Staff for U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN-05) told his constituents he voted for the $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal, and they bragged about all the good things they said it will accomplish for Tennessee.
Cooper’s staff said this in an emailed newsletter Friday.
“After voting for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the bipartisan infrastructure package, Jim called its passage a ‘big deal’ for Tennessee. He said the package will create jobs and ‘will give us better roads and bridges, faster internet, and cleaner drinking water,’” according to the email.
“Tennessee will receive approximately $8 billion for infrastructure projects, including $5.8 billion for highways, $697 million dollars for safe water, $630 million for public transit, $300 million for bridges, $300 for airports, and $100 million for expansion of broadband internet.”
Cooper added a provision barring freight trains from blocking roads for extended lengths of time. Cooper’s staff said in the email that he introduced the measure after numerous Nashvillians complained about trains blocking busy roads and cutting off neighborhoods.
Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07), in a separate email to his own constituents, said Friday that the infrastructure bill is a boondoggle.
“Sadly, hardline infrastructure was hardly their priority with this legislation. The fact of the matter is that their infrastructure bill is not paid for,” Green wrote.
“With $28 trillion in debt and inflation on the rise, now is not the time to continue spending our children and grandchildren’s futures into oblivion.”
Robby Starbuck, the son of Cuban refugees and a Republican, announced late last year that he will run against Cooper in 2022.
Starbuck said at the time that his approach to campaigning and representing constituents will differ greatly from Cooper and past Republican candidates. He attributed his unique approach to his background.
“Being Latino, I’m going to reach out to the Latino community and Black community in Nashville in a way that others haven’t previously done in this district. I don’t think it was for any reason but for the idea that it’s hard to win those votes. I think they’re worth fighting for – Trump showed us that this year,” Starbuck said at the time.
“All of my fellow Cubans are rabid political creatures, and we fight as hard as we can against socialism. I bet you by the end of this, every Latino household in Nashville will get a phone call or a door knock from us.”
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Jim Cooper” by US House. Background Photo “Roads and Bridges” by Greg. CC BY-SA 2.0.
