Rep. Don Young appeared to be having a grand old time with President Joe Biden just moments before the president signed the $1.2 Trillion infrastructure bill at a photo-op signing ceremony on Nov. 15.
Young’s office sent out a photo showing Young and Biden joking and laughing moments before the president penned his signature to the leftist spending bill. He was flanked by Young, Vice President Kamala Harris, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and others – all maskless – who wanted in on what Democrats called “a historic moment.”
Young was one of 13 Republicans who broke with their party to help Democrats pass the so-called “jobs bill” last week. Without their support, Democrats did not have the votes to approve the controversial legislation.
Young and his fellow Republican defectors have endured withering criticism for helping secure passage of the legislation when Democrats were on the political ropes and unable to muster the needed votes within their own party.
Conservative lawmakers and political pundits have slammed the spending bill for bankrolling billions of dollars for far-leftist pet projects like race-based funding, electric school busses and the insertion of gender confused language favored by the most radical LGBTQ activist groups.
Young, however, doubled down on his support.
“Today is a very big day for our nation and its economic future. I am grateful to have had a front-row seat as the President signed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law,” he said. “This landmark legislation could not have come at a more urgent time. When I look at some of our roads, bridges, and ports, I do not like what I see. This infrastructure bill represents what very well could be our last chance to make the federal investments necessary to modernize and strengthen America’s infrastructure needs.”
In reality, only a fraction of the infrastructure bill provides funding for things like roads and bridges. Much of the money is earmarked for public transportation projects, investment in drinking water, high-speed internet and a host of pet projects for climate change activists. Overall, the bill adds more than $256 billion to the national deficit.
One of its more controversial sections enshrines “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” as federally protected classes like race. It will require recipients of the federal funds to provide services that run contrary to many fundamental beliefs found across America’s religious and cultural landscape.
The Religious Freedom Institute warned that the legislation “would severely undermine religious freedom in America, and tacitly affirm the pernicious, false message that the sexual morality historically taught by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam is bigoted and akin to racism.” This could effectively block small colleges, faith-based businesses and religious health care services from participating in programs funded by the bill.
Young openly admitted that the legislation wasn’t perfect, but then continued to lavish it with praise.
“Like all legislation, this bill has critics on both sides of the aisle,” he said. “But let me be clear: I represent Alaskans, and I do not make decisions based on which way the political winds are blowing. To quote my dear friend, our late Senator Ted Stevens, ‘to hell with politics, just do what is right for Alaska!’”
Young is seeking reelection in 2022. He is Dean of the House, and the longest-serving Republican in the history of the U.S. House. In 2020, he was reelected with 54.4% of the Alaska vote.
Also supporting Biden’s jobs bill were Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski. Both voted for its passage in the Senate. Murkowski is seeking reelection in 2022 as well.
After the Nov. 16 signing ceremony, Biden told all the invited lawmakers that they would each get a ceremonial pen to mark the occasion. Young was later seen shaking hands with Biden and engaging in friendly banter with the president. No one in the lawn of the White House wore masks or social distanced as they hugged or shook hands.
Many political observers see passage of the infrastructure bill as a major victory for Biden who has suffered dismal approval ratings and infighting within his own party over the past few months.
21 Comments
It’s time to clean out all of the Rinos and the do as I say not as I do Socialist Commies and get our Great Nation of the United States of America back in Order.
Don Young wearing the bloodstained communist globalist stained with the blood of our childrens future into Eternity. May you Writhe with the worm forever as a betrayer of Liberty.
Don better be prepared to defend this bill in debates next fall. If I was advising his political opponents, I would tell them to be taking full advantage of hanging every unpopular woke item from this bill on Don Young. This coming election offers the first real opportunity I can think of for Don to face a serious republican challenger. There are opportunity’s to attack him politically. This is one of them. There are more unpopular items in this bill than popular ones, and as inflation rages even higher, they could blame Don’s support for this bill as reason why. Don has some explaining to do back here in Alaska.
Who are the viable true conservatives to replace Don Young? I have long wished that somebody would contest him. Too many people will say what we want to hear and once they’re entrenched, we find out if they aren’t what we hoped they were.
