a minimum of $1,000,000 per state to encourage children to walk to school. This program uses our children as pawns to advance the Left’s radical climate change agenda. Not to mention, throwing millions of dollars at projects to encourage our children to walk to school is impractical in most areas of the country.
Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program: The bill includes $350,000,000 over five fiscal years to create a wildlife crossings pilot program. This is part of the left’s environmental agenda to improve “habitat connectivity for terrestrial and aquatic species.”
Includes an entire subtitle on “climate change” Promotes electric vehicles through: $15,000,000 grants for EV charging and refueling stations Working group to develop and adopt EVs Entrusts broad authority to the Secretary to create a “Carbon Reduction Program,” which is yet another attack on reliable traditional fuel sources and the consumers who rely on them Healthy Streets Program: A clear example of the left advancing their radical climate change agenda. Provides grants up to $15,000,000 each to replace perfectly functional roads with new ones made out of “cool pavement” in an effort to mitigate “urban heat islands.” Prioritizes “disadvantaged communities” Promoting Women in the Trucking Workforce: Creates an advisory board to encourage more women to become truck drivers. This is yet another example of the left demanding 100 percent equal representation across all fields and industries without acknowledging the reality that there may not be a high demand of females who would like to become truck drivers.
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program: Authorizes $550,000,000 for FY22 alone to finance energy efficiency, renewable energy, zero-emission transportation and other “green” infrastructure.
