In a news release last month, U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert celebrated 10 projects in her district that received funding with the passage of an appropriations bill – a bill she voted against.
Boebert celebrated over $20 million in funding for several infrastructure projects, including $1.5 million for a stoplight in Bayfield and improved water storage and treatment, according to her news release.
“I’m thrilled that Colorado communities in the Third (district) will receive more than $20 million to get 10 local water and infrastructure projects off the ground,” she said in the release. “Can’t wait for the ribbon cuttings and to see these projects come to fruition.”
Boebert voted in favor of an earlier version of the bill, H.R. 4366, in July, when it appropriated funding for defense spending. The Senate consolidated five other spending bills into an omnibus package.
The new version of H.R. 4366, now known as the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” was sent back to the House on March 6 and a resolution to bring the two versions of the bill into concurrence came before the chamber for a vote. It was this bill that funded Boebert’s projects and this bill that she voted against.
In a March 6 post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Boebert called the omnibus bill a “monstrosity.” In another post: “It doesn’t have my support and no true conservative should vote for it.”
A little over two weeks later, President Joe Biden signed the omnibus appropriation bill into law. Boebert’s news release the following Monday said she “secured $20 million” in money for Colorado infrastructure projects.
“Congresswoman Lauren Boebert was the only Republican in Colorado to secure funding for important local priorities through this process,” the release said.
Boebert’s office did not provide comment for this story.
This is not the first time she has touted legislative wins implemented by bills that she opposed. In 2022, Boebert sent a newsletter boasting of nine legislative proposals being signed into law but had again voted against the actual passing of the law that enabled the programs she celebrated.
A spokesperson for Boebert at the time said the 2022 spending bill contained more “bad than good for Republicans,” preventing Boebert from voting to pass it. She still celebrated her wins after the bill passed, “we were able to get great things done.”
Eliza DuBose, a senior at American University, is an intern for The Durango Herald and the Journal in Cortez. She can be reached at the edubose@durangoherald.com.
