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As January came to an end, Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar struggled to respond to questions about one of her problematic habits: The Florida Republican kept taking credit for federal investments she’d voted against.
As February comes to an end, the story has returned to the fore. HuffPost reported:
Rep. Maria Salazar (R-Fla.) this month celebrated delivering $1.4 million to a children’s hospital in her district, even attending a photo op where she handed over massive checks to leadership and staff at the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. Except Salazar voted against the bill that provided this money.
When members celebrate legislation they opposed, hoping voters won’t know the difference, the cynicism is politically fraught: The public is left with the false impression that these lawmakers did something popular and contributed to a success story.
But stories like these are worse: The GOP congresswoman issued a press statement this month claiming that she “secured over $1.4 million” in federal funding for a children’s hospital in Miami. Salazar even appeared in person at the hospital for a photo-op, delivering oversized checks, and then promoted the event via social media.
What the Florida Republican did not note is that, according to her own press statement, the funding for the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital was “part of the Fiscal Year 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act.”
Salazar voted against the Fiscal Year 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act, along with nearly every other member of the GOP conference.
HuffPost’s report added, “What’s strange is that Salazar is not just trying to take credit for money that she voted against, she openly cites where this funding came from — and it’s very easy to look up her vote on this bill. It’s as if she is just hoping nobody notices.”
All of this comes a month after Jim DeFede, an investigative reporter at the CBS affiliate in Miami, reminded the congresswoman about a recent event at which Salazar presented a check for $650,000 to help small businesses at Florida International University.
“You voted against the bill that gave the money that you then signed a check for and handed and had a photo op,” DeFede explained.
Salazar claimed not to remember how she voted on the legislation.
DeFede also noted that she voted against the CHIPS and Science Act, only to tout funding from the law that benefited her district. In the same interview, the local CBS reporter reminded Salazar that she also voted against the bipartisan infrastructure law, before touting the investments from the law that helped Miami International Airport.
It’s tempting to think Salazar, following this on-air disaster, would’ve learned a lesson and started taking greater care before trying to take credit for funding she voted against. Evidently, that didn’t happen.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.