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Trump tweets Cache County with news of grant

(Andrew Harnik | AP file photo) President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference at the White House on Aug. 11, 2020.

Hey Cache County, President Donald Trump took out time from his duties to send a special tweet to you on Wednesday about an $18 million federal grant that was just awarded to help bus service there.

But don’t feel too special. He sent out at least 16 similar tweets on Wednesday to various places that received grants with 83 days left before Election Day.

His tweet read: “Happy to send $18 MILLION in @USDOT funding to Utah to support their transit infrastructure and improve bus service. Huge and badly needed investment in the Cache Valley Region!”

Actually, the grant was announced the day before by the U.S. Department of Transportation, along with grants to a total of 96 projects in 49 states. The only grant in Utah was the $18 million going to the Cache Valley Transit District to build a new facility for bus storage, maintenance and administration to help handle growth there.

That bus district offers free transit, charging no fares to riders.

When the grants were first announced, Treasury Secretary Elaine Chao said, “This Administration is committed to rebuilding our nation’s transportation infrastructure even through the current COVID-19 crisis, and this $464 million in federal grants will help improve the safety and reliability of transit bus service nationwide as the economy returns.”

The funding supports projects to replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses and related equipment, as well as projects to purchase, rehabilitate, and construct bus-related facilities.

Demand for grants through the Buses and Bus Facilities Program far exceeded available funds, as the Transportation Department received 282 applications totaling approximately $1.8 billion in funding requests from 51 states and territories.