Sometimes the copy just writes itself for Posts about Minnesota Eighth District Congressman Pete Stauber.
On Monday, the Star Tribune 's Christa Lawlerreported Minnesota, Wisconsin get $1 billion in federal funding for aging Blatnik Bridge:
President Biden will visit the Twin Ports on Thursday, days after the major funding announcement.
The aging Blatnik Bridge, the main connector between Duluth and Superior that is due for a rebuild, has received $1 billion in federal funding, Gov. Tim Walz said Monday afternoon.
"Big news for Minnesota," Walz said on X, formerly known as Twitter. "This investment will foster regional economic growth, strengthen our national supply chains, and improve the safety and reliability of our transportation network."
President Joe Biden, who visited the bridge in March 2022 to highlight the $1 trillion infrastructure law he had signed months earlier, is returning to the same city on Thursday. He plans to discuss the connection between his Bidenomics and Investing in America agenda and rebuilding infrastructure, according to a news release from the White House. . . .
U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber announced the funding on X and said "This is a huge win for #MN08 and I was proud to advocate for those funds," a claim Walz quickly squashed.
"Oh boy," Walz responded. "I hate to talk politics when there's good news to celebrate but this is too brazen to ignore. Mr. Stauber voted against every screw, steel beam and concrete pier on this bridge. Luckily @potus worked with Stauber's colleagues and got it done without him. Thanks, Joe!"
My, my.
On the X platform, Jill Burcum documented Stauber's brazen turnabout.
Here's a link to Stauber's statement after he voted against the infrastructure bill in 2021. A sampling from the press release: "I will not be complicit in paving a destructive and irreversible path towards socialism." https://t.co/ofYtb3GLiZ https://t.co/gwiePdv0uy
— jburcum (@jburcum) January 22, 2024
Here's the statement Buscum found on Stauber's congressional website:
November 5, 2021
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) made the following statement after voting against the Senate infrastructure bill, which is part of the Democrats' multi-trillion-dollar tax-and-spend package:
"No one wants an infrastructure bill more than me, and I have long stated that it is important we return to regular order with a bicameral, bipartisan package that invests in traditional infrastructure projects, creates jobs, and spends taxpayer dollars wisely.
"Regrettably, Nancy Pelosi and other Democrat leaders made it abundantly clear that the $1.2 trillion Senate infrastructure bill is inextricably linked to their bloated multi-trillion-dollar tax-and-spend package.
"I will not be complicit in paving a destructive and irreversible path towards socialism. This massive spending package is not about real infrastructure, and instead will make businesses less competitive, outsource jobs, saddle American families and future generations with more debt and higher taxes, send inflation soaring to greater heights, and completely devastate our economy.
"Make no mistake; a vote for this "infrastructure" package is a vote for the reckless multi-trillion-dollar tax-and-spend spree. That's why I voted NO."
The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the Senate infrastructure bill will add almost $300 billion to the national debt.
That was then. This is now:
Stauber Announces One Billion Dollar Grant to Replace Blatnik Bridge
January 22, 2024
MINNESOTA - Today, Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded the Cities of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin with $1,058,398,200 to replace the Blatnik Bridge. This replacement bridge will address geometric deficiencies, increase capacity, and create a new shared-use path for cyclists and pedestrians to access both states easily.
Of this grant, Congressman Stauber stated, “By connecting Duluth, Minnesota to Superior Wisconsin, the Blatnik Bridge has helped drive our Twin Ports economy for the past six decades. The Blatnik Bridge is aging, and its restoration is essential to ensuring continued economic success, which is why I have long fought for these funds. Securing the money to help replace this bridge has been a top priority for both states, and I am proud to have worked with my Minnesota and Wisconsin Congressional colleagues to secure this critical investment. I look forward to seeing this project benefit countless industries, employers, health care patients, commuters, and tourists for years to come.”
Congressman Stauber has consistently advocated for these funds, sending several letters to the Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and President Joe Biden.
The Blatnik Bridge Reconstruction Project costs an estimated $1.8 billion dollars.
Jeepers. Maybe I'll write a couple of letters to those fellers and see if Summit's streets could get paved.
Photo: The Blatnik Bridge. Alex Kormann, Star Tribune.
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