Biden’s Trillion Dollar Infrastructure Bill Will Hurt This Major Louisiana Industry

Congressman Mike Johnson talks about the House of Representatives' passing of the President's infrastructure bill and how the implementation of the bill will be harmful to Louisiana.

By a 228 to 206 vote, Congress passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package Friday, approving what Democrats call a signature part of President Biden's economic agenda. 13 Republicans voted with House Dems, a move Johnson says will prove costly, not only to the country, but to those House members politically as well.

"This is such a scary outcome for the American people," Johnson begins, referring to the bill more than 2,000 pages long, "(Democrats) filed the bill less than fourteen hours before it was voted on. It's $1.2 plus trillion in new spending when we have an almost $29 trillion federal debt. And it's all kinds of Green New Deal, big social spending stuff that has nothing to do with infrastructure. It's an abomination."

But why did 13 GOP members vote in favor of the bill, votes that put the Biden bill over the top? "I spoke to a lot of them," he continues, "It started with almost 30 or so Republicans from Blue states or divided districts that were inclined to vote for it until we informed them what's actually in this thing. I think many of them regret their vote. I think it's a career ending vote."

But how will the bill affect the folks back home? "It's terrible for Louisiana and other rural states," says the Congressman, explaining how comparatively little money the state will actually receive, "When you add it all up, you're talking about the majority of these funds going to Blue states. Things that are in this bill are terrible for Louisiana. A pilot program to implement a miles-driven tax, $14 and a half billion in new taxes on chemical companies. That's the number one employer of manufacturing jobs in Louisiana. 29,000 jobs are now threatened.

"We don't need this big government expansion of the welfare state...and the Green New Deal. That's what this is and it's terrible for the country at the worst possible time."

Here's everything the Congressman told KEEL about the just-passed legislation:

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