President Joe Biden on Tuesday slammed House Republicans who are considering retaliation against the 13 members who voted for the bipartisan infrastructure bill, saying the growing partisan divide in American politics “got to stop” for the sake of the country.
Speaking in a virtual town hall, Biden Addressed the toxic political environment in the nation. “I’ve never seen it before. It’s got to stop — for the sake of America,” Biden said.
The president was reacting to a report by Punchbowl News that some “rank-and-file” Republicans were considering stripping the 13 House Republicans who voted for the bipartisan infrastructure bill on Friday of their committee assignments, according to Politico.
“The very people who voted for it initially because it looked like the Democrats were going to be given credit on something are being threatened with their chairmanships. It’s just not right. We’re going to change it, though,” Biden said, per Politico.
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Biden also said he wanted to get back to “more civility in politics.”
“I know I get in trouble when I talk about” bipartisanship, he said. “As people say, why the devil would I like any Republicans? Well, it’s important. If we don’t generate consensus in America, we’re in trouble.”
The 13 House Republicans who voted for the legislation were Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger; New York Reps. Andrew Garbarino, John Katko, Nicole Malliotakis and Tom Reed; New Jersey Reps. Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew; Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon; Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick; West Virginia Rep. David McKinley; Michigan Rep. Fred Upton; Alaska Rep. Don Young, and Ohio Rep. Anthony Gonzalez.
