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By Maya Mehrara
News Reporter
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A Republican lawmaker in South Carolina attempted to claim credit for an infrastructure win for the state, but it didn't go well.
Congresswoman Nancy Mace, the representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district since 2021, posted on X, formerly Twitter, on October 22, a link to an article from the South Carolina Daily Gazette titled, "$195M federal grant will improve flow of SC port traffic, reduce gridlock."
Mace wrote in her post, "We hate traffic just as much as you do. We helped secure $195 million—the largest grant in South Carolina's history from the U.S. Department of Transportation—to kick off the Long Point Road Interchange Project! #LowcountryFirst."
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However, it seems readers didn't agree that Mace was responsible for the funding. Underneath her post, a community note was added which reads, "Rep. Nancy Mace voted against the infrastructure act that supplied this funding," and redirects users to a previous post of Mace's, which includes a link to a statement as to why she voted against the partisan infrastructure package.
Mace is currently running for re-election, and her opponent, Democrat Michael B. Moore, called out her statement on X writing, "Nobody likes traffic @RepNancyMace, and in the Lowcountry we also don't like people talking out of both sides of their mouth. Learn more about me, and why @NancyMace shouldn't go back to Congress at http://michaelbmoore.com."
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According to South Carolina Daily Gazette, the grant completed funding for a new interchange that would address traffic issues in the area. It was awarded to the state as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant program, which had "historic levels of funding thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law," according to the DoT.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, passed in November 2021, aimed to "rebuild America's roads, bridges and rails, expand access to clean drinking water, ensure every American has access to high-speed internet, tackle the climate crisis, advance environmental justice, and invest in communities that have too often been left behind," according to the White House fact sheet.
The Infrastructure Act included additional funding of $110 billion to repair roads, bridges, and larger projects, and $39 billion to modernize transit. It passed in a 228-206 vote in the House of Representatives, with 13 Republicans backing it. Mace was not one one of them.
"If we're going to do infrastructure, then let's actually build something." Mace said at the time, in a statement on voting against the bill. "Let's talk reality: Less than 10% of this bill goes to true infrastructure, like roads and bridges. It 'bails' out Amtrak, despite receiving millions from COVID-19 relief funds. There are also 42 new taxes in the bill. Those taxes will be passed on to consumers, and prices on goods will continue to rise to historic highs. Simply put, we were told it was going to be paid for and it's not. As good stewards of your dollars, we should instead allow states to use their leftover COVID relief and to let them decide how they want to invest in infrastructure."
Mace later posted a response on X to the community note and wrote, "Of course we opposed the infrastructure package stuffed with trillions in partisan pork. But now that it's law, that money's getting spent whether we like it or not—so you better believe we're making sure it gets reinvested right here in South Carolina."
Newsweek reached out to Mace's campaign for comment via a form on her website outside of business hours.
Mace's team provided Newsweek with a statement posted on X in which she wrote, "So the media want to quiz me about some community note but won't fact check my opponent on his lies or disqualifications for office. This is why people hate the press, it's ALWAYS one-sided against Republicans, especially the women. Go figure."
She wrote, "Here's your answer: I'd love to see you fact-check my opponent's lies about his endorsements, or why he thinks the peninsula is in the district (someone pls give him a map), or why he thinks being student class president in middle school qualifies him for Congress. As a rape survivor, I'd like you to ask him why he believes rapists should be "disciplined." You "discipline" a toddler. I believe we need to prosecute rapists to the fullest extent of the law and then some. But to answer your question, I will continue to reject DCs sky high spending, but when it's law, I'm going to fight for our District's fair share."
Newsweek spoke to Moore about his opponent and he encouraged voters to look at "how she has voted," as he believes "the people of our district are smarter than that."
He said, "I think we need to reject hyper-partisanship I think we need to reject putting politics over people and we got to vote for common sense kinds of things."
Moore added, "My opponent has not really demonstrated that she can do the right thing. Our economy, our safety, our future are directly tied to working across the aisle to create a better future."
Update on 10/29/24 at 06:20 a.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from Mace and Moore.
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