Mace says she won’t support $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. Here’s the reason
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina plans to vote against the $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure bill because it doesn’t include enough for basic infrastructure like roads and bridges. She also claims House Republicans did not get enough input.
Mace, who became the first Republican woman to represent the 1st Congressional District in November, was on Hilton Head Island Thursday when she met with Operation Patriots, a veterans group, about suicide prevention.
In a 69-30 bipartisan vote, the Senate approved the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in August. The House has yet to vote.
The Biden administration says the legislation includes $550 billion in new federal investment in the country’s roads and bridges, water infrastructure, internet and more, calling it a “once-in-a-generation” investment in infrastructure that will be good for the economy and will create jobs.
Mace, who sits on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, says not enough money is set aside for roads and bridges. Of the total spending, $110 billion is for surface transportation needs such as roads and bridges, she notes, and $70 billion of that is for public mass transit.
South Carolina has many needs, including maintenance and construction of ports such as the proposed Jasper Ocean Terminal, “and this is how they decided to spend it,” said Mace, who noted that more funds should have been set aside for roads and bridges.
One of her funding priorities was $1.2 billion for improvements to the Interstate 26-Interstate 95 interchange in Charleston. That project is included in the bill, she said. Funding for improvements at Hilton Head Island Airport is not included in the bill, she said.
Without additional Republican input on the bill, however, Mace said she won’t be supporting the legislation. As it stands, she thinks it has too much waste.
The $1.2 trillion package also includes funding normally allocated each year for highways and other infrastructure projects.
Projects will be financed through a combination of redirecting unspent emergency relief funds, increasing taxes on corporations and strengthening tax enforcement on crypto currencies, according to the Biden administration.
Mace notes the Congressional Budget Office has estimated the bill will add $256 billion to the national debt.
Two disaster-related bills proposed
Mace said she planned to support a bill that would establish a Natural Disaster Safety Board to investigate the causes of fatalities and property damage caused by wildfires and other disasters. U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., is the lead Democrat on the bill, while Mace is the lead Republican. The legislation could be introduced as soon as Friday.
In September, Mace was a Republican co-sponsor of the Disaster Assistance Equity Act with U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y. The bill makes common-interest communities, such as housing cooperatives and condominiums, eligible for the same federal assistance as other homeowners. Mace said the bill would ensure federal funds are equitably distributed across all types of housing communities, including those in the Lowcountry.
This story was originally published October 8, 2021 at 1:08 PM with the headline "Mace says she won’t support $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. Here’s the reason."
