Republicans are predictably throwing up poor defenses against President Joe Biden's proposed infrastructure spending bill, a $2 trillion package aimed at bringing the United States' failing and outdated infrastructure into the 21st century.
Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, was on ABC's This Week to promote the plan when he was confronted with South Dakota Republican Governor Kristi Noem's assertion pipes and housing were not part of infrastructure.
Buttigieg refuted this swiftly.
Pete Buttigieg: "I heard the governor of South Dakota recently saying, 'this isn't infrastructure -- it's got money… https://t.co/navqBWEn0k— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1617547697.0
Buttigieg: "The American people like this plan even more when you explain how we're gonna pay for it, and the reaso… https://t.co/rcS38ib88T— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1617548054.0
Buttigieg: "We're determined to make sure that 'infrastructure week' is no longer a punchline around Washington." https://t.co/2ekvLBvAfB— Aaron Rupar (@Aaron Rupar) 1617548159.0
"Well, we believe that pipes are infrastructure, because you need water to live," said Buttigieg.
"And too many families now live with the threat of lead poisoning."
Buttigieg's assertion is backed by the fallout surrounding the Flint, Michigan water crisis.
Flint, Michigan changed its water source and the new water source corroded the pipes, causing lead to leak directly into the water supply of the city.
@atrupar Or we just sell the Dakotas to 🇨🇦. They can worry about what their new Chief Minister of the Dakota Provin… https://t.co/Il1YYIg4gG— Amrit Jacob (@Amrit Jacob) 1617548284.0
@atrupar @JustVent6 Fun Fact: The longer you wait to spend money on infrastructure, the more it costs in the long r… https://t.co/qg3d2w3wjc— LogicalFallacy (@LogicalFallacy) 1617553011.0
@atrupar He's so much better speaking to specifics, including disagreement and pushback as needed, than he was spea… https://t.co/vvTWfPMc1g— sedef onder (@sedef onder) 1617549263.0
@atrupar Pete is perfect for this stuff. He should never run for political office again. He should just move up the ladder administratively.— Robert P. Dean (@Robert P. Dean) 1617548003.0
@atrupar I’d like to know in what alternate universe a functional water system would not be considered “infrastructure.”— The Jeff (@The Jeff) 1617548122.0
Governor Noem made her anti-progressive views clear.
Just a few weeks ago, Noem voiced her opposition to Lil Nas X's music video for "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" as well as his Satan shoes, to which Lil Nas X responded by telling her to "do [her] job."
@atrupar The bigger story is that a governor doesn’t know what infrastructure is. Her constituents should be concerned.— Seth Barham (@Seth Barham) 1617548129.0
@atrupar Infrastructure...for those who can’t read. https://t.co/xU6Vb6tNaS— Tiger Pryde (@Tiger Pryde) 1617558094.0
@atrupar @JoJoFromJerz Well, the Governor of South Dakota may want to focus attention and help out the Native Ameri… https://t.co/qeTScPJJSE— marv henry (@marv henry) 1617549665.0
@atrupar People who can only imagine roads and bridges when they hear the word "infrastructure" are like folks who… https://t.co/GA84hJOPyr— Steven DeMaio (@Steven DeMaio) 1617572234.0
Noem also falsely claimed Biden's bill doesn't spend most of its money on actual infrastructure.
Biden's plan would intentionally develop more avenues for the American system to function from green energy, creating millions of jobs for citizens who have been out of work since the beginning of 2020.
The proposal will likely go into a vote within the next few weeks, where it is sure to face scrutiny on the Senate floor.