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01/30/2020

House Democrats Unveil Infrastructure Plan

A White House spokesman already dismissed the plan

On Jan. 29, 2020, House Democrats outlined a five-year, $760 billion plan to rebuild the nation’s highways, rail, airports and other infrastructure, hoping the issue gains traction with the Trump administration. The Democrats’ framework includes $329 billion for roads and bridges, $55 billion in railway investments, $30 billion in airport improvements and $86 billion for the expansion of broadband access for rural areas.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA) did not offer any proposals to pay for infrastructure investments, instead calling for bipartisan talks with the White House and the Republican-controlled Senate.

“I think it’s really important that we not volunteer a revenue stream until the administration reaches an agreement with us,” Neal said. “I think what we’re looking for here is an agreement that we can then take to the public between the two sides about how best to pay for it so there’s not one-upmanship.”

House Democrats discussed a $2 trillion infrastructure plan with President Donald Trump last year but the negotiations over how to pay for that proposal broke down. Democratic leaders said this week that there should be a common interest on infrastructure, even in an election year.

“The president said throughout the campaign that’s something he wanted to do, so we hope to be joining with him in a unifying way, not a dividing way,” said Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

A White House spokesman already dismissed the House Democrats’ plan as a “Green New Deal 2.0” due to provisions in the plan to address climate change like increasing the availability of charging stations for electric vehicles and investing in zero-emission buses for public transit.

This article was provided to OSAE by the Power of A and ASAE's Inroads.

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