Senator Tommy Tuberville did not want broadband to be available to everybody in the state of Alabama, thinking it was a waste of money to give folks in rural communities the same access offered to those living in cities. So the elitist lawmaker voted no against the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which passed anyway, without his help. But now that Alabamans are set to receive $1.4 billion to expand broadband across the entire state, Tuberville is celebrating as if he had supported it.
"Broadband is vital for the success of our rural communities and for our entire economy," he tweeted. "Great to see Alabama receive crucial funds to boost ongoing broadband efforts." (See tweet below.) Insincere MAGA leaders are so caught up in their lies and conspiracy theories, they can't keep their stories straight.
[UPDATE: President Biden mocks Tuberville's phony praise of the law. "To no one's surprise, it's bringing along some converts. People strenuously opposed, voting against it, [saying] 'This is going to bankrupt America!' Well there's a guy named Tuberville, senator from Alabama, who strongly opposed the legislation," Biden said. "Now he's hailing its passage." Biden then quotes the shifty Tuberville as his audience explodes in laughter. See video below, posted by The Recount.]
From HuffPost:
The money for this initiative is flowing from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which included a historic $65 billion investment in expanding high-speed, affordable broadband. President Joe Biden signed this into law in November 2021.
When the bill came before the Senate in August 2021, Tuberville voted no.
Beyond that, NTIA's website notes that Biden's investment in broadband builds on funding provided by the American Rescue Plan, which Tuberville also voted against.
Tuberville spokesperson Steven Stafford dismissed the idea that there's anything hypocritical about the senator hailing the benefits of legislation he opposed.
"There's no discrepancy," Stafford said, pointing to Tuberville's statement from 2021 in opposition to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. "Coach voted against the infrastructure bill because it wasted Alabamians' tax dollars," he said of Tuberville, a former college football coach. "It spent too much to get too little in return for Alabama. But now that it is law of the land, the people of Alabama deserve their fair share."
"Coach is proud to advocate for this funding to go to Alabama," Stafford said.
