Letters

Your recent screaming headline, lauding Nick LaLota, who “helped secure $1 million in federal funding for Southampton Village planned sewer district” [“LaLota Helps Secure $1 Million in Federal Funding for Southampton Village Sewer Installation; Village Still Working on Securing Site for Treatment Plant,” 27east.com, April 24], appears to be press release reporting rather than digging a little deeper and giving a little context on the source of funding.

The funds are actually from the 2021 “INVEST in America Act,” aka the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act under President Joe Biden. It became Public Law 117-58 when signed by the president on November 15, 2021.

LaLota’s predecessor, Lee Zeldin, voted against the bill (H.R. 3684), as did all 204 other Republicans. One cannot know how Rep. LaLota would have voted, but it was opposed by the entire Republican conference, and it doesn’t take much imagination that a new representative such as LaLota would follow his party’s dictates.

This is another example of taking credit for a bill that was opposed by your party.

Ken Weinstein

Southampton

The $1 million for Southampton Village actually was assigned by Representative Nick LaLota from the Community Projects Fund — often called “earmarks” — and was added to the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill, which designated the expenditure, and which LaLota supported. The money was not part of the INVEST in America Act funding — which, incidentally, did receive two Republican votes in favor in the House when it was approved in 2021 — Ed.