GOP Lawmaker Hit With Cutting Reminders Over ‘Curb The Spending’ Claim
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Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) made two cringeworthy claims in one sentence that critics tore apart online.
“We said when we come into office we’d do two things: We’d curb the spending, and we’d remove the woke. And we did,” the lawmaker said while encouraging the passage of appropriations bills in a clip posted online by both his account and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s.
The former Trump administration official faced scrutiny over spending in 2018 when the Interior Department, which he led, spent nearly $139,000 of taxpayer funds to upgrade three sets of doors in his office.
In 2017, he spent $53,000 on three helicopter rides, including one to go horseback riding with then-Vice President Mike Pence, according to The Associated Press.
He resigned from the Trump administration in 2019 following a flurry of ethics and corruption scandals that saw him rack up nearly 20 federal investigations.
Republican infighting has stalled the passage of spending bills, with just days left until the deadline for Congress to reach a solution to fund the government.
Critics quickly pointed to Zinke’s pricy door debacle following this week’s comments. And as for his claim about removing “the woke,” it’s not really clear what that even means.
See the reaction below:
Zinke is so concerned about ‘curbing the spending’ that when he was Trump’s scandal-ridden Interior Secretary his department spent $139,000 of taxpayers’ money to upgrade three sets of double doors in his office. 139k on new doors for Ryan!https://t.co/nDbZxyKDWwhttps://t.co/XaKDYVw1lM
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) September 27, 2023
"curb the spending" https://t.co/OaWgzgqD7Cpic.twitter.com/FP7NL9ULg9
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) September 27, 2023
Point of order: Is this the very same @RepRyanZinke who's remembered for those $139K doors at the Interior Dept?https://t.co/KJ3hA6yYp6https://t.co/oGldCuYwhG
— PETER MAER (@petermaer) September 27, 2023
"Remove the wokeness" is code for being bigots https://t.co/YQBeBEtDy8
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 27, 2023
“Remove the wokeness?” https://t.co/rTCFyMxWrj
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) September 27, 2023
Fun fact: federal investigators found that as Interior Secretary @RepRyanZinke broke numerous ethics rules, misused his office for personal gain, and knowingly lied to them! https://t.co/OdFy09I5AY
— Michael A. Cohen (NOT TRUMP’S FORMER FIXER) (@speechboy71) September 27, 2023
Elect clowns, expect a circus.
When Republicans talk about removing Wokeness, that translates to them not doing jack shit, other than being bigots, and racists. https://t.co/gauLicflzY— Liberal Lisa in Oklahoma (@lisa_liberal) September 27, 2023
What’s your plan to “remove the wokeness,” Kev? I mean, if you’re going to cause cessation of pay to our service members and government workers, shouldn’t you at least be able to define your made up term? https://t.co/9Tj6mZ66ls
— Sophie Persists (@Sophieresists) September 27, 2023
New beard, same lies and corruption. https://t.co/rXu0jfBe9d
— Gabe Ortíz (@TUSK81) September 27, 2023