GOP Argues Government Shouldn’t Be Deciding Which Bridges Succeed Or Fail

WASHINGTON—In response to the $2 trillion infrastructure plan unveiled by President Joe Biden this week, Republicans on Capitol Hill spent much of Thursday arguing that it shouldn’t be up to the government to decide whether bridges succeed or fail. “We here in Washington should not be in the business of picking winners and losers when it comes to which highway overpasses maintain their integrity and which collapse, killing dozens of innocent motorists,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who accused the White House proposal of “shameless favoritism,” suggesting it would use taxpayer dollars to exert control over whether a span of roadway buckled, fell into a river, and was swept away by the current. “What kind of message does it send to the American people when we prop up bridges that are failing at the expense of bridges that are working? There’s a real moral hazard here. At the end of the day, it should be left to the free market to determine which suspension cables snap and which ones remain intact.” McConnell went on to warn that if his Senate colleagues were not careful, the tyranny of routine government inspections and maintenance could spread to the nation’s interstates and airports.