Why Did VanDrew Give Biden & Pelosi “Monumental” Win?
Why did our Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew ruin what had been a good week for conservatives and Republicans?
Last Tuesday, Republicans defeated “woke” Democrats in Virginia. They won elections for Governor, Lieutenant Gov., and State Attorney General. Although Jack Ciattarelli narrowly lost his election to Phil Murphy, Republicans did much better than expected, and made gains throughout the state.
Meanwhile, Democrats were in complete disarray. President Biden’s two massive spending bills were stalled. The “Squad” of radical leftists in the House led by Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez refused to vote for the $1.2 trillion dollar “Infrastructure” because they wanted even more radical measures in a second $3.5 trillion “reconciliation” spending bill. As a result, Nancy Pelosi could not get the 218 votes to pass the first spending bill.
At the same time, West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin and Arizona Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema both said they would not consider voting the second $3.5 trillion spending bill unless the $1.2 trillion spending bill was passed.
Until Van Drew and 12 other Republican House Members bailed them out, Democrats were divided, depressed, and angry. One frustrated staffer for House Democrats posted the above meme last week before the Republican defections became known.
For more than a week, the Democrats were deadlocked. Each group blamed the other for being selfish and out-of-touch. When Democrats did much worse than expected in last week’s election, they blamed each other for the defeat.
Even more important, new polls suggested that most Americans opposed both massive spending and borrowing measures. That caused many moderate Democrats in both the House and Senate to openly doubt the wisdom of both measures. Members of Congress in both parties openly complained that they had no idea what was in both spending bills. They demanded more documents and time to get details. Many Americans, including Democrats, questioned the leadership of President Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
It appeared that Republicans were strong and united after their good showings in Virginia and New Jersey, and that Democrats were weak and ineffective. Last week, Republican House Minority Leader Keven McCarthy assured top GOP donors that Republican House members would hold firm and would not bail out Democrats Biden and Pelosi with Republican votes to pass their legislation.
At the same time, staffers for our Congressman Jeff Van Drew were making final plans for a major fundraiser with Ohio Republican Congressman Jim Jordan, a founder of the conservative Freedom Caucus at the Italian Gourmet Restaurant in Galloway Township. I had a reservation, and had a check written for a major donation.
All that changed last Thursday afternoon. @AndrewSolender, the Axios reporter for Capitol Hill reported that six Republican members of Congress had agreed to vote with Democrats for the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. Solender listed those six Republicans as:
- Fitzpatrick
- Bacon
- Young
- Upton
- Kinzinger
- Van Drew
Events then moved rapidly. Knowing she now had six Republicans to make up for the 6 “Squad” Democrats voting “No”, Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the House into session Friday morning to vote on the measure.
Van Drew’s staff quickly notified supporters that Van Drew would not appear at the Galloway fundraiser at 5:30 pm that day. They said Nancy Pelosi had called the House back in session, but did not explain why.
Once it was known that Van Drew and five other Republicans had given Pelosi the votes vote she needed, seven other Republican House members announced that they would also vote “Yes”. That gave Pelosi 13 Republican votes.
There are 221 Democrats and 213 Republicans in the House of Representatives. The “Infrastructure” bill was approved 228 “Yes” to 206 “No”. 215 Democrats and 13 Republicans voted “Yes”. 200 Republicans and 6 Democrats voted “No”.
President Joe Biden, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and most Democrats were ecstatic. Even the “Squad” of Alexander Ocasio-Cortez came out ahead. They enjoyed the benefits of all the radical left measures they negotiated into the bill, even when they voted “No” saying they wanted more! If they didn’t vote for the bill, why didn’t Republicans insist that their radical left measures be taken out?
Before the vote, Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy urged all Republicans to vote against the $1.2 trillion “Infrastructure” bill. If the bill is so good, why didn’t Jeff Van Drew and the other 12 who voted with them publicly say so and publicly urge all 213 Republicans to vote “Yes”?
Why didn’t a single “moderate” Democrat vote with 200 Republicans against the bill. Why did 13 “moderate” Republicans think it was OK to vote for it?
Here is why I think the “Infrastructure” Bill is bad for Republicans and bad for America.
- It spends money for the next ten years. This is so Democrats can guarantee money for all their pet projects even if they lose their majority in next year’s election. It makes elections almost meaningless for the next ten years.
- The Congressional Budget Office, run by Democrats, claims that this will add “only” $256 billion in deficits during the next 10 years. However, many classic financial gimmicks are in the bill, so nobody knows what the real cost will be. At one time, few people cared. However, now people see that when the government pays for things with dollars backed by nothing, prices go up for everyone. The rich are OK, the poor and illegals get government help. Self-reliant middle class working people are hurt the most.
- $110 billion (less than 10%) of the $1.2 trillion will be spent on real “infrastructure”, that is roads and bridges. We already collect enough money from gas taxes and tolls. If costs were under control, we would not need this massive 10 year “infrastructure” spending bill to pay for them. Of course, highway and bridge construction costs are out of control and unsustainable. A few years ago, we spent $500 million to replace two old bridges on the 2.8 mile causeway between Ocean City and Somers Point, New Jersey. We spent $5 million to install traffic lights and remove one traffic circle by the Atlantic City Airport. Why? Because enormous amounts of money are wasted on environmental laws that do nothing to protect the environment, diversity set-asides, and “prevailing wage” union rules that don’t prevail anywhere except for government contracts. Also, because these laws and rules are so complicated, only a handful of expensive, politically connected contractors bid on these jobs.
