Bipartisanship Cannot Be An Excuse For Bad Policy, Reject This Unprecedented Spending Spree

Aug 6, 2021 by AFP

Arlington, VA – With the Senate expected to vote on a $1.2 trillion so-called infrastructure bill, which would pave the way for a $3.5 trillion partisan wish list sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders, AFP President Tim Phillips issued the following statement:

“This legislation continues an unprecedented Washington spending spree that would put the federal government even more at the center of our economy and erode the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit that has defined America for generations. Bipartisanship cannot be an excuse for bad policy. This is not a bill focused on fixing roads and bridges, this is a down payment on a Washington takeover of America’s economy – expanding federal programs and mandates while spending hard-earned tax dollars with little regard for results.

“Command-and-control top-down policies don’t drive economic progress, they destroy it. President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, and Majority Leader Schumer have made crystal clear that today’s bill and the Sanders legislation are inseparable. If passed, they would burden our children with trillions of dollars of debt, make it significantly more difficult to start a small business, lower wages for American workers, and reduce access to quality health care.

“Washington should absolutely change the way we maintain and modernize infrastructure, but that requires meaningful reforms to clear barriers, streamline approvals and spend smarter – little of which is included in these monstrosities. This was a broken process from the start, focused more on finding votes than finding solutions. We urge every lawmaker to vote against this legislation. Americans deserve better.”

Americans for Prosperity’s campaign, “End Washington Waste: Stop the Spending Spree,” has led to more than 1 million letters to elected officials urging them to oppose the $4+ trillion combined “infrastructure” package. The breadth of this campaign should signal to lawmakers that Americans want a better path forward. Instead, AFP has advocated an alternative approach focused on empowers individuals, families, and businesses and rebuilds physical infrastructure by:

Preserving federal dollars for targeted construction projects of a national priority.
Ending 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.
Overhauling the regulatory and permitting system to modernize infrastructure reviews and reduce project costs.
Eliminating costly and unfair labor restrictions.