Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) admitted during a recent town hall that President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan focuses more on climate change than the built environment, despite his calling for bipartisan support for the partisan legislation.
Malinowski, who represents New Jersey’s seventh district, said much of Biden’s infrastructure plan focuses on climate change and other items unrelated to building roads, tunnels, and bridges.
The seventh district serves as a prime target for Republicans to flip during the 2022 midterm elections; Malinowski beat Republican state Sen. Thomas Kean Jr. in 2020 by only 1.2 percent. Hillary Clinton won the district by one percent in 2016 and Republicans have traditionally held the district for decades.
The two-term Democrat said during a June 4th “Congress in Your Kitchen” virtual town hall that the Biden infrastructure plan contains many items that many Americans would not consider infrastructure during the town hall. He noted many Republicans had criticized Biden’s proposal for not focusing more on traditional infrastructures, such as roads, tunnels, and bridges.
President Biden, on the other hand, proposed a bill that defines infrastructure more broadly… and, on top of that, included some things that probably most people would not think of as infrastructure but that many of us think are really important for the country.
Malinowski also said he hopes to lead America from fossil fuels to clean energy, which could have a devastating impact on New Jersey jobs.
Malinowski’s clean energy transition could endanger up to 142,000 jobs at risk and increase energy costs by up to $292 per month.
He outlined, “On top of that, what I’m really pushing hard for is an investment that will help America lead the world in the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy.”
He said that America should also invest in electric cars and electric car charging stations.
The Democrat added that the infrastructure bill has “got” to include some clean energy provisions.
Malinowski’s admission about the nature of the infrastructure bill comes at a time the Biden administration desperately tries to strike a deal with Republicans. Democrats’ legislative agenda has hit a grinding halt after they passed their partisan $1.9 trillion coronavirus bill earlier this year, and their ability to pass an infrastructure bill could determine if Democrats could hold their historically slim House majority.
Malinowski’s ouster of then-Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ) in 2018 helped Democrats regain their House majority.
Republicans have railed against the infrastructure for supporting a bill that spends less than one-quarter on roads, tunnels, and bridges.
Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO), the House Budget Committee ranking member, told Breitbart News that the infrastructure bill contains only 13 percent that would amount to physical infrastructure.
Smith said:
Now, when you look at this infrastructure bill, they’re trying to call it an infrastructure bill, but in fact out the 2.3 trillion dollars, less than six percent is actually going towards roads and bridges, less than two percent is going towards airports, dams, less than five percent goes to broadband. Less than 13 percent is going to infrastructure.
Malinowski’s confession about the partisan makeup of the legislation also runs counter to comments he also made last week when he wished for the infrastructure to have bipartisan support.
“It would be better if we did this as a unified Congress, as a unified country,” Malinowski told CNN the day before his virtual town hall. “But the bottom line is, one way or another, we have to do it. We have to deliver.”
Malinowski said this week that the passage of the infrastructure bill, which remains currently at a standstill, is critical to his reelection.
“We have to deliver for you. We have to deliver for the voters who sent us there. Otherwise, what’s the point of having an election?” said Malinowski.
Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.