Hi Warren, you make a good point. There are always a few people that are protest candidates that run against Don Young every year. They are usually not prepared for serious campaigns or debates and are basically cannon fodder in the battle against a sitting congressman. However, this year is different and there are 2 candidates that may provide a decent alternative to Don Young. There is Nick Begich III, and Randy Purham. I believe both offer a potential conservative alternative to Don Young. Nick Begich’s biggest challenge will be to overcome his last name. It is synonymous with liberal politics in Alaska and he has some selling to do to get his message out. Randy Purham is a great story and I believe will have a chance if he can get a coherent message delivered to the Alaskan people. For either to succeed, they need to be a MAGA candidate that is against all of the RINO policies of Don Young. A good first start would be for them to attack the wasteful and bloated phony infrastructure bill that Don Young just signed. He is vulnerable there. Also, they should attack his support of Liz Cheney. Liz has been disowned by the Wyoming GOP, but Don Young voted to support her leadership role in the house GOP caucus. Don is vulnerable on the issues, we just have to see if there is a candidate willing to take him on.
The “Build Back Better” reconciliation legislation is a bill that transforms the role of the state in every aspect of an individual’s life, while expanding key Democratic priorities like amnesty, abortion, cheap foreign labor, a dysfunctional health care system, and invasions of financial privacy.
The consideration of the bill in the House wasn’t made possible by the Democrats in the majority, but by THE 13 House Republicans THAT VOTED FOR IT.
• A 10-year amnesty for illegal immigrants, which includes work permits and driver’s licenses and cannot be undone by future administrations for a decade.
• Provides millions of dollars in funding for the IRS to enforce the Biden administration’s plan to review every bank account with $10,000 or more.
• Expands and shores up provisions of Obamacare.
• Eliminates the statutory cap on employment visas, effectively allowing Big Tech companies and other mega-corporations to prioritize hiring foreign workers over American workers.
• Facilitates enforcement of Biden’s vaccine mandate by increasing OSHA penalties on businesses up to $700,000 per violation and provides billions in funding for the Department of Labor to increase enforcement.
• Mandates taxpayer coverage of abortion, leaving the long-agreed upon Hyde amendment out of the bill.
• Provides half a trillion dollars in climate spending, including clean energy tax credits to subsidize solar, electric vehicles, and clean energy production, as well as federal spending on clean energy technology and manufacturing, all while limiting domestic energy production, thereby increasing dependence on Russia and China. BIDEN’S NATURAL GAS POLICY IS ONE, BIG, LONG FART!!!
• Provides roughly $400 billion for expanded government childcare and universal pre-K, which pumps millions into failed Head Start programs, excludes support for families who prefer at-home child-care arrangements, and by requiring that preschool teachers have a college degree, will reduce the availability of child-care options.
• A host of new taxes, and a giant tax cut for the rich: by including a repeal on the cap for the state and local tax deduction, Democrats will provide a $30 billion net direct tax cut for the top 5 percent of earners, largely in blue states where the state and local taxes are much higher.
Besides passing the $1.2 Trillion infrastructure bill, did Biden pass any gas for the whole world to hear?
So we pay for it with inflation now and impossible loads of debt for generations to come and that’s what’s “right for Alaska?” Short term thinking from another career politician fattening his own coffers with short term gains.
Rep. Young does not have this Alaskan vote. He has GREATLY DISAPPOINTED me. Who is running against him and will they have ALASKANS as their first priority. Don’t give me the typical responses. Time to change the tide! Virginia voters did it. So can Alaskans!
TRAITOR in this generation of Americans and in future generations of AMERICANS ! He should never hold another office under OATH! Shame on you, you Socialist !
I’m thinking of flying to Mexico and walking across the border to the US, sure could use 450,000.00 right about now.
I didn’t know that I could detest that stinky old goat any more than I already did. Can’t wait to see hime gone.
Don Young just screwed all young Alaskans who will have to pay for this!
What a sorry sack of Communist Bull Crap for this turncoat to rub his treason right in every Alaskan’s face and then basically claim we should like it.
Don Young and Joe Biden should both be institutionalized, too old and corrupt to be representing any American. Again Don Young bought the native vote again.
Don gets all the bush votes yay here’s your free stuff, which are democrat votes.
Let’s all Vote Don out, he’s been there to long
Treason
Domestic terrorist
Public hanging
Voting him out isn’t enough
I’m not voting any of our Republicans that voted for this bill. So far Randy Purham looks promising to replace Don Young.
Young has to go like Murkowski!!!
I saw Art Hackney last night and asked him why he is working for Rep Young. He asked me who else do we have? So, I suggest that someone in the know encourage SOMEONE to run against him in the primary. I would but cannot due to my health.
Joe Biden wants to do this “Build back better thing”
Hey Joe, instead, TRY PUT IT BACK THE WAY YOU FOUND IT !!!!!