For GOP, national party line trumps bringing home the bacon

By THOMAS BEAUMONT
Associated Press

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s 2nd congressional district has the dubious distinction of having the second-most structurally deficient bridges in the country. So, it struck some Iowans as strange when the district’s Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks voted against a bill that would pour more than $100 million in federal money to repair and replace bridges into southwest Iowa. Miller-Meeks objected to majority Democrats’ handling of the bill, a common refrain from the minority that overwhelmingly opposed it. If anyone in Iowa was surprised that the Republican would oppose money for a glaring local priority, few in Washington were. Strategists and onetime party leaders note it’s become so common for lawmakers to prioritize their party’s line over district needs that it’s hardly mentioned.