$1 trillion q "The reason [the Obama nearly $1 trillion stimulus] didn’t create many jobs is that it didn’t result in significant construction market growth. U.S. Census Bureau data show the total value of road and bridge construction work put in place in pre-Recovery Act 2008 was $81.4 billion. In 2009, it grew by only $800 million to $82.2 billion. It totaled $82.5 billion in 2010. Because many states, reeling from recession-caused tax revenue losses, yet still facing a constitutional mandate to balance their budget, simply substituted federal “stimulus” dollars for their own. Contract data show 20 states actually put less money out for road and bridge work in either 2009 or 2010 than they had in 2008 — despite the “stimulus” funds." https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/368199-infrastructure-package-avoid-the-mistakes-of-obama-stimulus EDIT - Accidentally posted before finalizing title and comment ...  Meant to draw distinction between Obama's $1 trillion of our tax dollars spent on social programs, other liberal causes, and state debt (instead of promised "shovel ready jobs") and Congress' current inability to find 1/200th of that for our national security ($5B for the wall). "The [Obama] Stimulus Plan: How to Spend $787 Billion By FARHANA HOSSAIN, AMANDA COX, JOHN McGRATH and STEPHAN WEITBERG A detailed look at the final package passed by Congress, based on estimates by House and Senate committees and the Congressional Budget Office." https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/44th_president/stimulusWhy?