Republican lawmakers celebrate a Senate MP’s decision to drop from the coronavirus aid package a $ 100 million expansion of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system outside of San Francisco.
GOP lawmakers are also praising the $ 1.5 million removal for the Seaway International Bridge, which connects New York to Ontario and is historically one of the busiest border crossings between New York and Canada.
Republicans characterized the targeted spending items as pet projects for Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Nancy PelosiBiden Coronavirus Bill Tests Tight Democratic Majority Some Republicans Say Proxy Voting Gives Advantage to Democrats Gun Violence Prevention Groups Optimistic Background Check Legislation May Pass Congress MORE (D-Calif.) And majority leader in the Senate Charles Schumer
Chuck Schumer A Biden stumbles over China? First Black Senate Secretary Sworn In Ohio Republican Senate Candidate Calls GOP Representative To Resign Over Impeachment Vote MORE (DN.Y.), describing them as excellent examples of wasteful wishlist priorities in the $ 1.9 trillion package.
“We saw the swamp come back to Washington: $ 100 million for a Silicon Valley tunnel just outside Speaker Pelosi’s district or a bridge for Schumer,” said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy Some Republicans Say Proxy Voting Gives Advantage To Democrats Wray Says No Evidence Of ‘Antifa’ Involvement In Jan. 6 Attack Republican Rips GOP Lawmakers For CPAC Proxy Voting MORE (R-Calif.) Said last week.
However, a Senate source said Schumer was unaware that funding for the bridge was even included in the bill until he read about it in the media.
Her. Chuck Grassley
Chuck Grassley – FBI director faces frustration from lawmaker over Capitol violation Padilla has ‘big Chuck Taylors to fill’ in replacing Harris Judiciary Committee gives green light to Garland’s AG nomination MORE (R-Iowa) on Wednesday hailed the MP’s ruling against the California public transportation project as a treasured victory.
Parliamentary rules against the Pelosi tunnel earmark. It’s a small win with a lot more $$$ still in the bill, unrelated to COVID, but as a matter of common sense the Silicon Valley tunnel should be out , what should this new pilot do in a pandemic? !! ”Grassley tweeted.
Parliamentary rules against Pelosi tunnel earmark It’s a small win with a lot more $$$ on the bill, unrelated to COVID, but as a matter of common sense the Silicon Valley tunnel should be out because what should this new pilot project do in the event of a pandemic! !
– ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) March 3, 2021
Senate Republican Whip John Thune
John Randolph ThuneSenate GOP whip: Murkowski’s vote on Teeth is ‘fluid’ the moment GOP says Ron Klain is pulling Biden’s strings Rick Scott admits Biden won ‘absolutely’ fair elections MORE (RS.D.) said the California project “got Byrded out,” referring to the Senate’s Byrd rule, which limits what can be protected from a filibuster on the Senate floor through special budget rules.
Drew Hammill, a Pelosi spokesperson, confirmed on Tuesday that both projects had been removed, arguing that Republicans now don’t have much reason to oppose the popular aid package.
Hammill noted that the pandemic had “had an immediate and overwhelming effect on all of our transportation systems,” and that the House raised $ 1.425 billion “to help dozens of major rail transportation capital projects.”
The senior Democratic assistant characterized the bridging money as a project that primarily the Republican Rep. Would have helped. Elise Stefanik
Elise Marie Stefanik Cuomo Asks New York AG To Appoint An Independent Attorney To Investigate Sexual Harassment Claims Psaki: Cuomo To Face ‘Independent Assessment’ On Sexual Harassment Allegations NY Billboard Calls For Cuomo To Be Dismissed amid controversies MORE‘s (NY) home district.
The Senate MP has now ruled that the BART extension from San Jose to Santa Clara does not meet the requirements of the Byrd rule because it is part of a pilot project. Therefore, it will be removed from the tuning package, ”said the assistant.
“The $ 1.5 million in funding for the Seaway International Bridge in Rep. Stefanik district has also been removed,” he added. “With the two projects that Republicans misled the public about in the House law removed, it is unclear how Republicans will justify their opposition to the US bailout, which has strong two-pronged public support.”
A Senate source said that the bill’s drafters in the Senate dropped funding for the Seaway International Bridge, originally requested by the Trump administration, because Stefanik, a staunch supporter of Trump, refused to advocate for it to be included in the law.
The loss of federal funding could affect the future operation of the bridge, which suffered a massive loss of traffic and revenue during the pandemic as a result of the closure of the US-Canadian border. Maintenance and toll revenues fell by as much as $ 170,000 per month due to travel restrictions.
Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for Stefanik, said her boss has taken care of her district in other ways.
During her last term in Congress, Representative Stefanik provided more than $ 75 million in federal funding for the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, including $ 6 million for the Seaway International Bridge that she provided along with the former DOT Secretary. Elaine Chao
Elaine Chao The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden on COVID-19: Next year, Americans will be ‘better off’ Buttigieg sets targets for electric, automated trucks Ben Carson launches conservative think tank MORE,” she said.
“Congressman Stefanik also continues to make a strong case for a safe reopening of the US-Canada border, which would therefore support the bridge,” she said.