The Senate’s passage of the bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure package is seen as a major accomplishment for the Biden Administration. But on the latest episode of the Drill Down podcast, Peter Schweizer and Eric Eggers take a deep dive into the colossal bill to examine some of the more outlandish elements Congress finds critical for American infrastructure.
One critical element in the bill was a provision on limousine research (see page 913). The bill gives researchers a four-year deadline to conduct a study on “side impact protection, roof crush resistance, and air bag systems” while also requiring a follow-up study with a two-year deadline to focus on the “protection of occupants in limousines with alternative seating positions.”
Of course, it makes sense for Congress to fund studies in pursuit of infrastructure best-practices, but in the case of limousines, a niche market, one can’t help but wonder whether time, money, and effort is better spent on general vehicle studies that have wide-ranging applicability. Six years of limousine research stretches the limits of sensible policy into something almost farcical.
