'Stolen valor': GOP accused of taking credit for 'valiant actions' they fought against

A common Republican attack on 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz is that the Minnesota governor committed "stolen valor," a term used for someone claiming unearned military honors.

Walz was the highest-serving enlisted member of the military to ever serve in Congress, attaining the rank of command sergeant major (the most senior member of a battalion) in the National Guard before eventually retiring in 2005 at the rank of master sergeant due to him not fully completing coursework for his previous rank.

Sen. JD Vance's (R-OH) "stolen valor" accusation mostly stems from a claim Walz made of carrying "weapons of war" during his 24-year military career despite not actually seeing combat.

But in her latest column, the Washington Post's Catherine Rampell said if any party is actually guilty of "stolen valor," it's the GOP. She argued that there are multiple examples of Republicans trying to tie themselves to legislative accomplishments from bills "championed and passed by Democrats," despite voting against those same bills.

READ MORE: 'Broaden the ticket's appeal': How Tim Walz 'checked every box' for Democrats

"Republican politicians have repeatedly claimed credit for valiant actions they didn’t take, pro-family legislation they didn’t support and other popular policies they’re trying to repeal," Rampell wrote. She added that "Republicans are big cheerleaders" for Democratic-led initiatives provided there's room for "their own (imagined) role in enabling them."

Two prominent examples Rampell listed were the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which both included billions of dollars in funding for projects in many predominantly Republican states and districts. She pointed out that in 2023, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) toured the Sarasota, Florida airport with Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) after it received $16 million in federal funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

While that legislation did receive some Republican votes, both Buchanan and Johnson voted against the BIL. Rampell then reminded readers of numerous other examples of what she characterized as Republican "stolen valor."

"Most major IRA-funded projects are in Republican-held districts, so the list of triumphs to seize responsibility for is extensive," she wrote. "House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) has puffed up wind energy investments in his state. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) has likewise trumpeted an electric vehicle plant and an electric regional transit hub. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) touted a high-tech battery manufacturing facility. And Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who has called global warming 'healthy,' has since cheered a solar manufacturing project in her district."

Another Republican leader in Congress has also made headlines for taking credit for Democratic accomplishments. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who is the chair of the House Republican Conference and was once rumored to be under consideration when former President Donald Trump was choosing his running mate, claimed credit for federal funding in her district made possible by the IRA — which she opposed.

READ MORE: GOP rep claims responsibility for bill she never backed – again

"I am proud to announce that I secured $1,857,000 for a Water District Development Project for the Town of Massena in this year’s appropriations process," Stefanik tweeted in March. "This funding will go toward providing public water service to the residents of Massena."

The fact that her upstate New York district received those funds wasn't because of Stefanik, but in spite of her. In a now-deleted statement posted to her House.gov website, Stefanik called the Inflation Reduction Act a "radical spending bill that will raise taxes and crush hardworking families and small businesses."

Even though Vance wasn't elected to the U.S. Senate until November of 2022, Rampell nonetheless pointed out that the Ohio senator railed against both of those bills, calling the BIL "a total disaster for our country." The 2024 GOP vice presidential nominee has also called for expanding the child tax credit, even though he voted against it just weeks ago when it came up for a vote in the Senate.

Click here to read Rampell's column in its entirety (subscription required).