Lauren Boebert brags about securing $20 million in funding that she voted against: 'Can't wait for the ribbon cuttings'

• Rep. Lauren Boebert voted against a bill containing $20 million for the district she's abandoning.
• On Monday, she bragged about that funding anyway.

Earlier this month, Rep. Lauren Boebert voted against a must-pass government funding bill that contained more than $20 million for the Colorado district she's now abandoning.

On Monday night, she celebrated the impending arrival of that funding anyway.

"Can't wait for the ribbon cuttings and to see these priorities come to fruition," the congresswoman said in a release, listing 10 different projects across the state's 3rd congressional district that are set to benefit from an influx of federal dollars.

That includes $5 million for a water reservoir near Wolf Creek, millions for highway repairs and renovations in western Colorado, and several other projects.

Boebert was among 40 House Republicans who voted on March 6 against the so-called "minibus" — which funds vast swaths of the federal government — despite having secured federal funding for their districts.

The congresswoman argued at the time that the bill, a compromise package hammered out between Democrats and Republicans, was a "monstrosity" that "funds the Green New Deal."

Boebert's office did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment on Monday evening.

It's a version of what critics — most famously, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — dub "vote no take the dough." It's become especially common in recent years, with Republicans celebrating the flow of federal dollars into their states even when they opposed the passage of the bills that spurred it.

In this case, it's congressionally-directed spending — known colloquially as "earmarks" — that Boebert did, in fact, secure in consultation with local stakeholders.

Many Republicans have historically opposed earmarks, arguing that they lead to corruption or drive up government spending. House Republicans imposed a ten-year moratorium on the practice, which Democrats ended in 2021.

Historically, it's been seen as a way to improve the functioning of government by giving individual lawmakers a greater interest in passing government funding legislation.

During her first term, Boebert opposed earmark funding, only to backtrack last year.

Yet even as the congresswoman says she looks forward to future ribbon-cutting ceremonies, she may be out of office by the time it happens — it takes time for projects to get built, after all.

Boebert is facing a tough GOP primary race in the district she recently moved into, where she's faced accusations of "carpetbagging." That's only been complicated by Rep. Ken Buck's decision to retire this month, which is triggering a special election on June 25, the same day as the GOP primary.

The congresswoman has said she will not seek to become the nominee in that election because it would trigger another special election in her current district.

That means that in the next month, local Republicans could select one of her current competitors, handing them an advantage in the primary that's set to take place on the same day.

And even if the local party chooses someone who's not already running, which she has indicated would be her preference, voters could take issue with her seemingly having it both ways on government spending.