Five of President Trump’s Cabinet members appeared before a Senate committee on Wednesday to urge action on the White House’s proposed infrastructure plan. But even with the heavy hitters present, it doesn’t seem like much progress was made.
The Secretaries of Transportation, Labor, Commerce, Energy, and Agriculture all sat on a panel to speak with the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee to sell the proposed $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan.
One of the few things that it seems like everyone in Congress can agree upon is that there is a need for greater infrastructure funding. But if this hearing was any indication, that’s where the agreement ends.
Currently, the infrastructure plan calls for $1.5 trillion in funding, spurred on by only $200 billion in federal spending. The remaining $1.3 trillion would come from the states and private industry. No consensus has been reached on how to raise the $200 billion, let alone how to incentivize states and public/private partnerships to fund the rest.
Some expressed their concerns over using tolls to raise the money. Ranking Democrat Bill Nelson warned that “we can’t toll our way out of this problem.” Senators from rural states also worry that they won’t be able to attract public/private partnerships on their roads, leaving them without funding.
Even Republicans are voicing concern over where the money will come from. “To get the big, really robust package the president is talking about, you have to come up with a significant source of revenues and so far those haven’t been identified,” warned Chairman and ranking Republican John Thune.
So, while the presence of so many high-ranking officials at a Senate hearing signals how important this issue is to the White House, the lack of forward progress also makes clear just how difficult this puzzle will be to solve.
Source: fleetowner, ttnews, ttnews, rollcall, npr, washingtonpost
I am disappointed in the new Admin wanting to toll and private sector our nations Highways.. Very disappointed. Fuel taxes should suffice. Eliminate the waste, which usually is the fat at the top. We have plenty of citizens who want work and are willing to do the job.
I’m fascinated. I see road construction and bridge repair all of the time. I spend more time in construction related delays than I care to think about. Where is the money coming from to do these projects? If they want better infrastructure, perhaps they should build better roads that last more than three years.
OOPS! Sorry! I was using rational thinking instead of political thinking. My bad.
Ha that’s hilarious, same congress voted against it for last 8 years. Revisit this issue after November of this year and it’s WILL get don’t. But chump definitely won’t get it done!