Flustered Republican put on spot after taking credit for bills she voted against

U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) said she couldn’t remember which critical funding bills she has voted for or against, and would have to ask her staff during an interview with a local Miami reporter who repeatedly pressed her on why she keeps taking credit for legislation she voted against.

“Last month you were at FIU [Florida International University] and you presented a check for $650,000 to help small businesses at FIU,” CBS Miami’s Jim DeFede, host of Facing South Florida, told Rep. Salazar in an interview on Sunday.

“But you voted against the bill that gave the money that you then signed a check for and handed and had a photo op, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023. Right? You voted against that bill.”

“I, right now, you have to give me more details,” Congresswoman Salazar replied, “but I do know that every time I have an opportunity to bring money to my constituents, I do so. I just did $400,000.”

When asked to confirm she also had voted against the CHIPS and Science Act, major Biden legislation which she then celebrated funding from, Salazar replied: “Listen, I, right now I need to, I need to ask my staff – but what about the $40 million I have brought to this community? Aren’t you proud of me? Aren’t you proud of the $40 million that I have brought?”

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“The money that you talk about, the $40 million that you bring back to the district, sometimes that money comes from bills that you voted against,” DeFede continued. “You voted against the CHIPS Act and yet you praised the fact that the South Florida Climate Resilience Tech Hub is going to be started in Miami, right? You voted against the Infrastructure bill and you talk about all the money that comes back to the airport. So, at the same time that you’re taking credit for the money that you bring back to the district in Washington, you’re voting against these projects on party-line votes.”

“Listen, I that, was I think last cycle, I cannot really remember right now,” Salazar replied, “but just look, let’s look at the Americas Act,” legislation she is co-sponsoring with U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) to promote trade in the Western Hemisphere.

“I mean, right now, and I’m not trying to be a politician, there’s so many bills that I’ve introduced,” she continued.

“But these are bills that you voted against,” DeFede pressed.

“That I understand, and but then, it’s, okay. Sometimes I vote and sometimes I don’t but let’s look at the positive,” she urged.

In addition to holding photo ops for funding bills she voted against, like the one recently at FIU which she defended by saying, “I can celebrate this victory because I fought for it and put my name on this Community Funding project,” Congresswoman Salazar has promoted false information.

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In a 2022 video she posted to social media, Salazar complained about what she called the “through the roof” cost of back-to-school shopping, falsely telling her constituents that inflation was 40%. It was 8.3% at the time of her remarks. And while she blamed “Washington” for inflation, Congresswoman Salazar also joined with every House and Senate Republican in voting that year against the Inflation Reduction Act.

Salazar is an ally of the recently-elected far-right ultra-conservative president of Argentina, Javier Milei, and has several posts of her speaking in support of him on her social media account. She also re-posted an article touting her attendance at his inauguration.

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