María Elvira Salazar Continues To Shamelessly Take Credit For Local Projects She Sought To Block

Business Insider: GOP congresswoman touts $650,000 in federal funding — even though she voted against the bill that provided it

Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar is once again taking credit for community projects she sought to block in Congress. This time, Salazar celebrated funding to support small businesses in Miami.

Posing next to the mega-sized $650,000 check, the Congresswoman accepted local “Thank You’s” from Floridians for the critical investment while conveniently neglecting to mention that she voted against the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which provided the funding for this new program.

This isn’t the first time Salazar has deceitfully taken credit for the positive impacts of the legislation she voted against. She boldly celebrated funding for improvements of the Miami International Airport and the creation of the South Florida Climate Resilience Tech Hub – despite voting against the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS and Science Act that made these possible.

DCCC Spokesperson Lauryn Fanguen:
“Actions speak louder than words. If Salazar really wants to invest in South Miami, she should stop voting against Floridians’ interests. Voters see right through Salazar’s deception of saying one thing at home and doing the opposite in Washington.”

Salazar isn’t getting away with her deceitful tactics. Read the coverage of her schemes below. 

Business Insider: GOP congresswoman touts $650,000 in federal funding — even though she voted against the bill that provided it
Bryan Metzger | December 21, 2023

• On Monday, Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar held an event in her Miami-era district touting a new program to help small businesses get off the ground.

• Posing beside an oversized $650,000 check, the Florida congresswoman said in a post on X that the new program, in conjunction with Florida International University, would create “hundreds of jobs” and “help dozens of businesses grow” in the district.

• Yet Elvira Salazar voted against the bill that provided that funding.

• That bill was the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, an “omnibus” spending bill that passed at the end of last year, when Democrats still controlled both the House and the Senate.

• Most lawmakers didn’t even show up in person for the vote — which took place just days before Christmas — choosing to vote by proxy. Elvira Salazar was among the 226 lawmakers who did so, having fellow Florida Republican Rep. Neal Dunn cast a “no” vote on her behalf.

• Salazar, who represents a fairly competitive district, has done similar things in the past.

• That includes touting funding for a local airport that came from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and funding for climate resiliency efforts from the CHIPS and Science Act — even though she voted against both bills.

• But it’s also part of a broader trend of Republicans promoting or celebrating aspects of legislation that they voted against — sometimes described by critics as “vote no, take the dough.”

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