‘A Better Deal to Rebuild America’ won’t sell off our valuable infrastructure, writes Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
The federal commitment and role in building and maintaining our national infrastructure is as old as our country itself. Congress has invested in this vision of a national transportation system, knowing that is what binds our national economic well-being, security and people together — until now.
On Monday, President Trump released a plan that slashes real federal investments and shifts the burden to cash-strapped states, territories and local governments to raise almost all of the funds, encouraging them to sell off our roads, bridges, transit systems and water systems to Wall Street and foreign corporations.
The plan would cut more than $168 billion over 10 years from transportation programs to pay for these companies to toll our roads. It would gut bedrock environmental, clean water and clean-air protections under the guise of speeding up projects.
OUR VIEW: Don’t dismiss infrastructure proposal
This is not a real infrastructure plan; it’s simply another scam, an attempt by this administration to privatize critical government functions and create windfalls for Wall Street. This fake proposal will not address the serious infrastructure needs facing this country, so our potholed roads will get worse, our bridges and transit systems will become more dangerous, and we will pay more tolls.
Last week, House Democrats released “ A Better Deal to Rebuild America ” — an infrastructure plan that is five times bigger than President Trump’s proposal.
Our proposal provides $1 trillion in federal funding to rebuild our crumbling roads, bridges, transit systems, ports, harbors, airports and schools; extend high-speed Internet to every family in America; and put more than 16 million people to work.
If we want to put America back to work, get America moving again and make us more competitive in the world economy, we must strengthen the federal commitment to our national transportation network by providing sustainable, long-term funding. I urge President Trump to work with Democrats to find sustainable solutions, rather than sell off our valuable infrastructure to the lowest bidder.
Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., is ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
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