President Donald Trump
today will unveil his long-awaited infrastructure plan, a $1.5 billion proposal that fulfills a number of campaign goals but relies heavily on state and local governments to produce much of the funding.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday will unveil his long-awaited infrastructure plan, a $1.5 trillion proposal that fulfills a number of campaign goals but relies heavily on state and local governments to produce much of the funding.
The administration’s plan is centered on using $200 billion in federal money to leverage local and state tax dollars to fix America’s infrastructure, such as roads, highways, ports and airports.
“Every federal dollar should be leveraged by partnering with state and local governments and — where appropriate — tapping into private-sector investment to permanently fix the infrastructure deficit,” Trump said during last month’s State of the Union address.
The White House, may not have an easy time navigating a massive infrastructure plan through a polarized Congress.
Administration officials previewing the plan said it would feature two key components: an injection of funding for new investments and to help speed up repairs of crumbling roads and airports, as well as a streamlined permitting process.
Officials said the $200 billion in federal support would come from cuts to existing programs.
Half the money would go to grants for transportation, water, flood control, cleanup at some of the country’s most polluted sites and other projects.
States, local governments and other project sponsors could use the grants, which administration officials view as incentives, for no more than 20 percent of the cost. Transit agencies generally count on the federal government for half the cost of major construction projects, and federal dollars can make up as much as 80 percent of some highway projects.