President Joe Biden jabbed Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., on Wednesday after the lawmaker celebrated federal funding for broadband access in Alabama from legislation he voted against in Congress.
“Broadband is vital for the success of our rural communities and for our entire economy,” Tuberville tweeted Tuesday. “Great to see Alabama receive crucial funds to boost ongoing broadband efforts.”
The funds are from the sweeping bipartisan infrastructure bill Biden signed into law in November 2021. Thirty GOP senators voted against the legislation.
Biden earlier this week called high-speed internet an “absolute necessity,” vowing that every household in the country would have access by 2030.
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Biden on Wednesday retweeted the Alabama senator, responding “See you at the groundbreaking.” The president during his State of the Union address earlier this year promised “to be the president for all Americans. We’ll fund your projects. And I’ll see you at the groundbreaking.”
Biden at a speech in Chicago on Wednesday also mentioned Tuberville, saying “There’s a guy named Tuberville, a senator from Alabama, who announced that he strongly opposed the legislation. Now he’s hailing its passage.”
The Alabama senator also retweeted Biden’s message, asking if the officials were meeting at the “The groundbreaking for Space Command in Huntsville?” Tuberville’s question referenced the ongoing saga about where the U.S. Space Command should be located.
Steven Stafford, a spokesperson for Tuberville, in a statement to USA TODAY alleged that Biden “and his allies have twisted Coach’s words behind recognition. At no point did he ‘hail its passage.'”
“Now that the bill is law of the land, the people of Alabama deserve their fair share. Coach is proud to advocate for this funding to go to Alabama,” Stafford wrote in an e-mail, referencing Tuberville’s tenure as a football coach.
Contributing: Associated Press
