Biden pokes fun at GOP lawmakers shamelessly 'bragging' about relief plan they all voted against
President Joe Biden highlighted the hypocrisy of GOP lawmakers Thursday for trying to take credit for passage of the American Rescue Plan after every single congressional Republican voted against the popular law.
In classic Biden form, the president chided those lawmakers with a chuckle as he pulled out a list of their names during an event to promote his American Jobs Plan in Cleveland, Ohio.
“I’m not going to embarrass any one of them, but I have here a list of how back in their districts they’re bragging about the rescue plan,” Biden said to laughter, after touring Cuyahoga Community College. “I mean, some people have no shame,” he added, flashing a wide grin.
Though Biden didn’t actually name names, he held up the list for the cameras, full well knowing the media would name them for him. And so they did: Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, and Reps. Kevin McCarthy of California, Elise Stefanik of New York, Beth Van Duyne of Texas, Greg Pence of Indiana, Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington, Troy Balderson of Ohio, Anthony Gonzales of Ohio, Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, Alex Mooney of West Virginia, Lee Zeldin of New York, and Andrew Garbarino of New York.
Congressional Republicans eager to steal credit for the results of a $1.9 trillion relief plan they uniformly voted against has become a continuing theme in recent weeks.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dubbed it, “Vote no, take the dough.”
Now Biden has given local journalists a reason to question every one of those Republicans about being chided by the president—a nice ripple effect in their home districts.
The president also used the occasion of grabbing ice cream at a local store to question why the heck any American lawmaker would vote against a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection—a vote that is expected very soon in the Senate.
“I can’t imagine anyone voting against establishing a commission on the greatest assault since the Civil War on the Capitol. But at any rate, I came for ice cream,” he said, holding up a waffle cone filled with chocolate chocolate chip ice cream.
Take it to ‘em, Joe.