President Joe Biden delivered remarks in Los Angeles on Thursday touting investments made under the bipartisan infrastructure bill he signed into law last year.
The White House has needled Republicans for opposing the president’s agenda, but who nonetheless bragged about federal funding delivered to their districts because of it.
“Last week, I saw — you saw it too — an interesting report on CNN. You all may have seen,” Biden told attendees. “I don’t know if CNN is here, but they put out a report. The headline was, quote, ‘Republicans called Biden’s infrastructure program socialism. And then they asked for [more] money.'”
He added, “In my church, they say, ‘Bless me, Father, for I have sinned,'” prompting laughter.
The president explained that some Republican lawmakers have stealthily sent him letters requesting money for projects in the districts and states. Biden stated that even though they opposed the bill, he’s going to allocate money to them anyway.
“Well, now they’re quietly and privately sending letters to my administration asking for money,” he said. “They’re talking about how important projects are in their districts and for all Americans. Well, guess what? I’m going to give them the money because it’s not about them, it’s about the people they represent.”
Biden then joked, “I gotta say, I’m surprised to see there are so many socialists in the Republican Caucus.
The administration has become increasingly punchy when it comes to Republicans who it believes are acting hypocritically. After Republican uproar over Biden’s decision to cancel $10,000 in student loan debt for most borrowers, the White House Twitter account blasted some GOP lawmakers who slammed the decision, but who also collectively took millions in forgivable PPP loans.
Watch above via C-SPAN.