5 Facts You Need to Know About Trump's Infrastructure Plan
Last week, President Donald Trump unveiled his plan to upgrade the country’s infrastructure, which lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agree desperately needs improvement. The need for updated infrastructure — including roads, bridges, watersheds, and public parks — has been corroborated by experts. In 2017, for instance, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the country’s infrastructure a D+ in its once-every-four-years assessment.
President Trump’s proposal (which can be read here) calls on Congress to jumpstart at least $1.5 trillion in new investment over the next decade, decrease the amount of time needed for approving new projects, and focus on the needs of rural communities. It also calls for cooperation between officials at the local, state, and federal levels. If these reforms are carried out, President Trump believes they will “make our country more competitive, reduce the costs of goods and services for American families, and enable Americans to build their lives on top of the best infrastructure in the world.”
Here are five facts you need to know about the president’s infrastructure plan:
1. The plan promises $200 billion in federal funding over the next 10 years. State and local governments as well as private industry will be responsible for the remaining $1.3 trillion, or 80 percent of the total amount.
2. Of the $200 billion in federal funding, a quarter will be set aside for projects in rural areas. The plan defines rural areas as those with populations fewer than 50,000 residents. Eighty percent of this funding would be in a block grant formula, giving more autonomy to state leaders. The remaining 20 percent would be made as grants for transportation, broadband, water and water resources, power, and electric.
3. The plan also sets aside $20 billion for the Transformative Projects Program, large projects that “lift the American spirit.” Funding would be awarded on a competitive basis. It would be expected to generate revenue, provide net public benefits, and have an outsize benefit on a municipality, state, region, or even the entire country.
4. In order to streamline the approval process, the plan calls for a “one agency, one decision” environmental review structure. The plan highlights that the current structure often increases project costs and delays construction, which is why it calls for a “firm deadline of 21 months” for lead agencies to complete their environmental assessments.
5. According to recent reports, President Trump told lawmakers that he would consider increasing the gas tax to help fund the plan. Today, the gas tax is 18.4 cents per gallon for unleaded and 24.4 cents for diesel. Axios reported that the president is willing to increase the tax by 25 cents to help fund the legislation.
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