Biden mocks Tuberville for touting broadband funding he voted against

President Biden gently mocked Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) for touting $1.4 billion in federal funding his home state is set to receive for expanded broadband internet access despite voting against it in 2021.

“See you at the groundbreaking,” Biden wrote along with a retweet of Tuberville’s tweet hailing broadband as “vital for the success of our rural communities and for our entire economy.”

“Great to see Alabama receive crucial funding to boost ongoing broadband efforts,” Tuberville wrote in his social media post sharing an article about the $1.4 billion going to Alabama for expanded broadband access.

The president’s wry comment was a throwback to the ribbing he gave GOP lawmakers at the State of the Union address in February.

“I promised to be the president for all Americans. We’ll fund your projects. And I’ll see you at the groundbreaking,” he quipped at the time.

Later on Wednesday, Biden returned to the subject during a speech in Chicago.

He said the bipartisan infrastructure law that included the broadband funds is “bringing along some converts.”

“There’s a guy named Tuberville, senator from Alabama, who announced he strongly opposed the legislation. Now he’s hailing its passage,” Biden said in Chicago, to laughter from the crowd. “Here’s what he said, ‘it’s great to see Alabama receive critical funds to boost ongoing broadband efforts.’”

Biden this week announced the allocation of more than $42 billion in funding to expand high-speed internet access around the country.

The funding is authorized under the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program, which was created by the $1 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Tuberville was one of 30 Senate Republicans to vote against the legislation, which passed the chamber in August 2021. Then-Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) also voted against it.

A Tuberville spokesman said the senator didn’t agree with many of the spending decisions in the infrastructure spending package but is glad his state is now getting its “fair share.”

“Coach voted against the infrastructure bill because it wasted Alabamians’ tax dollars. It spent too much to get too little in return for Alabama,” the Tuberville aide said in a statement. “But now that it is law of the land, the people of Alabama deserve their fair share. Coach is proud to advocate for this funding to go to Alabama.”

Tuberville, who recently became the ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy, said this month that “expanding broadband access to unserved populations” in rural communities is his “top priority.”

Tuberville’s tweet also drew mockery from former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, a political analyst for MSNBC and a podcast host.

“Umm, Coach, didn’t you vote against the $1.4 billion in federal funding to expand access to the internet statewide? And now you’re saying, ‘Great to see Alabama receive crucial funds’? Clearly they weren’t that crucial because YOU VOTED AGAINS THEM!” Steele tweeted.

Biden told GOP lawmakers at the State of the Union address that he wouldn’t hold their “no” votes against them.

“I sincerely thank my Republican friends who voted for the law. And to my Republican friends who voted against it but still ask to fund projects in their districts, don’t worry,” he said. “We’ll fund your projects.”

Alex Gangitano contributed. Updated at 1:18 p.m.