AFP: Reject the So-Called Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework
Arlington, Va. – AFP President Tim Phillips issued the following statement after Senate leaders announced they had reached an agreement on the so-called Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework and are prepared to begin preliminary votes on it as early as Wednesday evening:
“Bipartisanship should not be an excuse for bad policy, and that’s what this is. It’s refreshing to see Congress working together, but this wasteful spending spree reflects a bipartisan lack of respect for the fiscal responsibility Americans have been calling on their lawmakers to demonstrate. Anyone who votes for a bill they haven’t read – a bill that the CBO hasn’t even scored yet – owes their constituents an explanation. We can improve roads and bridges, but make no mistake: a vote for this gets us one step closer to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ wasteful $3.5 trillion ‘infrastructure’ package, full of longstanding partisan priorities and debt piled onto future generations. We urge the Senate to reject advancing this proposal.”
AFP recently launched a campaign focused on finding better ways to address infrastructure needs called “End Washington Waste: Stop the Spending Spree.” Lawmakers who want to improve roads and bridges should instead consider the following reforms:
- Overhauling the regulatory and permitting system to modernize infrastructure reviews and reduce project costs
- Eliminating costly and unfair labor restrictions
- Preserving federal infrastructure dollars for targeted construction projects of a national priority and putting an end to the practice of spending gas tax revenues on non-highway projects
- Unleashing private investment in infrastructure assets
- Returning power and responsibility to the states wherever possible.
