Last night, 17 Republicans joined with Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden to set up the final passage of the “bipartisan infrastructure bill.” Those Republicans crossed the aisle to gift Democrats their top policy priority despite the promise of being double-crossed via reconciliation. I covered that in more detail in last night’s write-up on the vote (see Senate Republicans Prostrate Themselves Before Joe Biden in Pathetic Display).
Apparently, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) wasn’t very happy with those of us on the right who aren’t keen on spending $1.2 trillion in the middle of an inflationary boom on a boondoggle, 2700 page spending spree. He took to Twitter to blister critics of the bill, claiming we are “playing politics” with infrastructure.
I’ve got some thoughts, but let’s get into Cassidy’s rant to get us started.
Let’s stop there because I want to know by what metric Cassidy is coming to the conclusion that our infrastructure is in such dire shape that it needs to be rebuilt right now? Work will always need to be done at any given time, but what makes 2021, after we’ve already spent almost double the normal budget, the only time to do this? Why not in 2023 when you’ll probably have a majority and an ability to get a much better bill? Cassidy will never answer that question because he doesn’t have an answer.
Those are a lot of generalities for a 2700 page bill. How is all that money being distributed? To what companies? For what specific projects? If Cassidy wants to prove his point, he’d do better to read the bill and offer specifics. He could even guarantee money isn’t being misappropriated, but we all know he hasn’t read it.
Then there’s this claim.
Notice that Cassidy points out $53 billion in reallocated funds that never should have been allocated in the first place (I’m assuming that is from the COVID relief bill) somehow constitutes the bill as being fully paid for. That’s like me claiming that if I buy $50 worth of merchandise on a credit card, return it for cash, and then spend the $50 on something else that it’s “fully paid for.” No, it’s money I never had in the first place. Further, where’s the other $1.15 trillion coming from? Cassidy doesn’t even bother to expound on his claim, instead, blaming the CBO for not playing the accounting games he and Democrats want to play.
As to the claim about CRT, that’s true, but there is a panel set up to help produce “equity” in the profession of truck driving. You know, really necessary stuff we should totally be spending money on.
No, there is no mileage tax in the bill. There’s just funding for a commission to figure out how to make one work. Is Cassidy just ignorant of the fact that the left never stops? At no point do Democrats just say “Well, we studied it and we aren’t doing this.” Rather, this commission opens the door for what will inevitably be a major issue Republicans have to fight back against in the future. It’s literally handing the other side ammo and Cassidy is happy to do it and bash you for opposing it.
Past that, what I am most struck by here is how willing Cassidy is to trash his own side when he can’t be bothered to open his mouth to condemn Joe Biden’s illegal eviction moratorium extension. A Republican with any spine would have used the infrastructure deal as leverage to try to stop that from happening. Instead, these Senate Republicans immediately went on the defensive, hiding in the shadows in hopes of not offending Biden and the Democrats they are trying to pass this “deal” with. It’s pathetic and not at all representative of a real opposition party.
If Cassidy went after the left with a quarter of the ferocity he does his own side, the GOP might actually accomplish something one day. As it stands, we are left with this abject weakness leading the way. But be sure and give them a majority again in 2022.