PRESS RELEASE
Trump Split from GOP Leaders on Infrastructure Funding
Jan. 10, 2018 (EIRNS)—Heads of transportation associations spoken to yesterday said that no serious initiative on infrastructure-building legislation appeared likely to come from either the White House or Congress, and feared cuts in existing credits instead, due to wide differences. One said he thought that the subject could be put off to February or beyond, despite President Trump motivating it in the State of the Union Address.
A split between Trump and Congressional Republicans is becoming evident. CNBC today reported,
"An administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, "‘The president’s inclination is just ’spend money,’ while the House is more talking about public-private partnerships.’"
And a Congressional "senior aide" is quoted in the same article, "The President is not on board with what Gary Cohn presented"—i.e., Cohn’s motivation of public-private partnerships at the Camp David meeting.
The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), representing millions of people in manufacturing companies, released a strong letter to Trump Jan. 9, signed by NAM CEO Jay Timmons.
"The infrastructure investments of the 1950s and 1960s brought tremendous economic benefits, built strong communities, improved productivity and competitiveness and allowed manufacturing to grow and put people to work in solid middle-class jobs. Today, however, as more and more of our infrastructure crumbles, it is not keeping up with modern demands for safety and innovation, nor is it giving American workers the tools they need to compete with the rest of the world."
The letter demands: "Shore up the Highway Trust Fund with a reliable, user-based, long-term funding stream [a gas tax increase—ed.]; spend the $9 billion balance in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to deepen ports and harbors; quickly upgrade aging locks and dams,"
in a list of ten demanded actions.
