The lies about her voting record have finally caught up with Congresswoman Salazar | Opinion
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Miami Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar — a former journalist who should know that facts matter — owes the voters of District 27 a major apology for blatantly lying to them about her voting record.
On many occasions — in press releases, letters to constituents, and public appearances — Salazar has misrepresented her no-votes on millions of dollars of key government funding, taking credit for bringing to the largely Hispanic district millions in Biden-issued federal funds.
The truth: Those projects were funded by bipartisan votes — despite the efforts by Salazar and other Trump Republicans to torpedo Biden’s attempts to wrestle with the economy and rebuild after the COVID pandemic.
Her deception, however, has come back to haunt Salazar in media that should be familiar to the ex-television star, who rode into public office on the Trump-love bandwagon.
After years of lying about her abilities to obtain funds to voters who don’t know better, in minutes of riveting political television on Sunday, Salazar became the national poster-child for misleading Republicans.
It was Salazar’s bragging about her legislative ability to obtain goodies that finally did her in.
Holding an outline of evidence contrasting her votes with her claims of achievement, journalist Jim DeFede, host of the CBS4 show “Facing South Florida,” confronted Salazar with Biden administration government funding bills she has voted against.
I call BS. The CHIPS and Science Act was one of the largest pieces of legislation passed last Congress. As a member, you KNOW how you voted on massive bills. Good on @DeFede for asking her about the hypocrisy straight up. https://t.co/8jIy4Z2qEr
— Maxwell Alejandro Frost (@MaxwellFrostFL) January 29, 2024
It was the same list, culled from the publicly-available congressional record, I had been sent by Democratic Party researchers monitoring her performance.
It goes like this:
▪ On Nov. 5, 2021, Salazar voted against the Bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Act to upgrade the country’s dated roads, bridges, broadband, public transit, etc.
▪ On July, 28, 2022, Salazar voted against the CHIPs and Science Act in support of tech hubs devoted to energy and environmental issues.
▪ On Dec. 23, 2022, Salazar voted against the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 to fund government spending of vital things, from disaster relief and support for Ukraine, on whose side the congresswoman claims she’s on in the war with Putin.
Her party-line, no-votes might have gone under the radar, except that Salazar went around town, when funding for projects assigned to her district arrived, claiming she had obtained what she clearly voted against.
Most notoriously, she staged an event at Florida International University, where she’s photographed holding a fake giant check for $650,000, signed by her, to fund FIU’s Small Business Development Center.
She lavishly praised the tech hub she voted against saying it would allow Miami to continue “leading in innovation and technological advancement, while creating new jobs, growing our economy, and promoting national security.”
And the $84.9 million in funding for the airport upgrades Salazar said would build “impressive facilities” at Miami International Airport actually didn’t get her vote. They’re here thanks to the Democrats passing the Biden infrastructure bill.
It’s not Viva Salazar in her district, but Viva Biden, like it or not.
No escape from truth
No matter how one looks at her votes, in written form in newspapers or in congressional records, they’re damning. But on television, there’s no escaping from the spotlight, except to walk out the room in front of viewers.
Salazar couldn’t adequately answer Defede, resorting to claims of amnesia about the nation’s most-talked about bills of the Biden years.
Among the host of excuses:
“I don’t remember.”
“Sometimes I vote, sometimes I don’t.”
More lies to address lies when it would have been simpler to acknowledge party alliance.
And she didn’t answer my Tuesday query about an apology.
READ MORE: She doesn’t want it known, but Maria Elvira Salazar favors Trump talks with Castro
To make matters more cringe-worthy, in trademark fashion, Salazar had tried to soften blows by pandering to DeFede: “You’re one of the toughest, most-rigorous journalists in South Florida.”
Maybe it’s not such a good idea for mere-mortal politicians to imitate braggadocio Liar-in-Chief Donald Trump.
