There is no need for more federal infrastructure spending. Republicans should say that. It is not a good idea to spend trillions of dollars during an expansion. Republicans should say that. We should not borrow more money, or raise taxes, in order to pay for more infrastructure spending. Republicans should say that. States and localities can better decide what they really need to build, and pay for it. Republicans should say that. It is worth our remembering that an $800 billion “counter-offer” seems like a “moderate” option only because the Biden administration’s preferred additional spending total — which is $2.3 trillion on “infrastructure” and $4 trillion in total — is so ludicrously large. Eight-hundred-billion dollars exceeds the annual defense budget! That such a proposal has become regarded as a “middle way” bargaining chip shows us only how off the rails the debate on spending has become. Of course, there are infrastructure projects that would benefit from federal investment. But there is no reason for anyone to expect that such projects will be the strategic focus of any bill, compromise or no — because political considerations, and simply shoving money out the door, inevitably take precedence in such exercises.