There are many words and phrases you should be wary of in politics. Some that come to mind: “For the children,” “for the common good,” and “temporary measures.”
But there is perhaps no greater red flag than the promise of “bipartisanship.” This is typically just a signal that the two major parties have agreed to take your money or your rights. That appears to be the case with the infrastructure bill, which passed the Senate 69-30 on Tuesday. Nineteen Republicans joined all 50 Democrats in supporting the legislation.
The bill carries an approximately $1 trillion price tag. But while the Biden administration has sworn the bill will pay for itself and create jobs, the Congressional Budget Office disagrees. The nonpartisan office predicts the bill will add $256 billion to the federal deficit over the next 10 years.
Clearly, this isn’t a good bill.
While the nation certainly needs infrastructure repairs and developments, there are more efficient, cheaper ways to go about it. Reducing costly labor restrictions and overhauling our regulatory and permitting system (which delay building projects and increase the cost) stand out as examples.
Still, the bill as passed has been stripped of some of its worst original elements. Gone are the freelance-job killing PRO Act, child care mandates, paid leave requirements, and climate change line items that initially stalled the bill in the Senate.
The bill will now be sent back to the House for reconciliation. And here’s where the real trickery is expected to come in. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi want to pass the infrastructure bill alongside a $3.5 trillion reconciliation package. Most anticipate this reconciliation package will slip many of the aforementioned progressive policies back into the bill.
This raises the question: What is the point of Republicans?
If Democrats get their way, they will add trillions in new spending, push us further into a prison of debt, kill millions of jobs, and empower unions over individual workers. And Republicans just paved the way!
It’s time to stop asking who will build the roads. The Republicans have helped build them. Unfortunately, this time the roads go straight off a fiscal cliff.
Hannah Cox is a libertarian-conservative writer and activist. She serves as the content manager and brand ambassador for the Foundation for Economic Education.