- $73 billion is for “electric grid and power structure”. Because no new nuclear, gas, coal, or oil power plants are permitted, only new solar panels and wind turbines will be built. That is because solar and wind are so weak, intermittent, and unreliable that duplicate power lines are needed so fossil fuel generators can power the grid when sun isn’t shining and wind not blowing. Otherwise, what we pay on our electric bills would be more than enough to build and fix the power lines we need. The bill will also pay for electric cars, buses and charging stations. This will make even more people dependent on getting electric power that may not be there when needed.
- $105 billion are for trains, buses and subways that few people use. That is because they often are dirty, unsafe, and offer poor service. Many are run by mismanaged political agencies like New Jersey Transit. If private companies like those that run our airlines ran mass transit, we would have better service and lower prices without billions from a broke federal government.
- $55 billion for “water infrastructure”. That means that people who live in towns with well-managed, public or private water companies have to also pay for mismanaged utility companies in Democrat run towns.
- $65 billion for “free” internet controlled by Democrats in mostly Democrat run areas. This is yet another way for Democrats to control politics and elections by controlling news and other information, and shutting out the views of political opponents.
- $21 billion for “environmental remediation”. We have had strict environmental laws since the 1970s. We already spent billions on cleanups, and forced polluting companies to spend billions more to clean up their properties. Exactly what still needs to be “remediated”? Or is this about bailing out politically connected owners of worthless real estate?
- $47 billion for flooding and coastal resiliency as well as “climate resiliency”. Also protections against fires, etc. Sea levels have been rising and falling for billions of years. Instead of spending billions for “resiliency”, why not let those who build too close to the water pay to move if water levels rise. With regard to fires, environmental scientist Michael Shellenberger explained how proper forest and brush management prevents most brush and forest fires from spreading to built up areas.
- $42 billion for airports and dock facilities. Why not let the airlines and shipping companies who use them pay for what they need?
- Critical Race Theory for highways? Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg states that part of the $110 billion earmarked for roads and bridges must be used to “fix the racism built into some of our highways”. The “social justice” term “equity” is stated at least 64 times. This is designed to make sure that a disproportionate share of the money will be benefit Democrat controls companies and towns.
Did Congressman Jeff Van Drew and the other 12 Republicans who voted with him make conservatives and Republicans stronger or weaker by helping Democrats pass this bill?
Chuck Todd, host of NBC News “Meet The Press” today described passage of Biden’s Infrastructure Bill as “one of his best days in office”. Why did our Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew do this for him?
What would have happened if they voted no? Would Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and her 6 member “Squad” have ended up voting for the bill? If so wouldn’t that have made Democrats weaker? If the “Squad” succeeded in adding more radical left-wing measures, would that have forced moderate Democrats to break ranks?
Would this dissention by Democrats have made Biden and Pelosi Democrats easier to defeat next year? By voting with Democrats, did Van Drew and the other 12 Republicans made Democrats stronger and Republicans weaker?
How should we respond to this? How would you respond?
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I didn’t find why VanDrew, or others, voted for the bill in the article.
I just posted response from Van Drew, Harry Hurley, and GOP House Member for Brooklyn/Staten Island. And weird statement from Trump which seems to indicate he was OK with it. https://libertyandprosperity.com/republican-congressman-jeff-van-drew-explains-his-vote-for-1-2-trillion-infrastructure-bill-harry-hurley-calls-it-defensible/
I should have posted this email I sent to Van Drew after he sent me an emailed form letter explaining why he voted for the infrastructure package. He did not reply. I’ll post a comment anyway.
Dear Congressman Van Drew,
Thank you for your reply. I appreciate you taking the time to explain your vote. I remain unconvinced that this was the right thing to do.
This infrastructure bill, which Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden have always linked to the giant social spending package, should never have passed. In June, Pelosi stated, “There ain’t gonna be no bipartisan bill, unless we have a reconciliation bill.” She reiterated this sentiment in October when she confirmed “the bipartisan infrastructure bill will pass once we have agreement on the reconciliation bill.”
So you can now count on the reconciliation bill’s passage.
In the face of this, why would you vote to pass it when you know it would have failed had all the Republicans held firm against it? It’s easy for you to say you will now vote against the social spending package, also known as the reconciliation bill. Your vote on that doesn’t matter, it is guaranteed to pass, which means you have put the fate of the social spending bill, which will be the final nail in the coffin of our economy, in the hands of one or two Democrat senators. That, Congressman, is reckless.
We’ve been waiting years and years for an infrastructure bill to pass. Why is it so important to pass it now given the dire political stakes surrounding it? It is highly likely that the GOP will have a House majority and somewhat likely a Senate majority next year. Why not wait until then when the bill can be structured with a little more common sense economics?
I truly do not understand what you are doing. You have made a grave miscalculation.
