Congresswoman Sandy Cortez, of New York this week checked U.S. President Joe Biden’s claim that all American children will be provided clean drinking water, free of lead under the bipartisan infrastructure deal.
That deal allocates $15 billion to remedy lead-infected water systems in New York City. Cortez was one of a few Democrats who opposed the deal, including the allocation for remedying lead polluted water systems.
“We’re finally going to get rid of our nation’s dangerous lead pipes thanks to this infrastructure deal,” Biden tweeted. “Every kid in this country will able to turn on the tap and drink clean water.”
Not so fast, Cortez rebutted.
“It’s not just that we made these promises before – look at how the infra bill is being messaged *now* I respect the President and the leg feat he just accomplished. But this is simply wrong. We did not fund the replacement of every child’s pipe & we shouldn’t tell people we did,” she said.
“The cost to replace every lead pipe in the United States is $45-60 billion. BIF only gives $15b. Without BBB, many communities historically denied clean water will continue to be denied. Build Back Better has lead $ for disadvantaged communities. We must keep pushing for BBB,” Cortez added.
Cortez and her liberal, progressive ‘squad’ members voted against the measure to provide children with clean, lead-free water.
After voting against the measure, Cortez defended her no vote saying it was a plot to help people in Republican communities too.
“BIF has a lot of bad stuff in it – that’s how they got GOP votes. It ALSO has a lot of good stuff in it- what you’re hearing on TV,” she said, exposing a conspiracy by President Biden and House Democrats to work across the aisle with Republicans to pass the measure. “There were many, many promises made to get to Friday’s passage. Promises from mod Dems, House leadership, and the President himself.”