Rep. Madison Cawthorn's wedding day marks 7 years since crash that paralyzed him
U.S. Congressman Madison Cawthorn (R-District 11) married Cristina Bayardelle on Saturday, April 3.
The afternoon ceremony with family and friends of Rep. Cawthorn marked a significant day in the Congressman's life. In a public statement, Cawthorn said the crash that occurred on April 3, 2014 had not only put him in a wheelchair but also "dashed" his "hopes and dreams for the future."
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Seven years later, the representative described marrying Cristina on Saturday as "the greatest honor, privilege and adventure" of his life.
Rep Cawthorn's released the following statement after his wedding day:
On April 3rd of 2014 my life changed forever. A tragic car accident put me in a wheelchair and dashed my hopes and dreams for the future. On April 3rd of 2021 my life has once again changed forever. Marrying Cristina Bayardelle, now Cristina Cawthorn, is the greatest honor, privilege, and adventure of my life. I am so grateful to celebrate this occasion surrounded by so many friends and family.
I ran for Congress because Cristina and I didn’t want to raise a family in the America many on the left seek to create. I am supremely confident that with Cristina by my side, we can push our nation forwards, towards a better future for our children and their children.
The mountain Congressman recently introduced a bill aimed at stopping several of President Joe Biden's executive actions. Cawthorn says he wants to terminate the actions because they created what he calls a crisis at the southern border.
"Policy changes on our southern border impact American nationwide in a number of ways. Joe Biden’s open borders initiatives will wreak havoc on the national economy, and severely undermine rural communities. NC-11 suffers when the interests of illegal immigrants are placed above the interests of American citizens. Rep. Cawthorn pledges to work to end the Biden Administration’s policy of 'Americans last, immigrants first,'" Rep. Cawthorn's office said in a statement.
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The Congressman has also recently faced questions and criticism after he touted relief money handed out as part of the American Rescue Plan, legislation he did not vote for or support.
Rep. Cawthorn tweeted he was, "Happy to announce that NC-11 was awarded grants from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services." The money will be going to several mountain area health centers. But as several news outlets reported, Cawthorn voted by proxy on March 10 against the COVID-19 relief bill. At the time, he was at the Conservative Political Action Conference with several other Republican lawmakers.
News 13 reached out to Cawthorn for a response to the tweet backlash. His representative, Micah Bock, initially responded with the following statement:
Rep. Cawthorn uses his official Twitter account to post information relevant to his constituents in NC-11. This may include federal grant information, vaccination information, public announcements or other information that is useful to the people he represents. He will oppose legislation that he believes if the underlying bill is unconstitutional, increases our debt and deficit or does more harm than good.
When asked if Cawthorn's position on the relief bill had changed, Bock said, "Partisan legislation often contains bipartisan components. Cawthorn voted against the ARP because it did more harm than good."
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