Letter to the editor: Rouzer's stolen valor, Brunswick Beacon

Brunswick Beacon, 06.12.25

The Stolen Valor Act, signed by President Obama, makes it illegal to falsely claim military honors to obtain money, property, or other benefit, like a job. Sadly, no law prevents politicians like Rep. David Rouzer from taking credit for legislation they opposed, just to get reelected.

Rouzer’s June 1 newsletter credited Trump’s Department of Transportation for a $3.2 million award to rebuild seven roads in Brunswick County damaged by last September’s historic storm. Rouzer’s claim struck me as odd, because I knew Trump hadn’t signed any infrastructure legislation since he took office in January. I also knew that, during his first term, Trump repeatedly promised an infrastructure bill but never delivered. “Infrastructure Week” became a long-running joke describing a policy doomed to go nowhere.

I didn’t trust Rouzer’s claim, so I looked up the Federal Highway Administration’s press release announcing the “availability” of $5.4 billion to rebuild 42,000 bridges across the country. The release said the money came from the Bridge Investment Program and the Competitive Highway Bridge Program. That piqued my curiosity, because I didn’t recall Trump signing, proposing, or even mentioning either program. So, I looked them up, too.

You can probably guess the story behind the story. Both programs were part of President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. That was the largest infrastructure legislation in nearly a century. It invested $1.2 trillion over five years (2022-2026) to repair our crumbling roads, bridges and other infrastructure. 

That’s right: the money Rouzer bragged about delivering to District 7 came from Biden, not Trump. Even worse, when Biden’s Infrastructure Bill came up for a vote, Trump urged Republicans to kill it. Rouzer obeyed Trump and voted against what he now calls “essential” funding!

There ought to be a law against politicians claiming credit for something they voted against. Of course, if such a law were proposed, I’m sure Rouzer would vote against it, then take credit if it passed.

Robert Bannerman

Supply