Washington's misguided pivot to infrastructure

It's still not time for Infrastructure Week

A sign.
(Image credit: Illustrated | iStock)

President Trump's new push for a $2 trillion infrastructure bill would've been a pretty self-aware April Fools' Day gag if he hadn't tweeted the idea on March 31. After all, the administration's repeated inability to generate any sustained momentum on the issue has become a long-running joke among the pundit class. "Infrastructure Week" is now social-media shorthand for clumsy political messaging that is either doomed to fail or meant to distract.

But it's not a stretch to think this time might be different. Washington is spending like never before in the national fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Deficit hawks are as hard to find as toilet paper — even in the supposedly debt-averse GOP. Congressional Republicans overwhelmingly favored the recently approved $2.2 trillion economic relief bill. Moreover, there are going to be new efforts by both parties to provide more financial support to individuals, businesses, and state governments. What's one more thing if money is no obstacle? Even better, House Democrats already have their own nearly $800 billion infrastructure plan ready to go.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
James Pethokoukis

James Pethokoukis is the DeWitt Wallace Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute where he runs the AEIdeas blog. He has also written for The New York Times, National Review, Commentary, The Weekly Standard, and other places.