Second, if the bipartisan legislation fails, as it should, Democrats will be forced to jam all the real infrastructure items into their $3.5 trillion reconciliation effort - pushing up the price tag, and perhaps stalling the effort, which would be a good thing. Gridlock is the blessing of both Congressional branches being almost equally split between political parties. Republicans must impede, not concede. The amount in question is not small. Spending on infrastructure and reconciliation would total $4.2 trillion over ten years. The tax increases would need to add up to the same. That means that everyone – including the Republicans – who vote for the infrastructure deal are voting to increase the amount citizens pay to the federal government. It doesn’t matter whether you call it taxes, or fees, or tariffs, or – our personal favorite – a carbon border adjustment mechanism, it is all transferring cash from individuals to the government.