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2571d ago / 7:53 PM UTC
Both Parties Say Trump’s Infrastructure Plan Needs Repair
INFRASTRUCTURE
Promising a trillion dollars of infrastructure investment was an easy win for a billionaire builder running for the White House: Roads and bridges need fixing, workers need jobs, and the proposal has bipartisan appeal.
Accomplishing it as president? Not so easy.
President Donald Trump faces high stakes — some in his own party oppose more government spending — while others see potential political benefits and more: He could unite Republicans and Democrats on a key issue and big investment could contribute to the millions of jobs he promised as a candidate.
Trump Unwinds Regulations, but Overshadows Efforts With Controversy
INFRASTRUCTURE
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday designed to speed up construction of infrastructure projects by eliminating portions of the federal permitting process, like an Obama-era mandate aimed at protecting future infrastructure from rising seawaters, and streamlining others.
Holding up a flow chart that he said showed a lengthy highway approval process — which could take 20 years — the president said his order would bring the process down to less than two years.
“This is going to happen quickly. That’s what I’m signing today,” he said, according to a White House transcript.
After the White House’s Infrastructure Week, which featured speeches and non-binding letters but no more details on Trump's infrastructure policy, the president had just one concrete plan on the table: Privatizing the Federal Aviation Administration.
During 'Infrastructure Week,' Trump Administration Teases Plan, Again
INFRASTRUCTURE
Two weeks after President Donald Trump said his infrastructure plan was coming in two to three weeks, his secretary of transportation, Elaine Chao, issued the same tease: Stay tuned for a few more weeks.
Speaking at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce-sponsored “Infrastructure Week” event, Chao said the plan would call for $200 billion in taxpayer funds to spur outside dollars through private-public partnerships.
"These funds will be used to leverage $1 trillion in infrastructure investment over 10 years," Chao said according to the Associated Press, noting that the tax dollars would be offset by unspecified savings to keep from adding to the national debt.
While infrastructure is hardly the sexiest topic, there was considerable buzz around the event, with Twitter users jumping on the trending hashtag suggesting projects ripe for infrastructure investment, including a slew of tweets advocating building a wall on the southern border.
The $200 billion is the same number the White House budget director earmarked for infrastructure investment last month.
“We’re certainly going to spend some money,” Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said then.
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2528d ago / 5:44 PM UTC
100 Days In: How's Trump Doing on Infrastructure?
INFRASTRUCTURE
Status: Little action
The White House has not yet rolled out a plan to rebuild what Trump calls America’s “crumbling” infrastructure.
The president appointed a special assistant of infrastructure with D.J. Gribbin, who has a history brokering deals between private investors and governments seeking infrastructure investment, the very kind of deal Trump says is key to funding reform without growing the deficit.Congressional leaders and infrastructure experts say they’re unsure just how feasible such funding mechanisms are; domestically, the nation has seen both successes and failures arise from such partnerships.
Trump's only action to date on an infrastructure project is his approval of permits for the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. With that, Trump made good on one campaign promise while reneging on another: The Keystone XL pipeline won’t have to use American steel in construction, despite a White House order mandating pipelines do so.
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2594d ago / 9:00 PM UTC
The Promise: Invest In and Improve America's Infrastructure
INFRASTRUCTURE
President Donald Trump promised to spend big on American infrastructure, vowing a $1 trillion dollar investment —largely through tax cuts aimed at securing private financing — over ten years. These kind of investments are usually hugely popular with Democrats who support using federal funds for these projects, while Republicans shy from the spending.
We'll watch to see if the parties can compromise on meaningful infrastructure reform, or whether tax cuts result in symbolic infrastructure investments from private businesses.