Infrastructure plan by Trump hits early bump over funding
Top Democrats are questioning President Donald Trump’s infrastructure plan even before it’s released, raising doubts about whether the administration’s approach can win bipartisan support.
Trump has long touted his plan to upgrade U.S. public works as something that can win Democratic backing, and he will appeal to Democrats on infrastructure in his State of the Union address on Tuesday. He’s offering at least $200 billion in federal money over 10 years to spur states, localities and the private sector to spend as much as $1.6 trillion.
Democrats say that’s not nearly enough. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Senate Democrats have called for $1 trillion in federal investment. The American Society of Civil Engineers has said more than $2 trillion in additional funding is needed by 2025 to upgrade conditions of everything from roads, bridges and airports to mass transit and drinking water.
“It’s a ‘nothing burger,’ ” Oregon Representative Pete DeFazio, the top Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said of the administration’s proposal in a Jan. 9 interview. “It has to have real investment, not just a bunch of polemics and ideology pretending to be taking major steps to rebuild our infrastructure.”
Infrastructure is the next big item on Trump’s legislative agenda, after a failed attempt to overhaul health care and passing a tax bill last year. But Democrats’ call for more funding comes in addition to the tax measure costing $1.5 trillion over 10 years, and Republican leaders say they don’t want a big spending bill. The push also follows the acrimonious government shutdown, and lawmakers are already fighting about budget spending with mid-term elections looming in November.
Trump is expected to tout his infrastructure plan in his State of the Union speech, and detailed principles will be transmitted to Congress a week or two after that to start the legislative process, adviser DJ Gribbin said.
With Republicans controlling the Senate by only a 5149 margin, Trump needs Democratic votes. It’s unlikely an infrastructure bill can pass on a simple, party-line majority, the way the tax overhaul was enacted last year, using what’s known as budget reconciliation.
Delaware Senator Tom Carper, the leading Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and a former governor, said he supports encouraging states and localities to generate funding for projects. But he returned from a meeting with administration officials earlier this month skeptical about their approach.
“Can we do a better job using scarce resources to leverage state and local monies? Yes,” he said. “But I’m still not sure how you transform $200 billion into $1 trillion. You’ll have to show me.”