POTUS Scolds GOP For Targeting 13 Republicans Who Voted For Infrastructure Bill [VIDEO]
President Joe Biden called on Republicans to stop pursuing retaliation against 13 members of their party who voted to pass the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill in the House last week, saying he’s never seen things this way in Congress.
Some conservative House Republicans have discussed booting those GOP colleagues from their committee assignments, even though the effort faces little chance of succeeding. Donald Trump has also been privately criticizing the 13 Republicans who voted to pass the bill, questioning why they would give President Biden a win when he’s struggling in the polls. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Q-GA) wrote a lengthy Twitter tirade against her colleagues, sharing their office phone numbers and encouraging her followers to call them.
While in conversation with Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison during a grassroots town hall on Tuesday, the President spoke to the chances of reaching a truly bipartisan Congress. “Well, I’m hoping, Jaime, that we can get back to a place where there’s more civility in politics,” President Biden said. “I really mean it. And I’ve never seen it this way.”
President Biden tells Democrats at a DNC virtual town hall: "We won in 2020 as a unified party — maybe more unified than ever. Now, as I look at 2022, we need to stay unified. We need to remember that the American people sent us here to deliver, to make their lives better." pic.twitter.com/MeTL2EPG5y
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 9, 2021
He continued, “If they’re a chairman of a committee, they’re trying to strip them of that chairmanship. I’ve never seen it like this before. It’s gotta stop for the sake of America. I know I get in trouble when I talk about bipartisan — these people say, why in the devil would I like any Republicans? Well, it’s important. … Unless we can generate consensus in America, we’re in trouble.”
DNC Chair Jaime Harrison: “Make no mistake, today’s vote was made possible by the leadership of President Biden and Democrats who are delivering on their promise to build consensus and show that the government can work for all Americans.”
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) November 6, 2021
The 13 House Republicans who voted for the legislation last week are: Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska; Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania; Andrew Gabarino, John Katko, Nicole Malliotakis and Tom Reed of New York; Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio; Adam Kinzinger of Illinois; David McKinley of West Virginia; Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey; Fred Upton of Michigan; and Don Young of Alaska.
Some of those members have faced serious blowback.
During the town hall, President Biden thanked members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, for passing the massive infrastructure package, something he noted that his predecessor never got done. He also expressed confidence that Congress will pass the Build Back Better portion of his agenda.