There Should Be Punishment

Here is Ron Klain, President Biden’s Chief of Staff, on Meet the Press yesterday talking about the passage of the Infrastructure Bill:

Well, look, I do think the voters sent a message on Tuesday they wanted to see more action in Washington, they wanted to see things move more quickly. Three days later congress responded passing the president’s infrastructure bill. But a lot of work went into getting us there over the past few months. I don’t think the election alone put it over the line. What put it over the line was President Biden starting back in April putting it before the country, working with Democrats and Republicans in the Senate to get it through the Senate in August, working with a broad coalition in the house to finally pass it.

In fact, the Democrats could not have passed the legislation without thirteen Republicans voting for it.

Let me be clear here — there are valid reasons for supporting the infrastructure bill. While I think it is a load of pork crap, there are policy reasons to support it.

But… there is ZERO reason for any Republican to have supported the legislation while Nancy Pelosi could not get the votes on her own side to get it finished.

Policywise, voting for it makes sense. But voting for it while the progressives get to sit it out is inexcusable, especially while the Democrats are preparing their Build Back Better boondoggle that the progressives want and the moderate Democrats will surely cave on.

While I think very highly of some of the Republicans who voted for the legislation, Kevin McCarthy needs to take swift action to punish them. He punished Liz Cheney. Marjorie Taylor Greene has no committees on which to sit. Both of them voted against this crap.

The thirteen who voted for it surely voted on the policy, but on the strategy they gave the Democrats a win and a talking point. Ron Klain got to go on television and make the case the Democrats absorbed Tuesday night’s results and responded by passing the infrastructure plan to show they got the message.

But the Democrats did not pass it. Thirteen Republicans passed it. There must be repercussions or Kevin McCarty needs to be denied the Speaker’s Chair after next year.