Philip Klein at The National Review called the vote by you and 12 other Republicans “political malpractice” and a “betrayal,” writing “Just before midnight on Friday, we witnessed an utterly disgraceful act by a group of 13 House Republicans. Given the chance to deal a severe blow to President Biden’s flailing agenda, they instead rescued him by providing Speaker Nancy Pelosi with the votes she needed to overcome resistance from the far Left of her party.”
The Wall Street Journal wrote: “The press is full of triumphant accounts of how Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Biden saved their party, the country, and maybe the future of mankind by passing the $1 trillion infrastructure bill through the House late Friday night. It’s more accurate to say their divided party was rescued by 13 Republicans who voted with the Democrats. With their narrow House majority, Democrats couldn’t pass the bill themselves after six left-wing Members voted no. Without those GOP votes, the bill would have failed and Democrats would have suffered another political defeat and more recriminations. Instead, Democratic leaders are moving ahead fast to focus on their $4 trillion entitlement spending and tax bill that is now more likely to pass.”
I couldn’t agree more.
As for the bill you voted for, it contains a little bit of sweet and a lot of bitter add ons, with only about
11 percent of the bill paying for traditional infrastructure, according to various news reports I have read.
According to the Wall Street Journal:
“The Congressional Budget Office found the bill will add $256 billion to the federal deficit over 10 years, plus another $196 billion over the 2021 budget baseline in the government’s contract authority.” Do you think this is responsible, Congressman?
According to the CATO institute:
“The bill contains brand-new spending on highways, transit, Amtrak, electric vehicles, airports, ports, clean water, clean energy, and broadband. This entirely new spending is almost entirely unnecessary as the infrastructure crisis was mostly fabricated in order to get Congress do what it always does, which is throw money at problems that are perceived to exist, whether they are real or not.
About half of the transportation dollars in the bill are dedicated to Amtrak and urban transit, modes of transportation that carry less than 1 percent of passenger travel and no freight. While the other half appears to be dedicated to highways, much of that will be spent on projects that will reduce, not maintain or increase, roadway capacities. The bill also includes $65 billion for rural broadband based on overestimates of how many people lacked access to high-speed internet. According to the White House, which originally proposed this spending, “more than 30 million Americans live in areas where there is no broadband infrastructure.” But according to the Federal Communications Commission, only 21 million Americans “lacked access to fixed terrestrial” broadband in 2019, and all of those Americans had access to satellite broadband if they wanted it. The main beneficiaries of this $65 billion will be broadband companies and high-income exurbanites.”
The Wall Street Journal added: “The bill is also a large down payment on the Green New Deal. There’s $7.5 billion for electric-car charging stations that the Transportation Department will allocate. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm gets $21.5 billion for a new Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, which will pass out subsidies to favored projects. This will be a festival of corporate welfare serving political interests rather than the best return on investment. Think Solyndra, the sequel.”
Now that the damage is done, here is what we get when the reconciliation bill passes, according to The Federalist:
A 10-year amnesty for illegal immigrants, which includes work permits and driver’s licenses and cannot be undone by future administrations for a decade.
Millions of dollars in funding for the IRS to enforce the Biden administration’s plan to review every bank account with $10,000 or more.
Expands and shores up provisions of Obamacare.
Eliminates the statutory cap on employment visas, effectively allowing Big Tech companies and other mega-corporations to prioritize hiring foreign workers over American workers.
Facilitates enforcement of Biden’s vaccine mandate by increasing OSHA penalties on businesses up to $700,000 per violation and provides billions in funding for the Department of Labor to increase enforcement.
Mandates taxpayer coverage of abortion, leaving the long-agreed upon Hyde amendment out of the bill.
Provides half a trillion dollars in climate spending, including clean energy tax credits to subsidize solar, electric vehicles, and clean energy production, as well as federal spending on clean energy technology and manufacturing, all while limiting domestic energy production, thereby increasing dependence on Russia and China.
Provides roughly $400 billion for expanded government childcare and universal pre-K, which pumps millions into failed Head Start programs, excludes support for families who prefer at-home child-care arrangements, and by requiring that preschool teachers have a college degree, will reduce the availability of child-care options.
A host of new taxes, and a giant tax cut for the rich: by including a repeal on the cap for the state and local tax deduction, Democrats will provide a $30 billion net direct tax cut for the top 5 percent of earners, largely in blue states where the state and local taxes are much higher.
I did not vote for any of this, Congressman. I voted for a return to responsible governance and common sense legislation. Your vote betrays me and the millions of other Americans who depend on Republicans to be a bulwark against the recklessness and rot that has infected our country.
Sadly, you let us down with your vote and there is really nothing you can say to me to justify it. Maybe it doesn’t matter, it might already be too late for this country. You should have held the line. I will be looking elsewhere when it comes time to cast my vote next November. Or maybe I’ll just move out of New Jersey, driving on one of those wonderful roads you helped me pay for.
And to think I volunteered for you in 2020 and for the GOP this year. As Lauren Visser said in the movie Blood Simple, “Who looks stupid now?”
Sincerely,
Dennis Finley
Atlantic City resident