Jan. 22, 2019 – Reuters reported that 20 high-ranking Trump administration officials met with the president to discuss a potential infrastructure plan. According to reporters David Shepardson and Alexandra Alper, “the administration is considering a 13-year program but has not settled on key issues, including whether it will propose new ways to pay for increased spending.” The 13-year aspect would mirror the longest ever highway funding bill, from 1957 to 1969.Reuters reported that the meeting included conversations about whether to mention parts of the new infrastructure plan in the State of the Union (which is now in doubt because of the shutdown). In Congress, House Democrats are working on a plan of their own, led by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) which will likely be very different from what Trump ultimately proposes. It’s not clear if any Senate Republicans are working on legislative language too, but some expect that they’ll wait to see what DeFazio puts out first and work from there.
Infrastructure Whispering
