Politico by Chris Marquette 6/21/2024
Signs that read “Project Funded By President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law” are “nothing more than campaign yard signs courtesy of the American taxpayer,” the Texas Republican wrote to the Office of Special Counsel.Sen. Ted Cruz is asking a federal watchdog to investigate whether the Biden administration is violating the Hatch Act by using taxpayer dollars to tout its 2021 infrastructure law — a move that comes amid evidence that most voters are unaware of one of the president’s biggest legislative achievements.
The Texas Republican argues that the administration has “highly politicized” the law, including by encouraging projects funded by the statute to post signs giving credit to President Joe Biden, according to a letter from Cruz provided to POLITICO. He pointed to guidelines posted by the White House specifying that the signs say in large letters: “Project Funded By President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”
It’s not uncommon for the names of presidents and other public officials to appear on signs announcing projects they helped fund — and critics of former President George W. Bush similarly complained when the Internal Revenue Service sent letters to taxpayers promoting his tax cuts. But Cruz argues that Biden takes it to another level, alleging that the White House “unilaterally rebranded” the 2021 statute as “President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”
“I write to refer this to you for investigation as a possible violation of the Hatch Act, federal law that broadly prohibits using taxpayer dollars for campaign activity,” Cruz wrote on Thursday to Hampton Dellinger, head of the Office of Special Counsel. “Congress, not President Biden, wrote [the infrastructure law], and it did not do so to aid the President’s reelection campaign.”
“These displays are nothing more than campaign yard signs courtesy of the American taxpayer,” Cruz wrote.
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