Ted Cruz says Biden infrastructure signage constitutes Hatch Act violation

Democrats everywhere have been unpleasantly surprised at the tenacity and political endurance displayed by former President Donald Trump despite his voluminous legal challenges and recent conviction, and according to one prominent Republican, President Joe Biden's desire to defeat his rival in November may have prompted him to break the law.

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz has charged that the current administration has run afoul of the federal Hatch Act by spending taxpayer funds to publicize a 2021 infrastructure package the Biden campaign believes is one of his marquee legislative wins, as Politico reports.

Cruz slams signage

In the opinion of the outspoken GOP lawmaker, the Biden administration has overtly -- and wrongfully -- politicized the so-called Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, doing so with the use of public money.

Specifically, Cruz alleges that the White House has inappropriately urged projects receiving funds under the law's provisions to erect signage that indicates Biden's involvement in the Act's passage.

In support of his position, Cruz has referenced the administration's own formal guidelines, stating that such signage should read – in large lettering – “Project Funded By President Joe Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”

Particularly problematic for Cruz is what he says is the fact that the administration “unilaterally rebranded” the law in question as “President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” and he alleges that an investigation into potential legal violations is therefore required.

Investigation urged

Indicative of the seriousness with which Cruz views the situation, the senator dispatched a letter last week to Hampton Dellinger at the Office of Special Counsel.

“I write to refer this to you for investigation as a possible violation of the Hatch Act, federal law that broadly prohibits using taxpayer dollars for campaign activity,” Cruz began.

Expanding on the issues he sees with the signage, Cruz continued, “Congress, not President Biden, wrote [the infrastructure bill], and it did not do so to aid the President's reelection campaign.”

Making his stance even clearer, Cruz added, “These displays are nothing more than campaign yard signs courtesy of the American taxpayer.”

Unsurprisingly, the White House took issue with the senator's characterization, with a spokesperson stating that the signage is simply meant to “promote transparency and inform taxpayers how federal dollars are being spent.”

The representative, however, did not address Cruz's additional complaint that the “INVESTING IN AMERICA” logo used on signage was “purposefully designed to look like the Biden-Harris campaign logo,” a fact that seems to lend credence to his broader assertions on the matter.