- Salazar got caughtrepeatedly attempting to take credit for securing federal funding for local projects that she had voted against. She tried to take credit for funding that went to Florida International University by handing them a check during a photo-op, but she had voted against the bill that appropriated the money. She touted the South Florida Climate Resilience Tech Hub, but had voted against the CHIPS and Science Act. She touted federal funding going to the airport despite having voted against the bipartisan infrastructure law. Salazar claimed she couldn’t remember how she voted on a couple bills. However, her campaign doubled-down and claimed Salazar was standing up to “wasteful spending” in Washington.
HEADLINE: “GOP Lawmaker Called Out After Claiming Credit For Projects She Voted Against” [Independent, 1/29/24]
HEADLINE: “GOP Rep Tries (Again) To Take Credit For Investments She Opposed” [MSNBC, 2/28/24]
A Journalist Called Out Salazar For Touting Funding For Several Projects In Her District That Came From Bills She Voted Against, Like The CHIPS & Science Act. According to the Independent, "‘You voted against the CHIPS & Science Act, right?’ Mr DeFede asked, to which Ms Salazer argued that she had brought $40m back to the district. ‘The money that you talk about, the $40m that you bring back to the district – sometimes that money comes from bills that you voted against,’ the reporter responded. ‘You voted against the CHIPS act, and yet you praise the fact that the South Florida Climate Resilience Tech Hub is going to be started in Miami. You voted against the infrastructure bill and you talk about all the money that comes back to the airport. So at the same time that you're taking credit for the money that you bring back to the district – in Washington, you're voting against these projects on party-line votes.’" [Independent, 1/29/24]
Salazar Attempted To Take Credit For Funding That Went To Florida International University By Handing Them A Check During A Photo-Op Despite Voting Against The Bill That Appropriated That Money. According to the Independent, "Florida GOP Rep Maria Elvira Salazar is facing criticism after claiming credit for projects made possible by bipartisan legislation that she didn’t support. The CHIPS & Science Act as well as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has enabled a number of new projects to get underway in Ms Salazar’s district, Florida’s 27th in southern Miami. CBS Miami investigative reporter Jim DeFede pressed the lawmaker on her record, saying ‘Last month you were at [Florida International University] when you presented a check for $650,000 to help small businesses at FIU. But you voted against the bill that gave the money that you then signed a check for and handed and had a photo op – the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. You voted against that bill’." [Independent, 1/29/24]
- Salazar Claimed She Could Not Remember How She Voted On The CHIPS And Science Act Or The Consolidated Appropriations Act Of 2023. According to The Hill, "In an interview on CBS News Miami, Salazar dodged repeatedly when asked about her votes against certain legislation, including the CHIPS and Science Act and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. Throughout the interview, Salazar said she did not remember how she voted, said she needed to consult her staff, and tried to redirect the conversation to focus on other bills she introduced." [The Hill, 1/29/24]
- 2022: Salazar Voted Against The FY 2023 Omnibus Spending Package, Which Included The Growing Climate Solutions Act And Established A Framework For Voluntary Environmental Credit Markets To Incentivize The Agriculture Industry To Reduce And Mitigate Greenhouse Gas Emissions. In December 2022, according to Congressional Quarterly, Salazar voted against concurring with the Senate amendment to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, which would “establish a framework for voluntary environmental credit markets to incentivize activities by farmers, ranchers and foresters to reduce or mitigate greenhouse gas emission or sequester carbon.” The vote was on a motion to concur. The House concurred with the Senate amendment by a vote of 225-201, thus bill was sent to President Biden and ultimately became law. [House Vote 549, 12/23/22; Congressional Quarterly, 12/23/22; Congressional Actions, S.Amdt. 6552; Congressional Actions, H.R. 2617]
Salazar Touted The South Florida Climate Resilience Tech Hub That Planned To Start Up In Miami, But Voted Against The CHIPS And Science Act. According to the Independent, "‘The money that you talk about, the $40m that you bring back to the district – sometimes that money comes from bills that you voted against,’ the reporter responded. ‘You voted against the CHIPS act, and yet you praise the fact that the South Florida Climate Resilience Tech Hub is going to be started in Miami. You voted against the infrastructure bill and you talk about all the money that comes back to the airport. So at the same time that you're taking credit for the money that you bring back to the district – in Washington, you're voting against these projects on party-line votes.’” [Independent, 1/29/24]
- Salazar Claimed She Could Not Remember How She Voted On The CHIPS And Science Act Or The Consolidated Appropriations Act Of 2023. According to The Hill, "In an interview on CBS News Miami, Salazar dodged repeatedly when asked about her votes against certain legislation, including the CHIPS and Science Act and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. Throughout the interview, Salazar said she did not remember how she voted, said she needed to consult her staff, and tried to redirect the conversation to focus on other bills she introduced." [The Hill, 1/29/24]
- 2022: Salazar Voted Against The CHIPS And Science Act. In July 2022, according to Congressional Quarterly, Salazar voted against concurring with the Senate amendment to the Chips and Science Act, which would “identify ‘key technology focus’ areas as federal research and development priorities, including artificial intelligence, automation and advanced manufacturing, quantum computing, biotechnology and advanced energy.” The vote was on a motion to concur. The House concurred with the Senate by a vote of 243-187, thus the bill was sent to the President. [House Vote 404, 7/28/22; Congressional Quarterly, 7/28/22; Congressional Actions, H.R. 4346]
Salazar Touted Money That Was Going To The Airport, But She Voted Against The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. According to the Independent, "‘The money that you talk about, the $40m that you bring back to the district – sometimes that money comes from bills that you voted against,’ the reporter responded. ‘You voted against the CHIPS act, and yet you praise the fact that the South Florida Climate Resilience Tech Hub is going to be started in Miami. You voted against the infrastructure bill and you talk about all the money that comes back to the airport. So at the same time that you're taking credit for the money that you bring back to the district – in Washington, you're voting against these projects on party-line votes.’” [Independent, 1/29/24]
- 2021: Salazar Voted Against Granting $25 Billion For Airports And About $17 Billion For Ports And Waterways, Including For Land Port Modernizations And Water Port Upgrades, Including Resilience And Electrification Projects. In November 2021, Salazar voted against concurring in the Senate amendment to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act which would, according to Congressional Quarterly, “provide $25 billion for airports and approximately $17 billion for ports and waterways, including $3.4 billion to modernize land ports of entry and $2.25 billion for water port upgrades, including resilience and electrification projects.” The vote was on a motion to concur in the Senate amendment. The House concurred with the Senate by a vote of 228-206, thus the bill was sent to the President and ultimately became law. [House Vote 369, 11/5/21; Congressional Quarterly, 11/5/21; Congressional Actions, S.Amdt. 2137; Congressional Actions, H.R. 3684]
¶ in response to criticism, salazar’s campaign DOUBLED DOWN and claimed she was standing up to “wasteful spending”
Salazar Reiterated That She Believed The Federal Funding Was Just “Wasteful Spending.” According to Politico, "The funding Salazar highlighted and seemed to embrace — but in some cases voted against — came from several federal laws, including the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the 2023 Omnibus spending bill to fund the government as well as the CHIPS and Science Act to expand manufacturing and semiconductor research in the U.S. […] The Salazar campaign brushed off the accusations in a statement provided to POLITICO. ‘Only in the minds of out-of-touch radical liberals is standing up to bad policies and wasteful spending viewed as a ‘gotcha,’ the campaign said." [Politico, 2/1/24]