I read with interest a recent article in The Salt Lake Tribune about the state of Utah receiving $87.6 million in federal funds from the “Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program” to help fund a much needed freeway underpass on both 900 South and 400 East in St. George. “State and St. George officials are overjoyed,” the article said.
This program receives its funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, both proposed by President Biden and subsequently passed by Congress, and signed by President Biden. Not a single Republican in Congress voted for the latter, and on the former, while it did have some bipartisan support, only Sen. Mitt Romney voted for it. Sen. Mike Lee and all four of the Utah House representatives, including Chris Stewart whose district St. George is in, voted no.
Perhaps when the construction starts, St. George should put up signs saying something to the effect that “This project was made possible via funding passed by President Biden and the Democrats in Congress.” It seems to me that conservative states (like Utah) and conservative cities (like St. George) should acknowledge that they do in fact “belly up to the feeding trough” and enthusiastically make use of funding primarily supplied for them by Democrats in Congress. Not acknowledging that is abject hypocrisy.
David Child, St. George