President Trump Tells Mayors to Expect Over $1.5 Trillion Investment in Infrastructure
Administration is Working on a Plan to Rebuild Country’s Crumbling Infrastructure
As Minnesota’s Governor Mark Dayton pushes for funding for overdue improvements to the state’s infrastructure, President Trump is telling Mayors to expect over $1.5 Trillion dollars in infrastructure investment over the next decade.
The U.S. Department of Transportation indicated in a 2016 release of road and bridge data that 1,513 of the 13,137 bridges in Minnesota are considered structurally deficient or obsolete, while 52% of the state’s roadways are in poor or mediocre condition. The impact of the state’s roadways is illustrated in the costs associated with extra vehicle repairs the states motorists pay every year. For the year 2013, these repairs cost a total of $797 million for all motorists in the state or $250 per motorist.
According to Ginger Gibson and David Shepardson’s article on Reuters titled “Trump administration’s infrastructure plan taking shape,” the plan may be previewed in the January 30th State of the Union address, with details to be provided afterwards. Citing their sources, the article says the plan is to structure $200 billion in federal funding to encourage state, local, and private financing to repair the nation’s infrastructure, including bridges, highways, utilities, and other infrastructure projects.
In the article “Trump raises infrastructure investment plan to $1.7 trillion,” Reuters staff report that the 10 year, $200 billion federal funding for the Administration’s infrastructure plan would be split to provide $100 billion in cost sharing payments for projects, $50 billion for rural projects, and $50 billion for transformative projects like high-speed trains.
Recently, the bipartisan Senate Broadband Caucus sent a letter to President Trump urging him to prioritize Broadband infrastructure funding in his proposal. In an effort led by Republican U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va) and John Boozman (R-Ark.), the senators wrote:
“Our rural communities have connectivity needs that are not being met, limiting economic opportunity and growth. Prioritizing direct funding support for broadband deployment in an infrastructure package will help close the digital divide and ensure our country maintains its global competitiveness. Policies that encourage investment in communications infrastructure and streamline the deployment process will help speed up the deployment of high-speed broadband.”
According to a press release released by U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, $5 billion in broadband infrastructure investment creates 250,000 jobs while every percentage point increase in new broadband distribution creates 300,000
jobs. Another indicator of the need for broadband investment to be included in upcoming infrastructure funding are seen in the 2016 Broadband Progress Report released by the FCC. The reports key findings indicate that 39 percent of rural Americans lack access 25 Mbps download/3 Mbps upload (25 Mbps/3 Mbps), the FCC’s existing benchmark speed for fixed services.
U.S. Representative John Katko (R-N.Y.) co-authored and the led the creation of the report, “Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure.” Created by the Congresses’ Problem Solver’s Caucus Infrastructure Working
Group, the report offers solutions for infrastructure issues and investment recommendations in areas including broadband and communications infrastructure, surface infrastructure, ports and waterways, and water and waste water infrastructure.
Rep. John Katko stated, “In Central New York and across the country, our infrastructure is crumbling. Bridges, roads, and ports have fallen into disrepair and states and local municipalities are not able to plan for the long-term. I was
proud to work in a bipartisan manner with Rep. Esty and members of the Problem Solvers Infrastructure Working Group to produce a comprehensive report detailing areas in which we can begin to work together to streamline processes and provide sustainable funding solutions. In doing so, we’ve signaled to President Trump, as well as leaders on both sides of the aisle in the House and Senate, that we are ready to work in a bipartisan manner to move our nation’s infrastructure forward.”
Infrastructure is complex issue that our country needs to work on and President Trump’s vision will be essential to leading our country to success. He has set it as a priority and we expect to learn more in the coming weeks. Here are a few ways you can stay involved and on top of this issue:
- Read as much information as possible so you understand what is at stake.
- Follow us online to join the conversation and get your voice heard.
- Watch President Trump’s State of the Union address.
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