In a letter to Vice President Kamala Harris Wednesday, nine Senate Republicans criticized her performance in leading the Biden administration's efforts to expand broadband access in the country, Politico reported.
Minority Whip John Thune of South Dakota and Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Todd Young of Indiana, Ted Budd of North Carolina, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, and Eric Schmitt of Missouri all signed the letter.
"It appears that your performance as 'broadband czar' has mirrored your performance as 'border czar,' marked by poor management and a lack of effectiveness despite significant federal broadband investments and your promises to deliver broadband to rural areas," wrote the senators.
The administration allocated $42.5 billion to expand internet access, as part of the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program, though a report from Politico showed the project has been slowed by partisan back and forth, with no construction projects set to begin until next year.
"Despite your assurances over three years ago, rural and unserved communities continue to wait for the connectivity they were promised," the senators wrote. "Under your leadership, not a single person has been connected to the internet using the $42.45 billion allocated for the BEAD program.
"Instead of focusing on delivering broadband services to unserved areas, your administration has used the BEAD program to add partisan, extralegal requirements that were never envisioned by Congress and have obstructed broadband deployment."
The vice president touts her role in expanding internet connectivity on her website, and Biden praised Harris for leading the administration's efforts to expand internet access in his 2022 State of the Union address.
"This administration has made the largest investment in affordable, high-speed internet in history," a White House official told Politico. "So far, 2.4 million American homes and small businesses have been connected to high-speed internet during the Biden-Harris administration, and we expect major additional connections through the BEAD Program and other Biden-Harris connectivity programs over the next year."