As the COVID-19 pandemic leads to negative impacts on our economy and unemployment rises, there is renewed interest in an economic stimulus package to build and improve public infrastructure. The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, however, demonstrates that marrying the goals of infrastructure provisions and putting unemployed individuals back to work is likely to result in double disappointment. While some unemployed workers will be hired, many workers will simply shift from another job rather than be hired directly from the unemployment lines. Instead of viewing infrastructure spending as a quick way to put newly unemployed back to work, funding should be evaluated by the merits and value of the project.