Will Democrats Fall for Trump’s Fake Infrastructure Plan?
President Trump’s retaliation against New York City, Portland, and Seattle could threaten those city’s public transportation and Covid-19 recovery.
After more than a year of teasing, Trump administration officials say the White House infrastructure plan will drop later this month.
This is one area where Trump can't rely on GOP majorities to push through major legislation. An infrastructure bill will need 60 Senate votes to pass, but Democrats might decide to withhold their support instead of giving Trump a bipartisan legislative accomplishment heading into the midterms.
In terms of policy, the Trump team has signaled at every occasion that their infrastructure plan will be a disaster for cities and transit. His budget proposals have called for merciless cuts to transit funding (Congress didn't follow through on the worst of it), and the administration has been refusing to release grants for transit projects around the country, threatening their completion.
Nevertheless, this was the message from Delaware Senator Tom Carper, ranking member of the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, in a press release yesterday:
I am hopeful that we will finally see the long-promised infrastructure proposal from the Trump Administration sooner rather than later.
While there is no shortage of issues on which the president and I disagree, the kind of large scale trillion dollar infrastructure investment that then-candidate Trump talked about is something that has the potential to elicit bipartisan support here in Congress.
On the surface, this seems like a naive take on Trump's sloganeering about a "$1 trillion infrastructure plan." Carper might be saving a confrontation for later, but making entreaties to work out an infrastructure deal probably won't end well, given what we already know.
In December, Politico reported that Trump and the GOP only planned to spend $200 million in federal funds on infrastructure over ten years. Some of that would potentially come from cuts to other programs -- like healthcare and education. The other $800 would come from cities, states, and private financing.
The types of infrastructure deals the Trump administration is already trying to encourage don't bode well for a larger package. Under Trump, U.S. DOT has already been caught restructuring project funding packages to funnel more money to banks and extract more from taxpayers.
Democrats in the Senate have a lot of leverage in this process. But if party leaders like Carper don't even try to drive a hard bargain, their constituents will lose.
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog New York City
Cruise Ships Saddle Red Hook with Traffic ‘Nightmare,’ Toxic Fumes
Red Hook is drowning in traffic and smog from cruise ships Mayor Adams has touted as a "boost" to the economy.
Thursday Headlines: UN Hypocrisy Week Edition
The Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden preach climate action, yet still oppose better bus service. Plus other news.
Online Retailers Selling Illegal Batteries and Mopeds to City Buyers
Call it Amazon crime: The mammoth online retailer is selling illegal batteries and mopeds to city residents, despite such devices being forbidden from city streets.
Manhattan BP Wants To Raze FDR Drive South of Brooklyn Bridge
It's a great idea, but will highway-obsessed officials bite?
Wednesday’s Headlines: Head-Scratcher Edition
Three items crossed our desk yesterday that simply need to be addressed. Plus other news.
