October 6, 2018 4:41PM # Bipartisanship Means Spending Taxpayers’ Money By [David Boaz](https://www.cato.org/people/david-boaz) --- SHARE Everybody’s deploring partisan polarization these days, especially this presidential term, especially this week. Including the Cato Institute’s president, [Peter Goettler](https://www.cato.org/policy-report/mayjune-2017/red-sox-versus-yankees-political-version): “two years in Washington has taught me that tribalism is a huge factor in driving the political process and discourse.” On the other hand, as I’ve [written](https://www.cato.org/blog/does-bipartisanship-bigger-government) [before](https://www.cato.org/blog/bipartisan-agreement-against-taxpayers), [bipartisanship is typically](https://www.cato.org/blog/bipartisanship-versus-taxpayers) a conspiracy against the taxpayers. Here’s the latest example, from the [Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/articles/we-dont-all-hate-each-other-senates-bipartisanship-obscured-by-kavanaugh-fight-1538685298): > **‘We Don’t All Hate Each Other’: Senate’s Bipartisanship Obscured by Kavanaugh Fight** > > > The intense partisanship engulfing [Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh](https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/kavanaugh?mod=article_inline&mod=article_inline) has diverted attention from a raft of recent bipartisanship in the Senate during the past few weeks, drowning out issues that could appeal to [voters in the midterms](https://www.wsj.com/articles/voters-focus-on-economy-health-care-and-immigration-in-midterms-1535979600?mod=article_inline). > > > The chamber on Wednesday passed legislation to [reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration](https://www.wsj.com/articles/senate-approves-plan-to-double-funding-for-global-infrastructure-projects-1538595889?mod=article_inline) for five years by a 93–6 vote. That legislation included a measure to double funding for big infrastructure projects around the world, combining several little-known government agencies into a new body with authority to do $60 billion in development financing. > > Also on Wednesday, the Senate advanced an opioid bill to President Trump’s desk by a vote of 98–1. That bill includes several changes to Medicare and state Medicaid programs, such as requiring Medicare to cover services provided by certified opioid treatment programs.  > > > And last week, Mr. Trump [signed into law a spending bill that increases](https://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trump-signs-bill-to-increase-military-spending-avert-shutdown-1538164270?mod=article_inline) military spending for the next fiscal year. ##### Related Tags [Government and Politics](https://www.cato.org/government-politics), [Tax and Budget Policy](https://www.cato.org/tax-budget-policy) [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).