Speaker Pelosi’s Very Real, Very Brief ‘Infrastructure Week’
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Much has been said about President Donald Trump’s spectacular short-comings on infrastructure policy over the years. So much so that “infrastructure week” has become Beltway patois for a misfired policy aim in the Trump era.
Yet, with the world looking to the Trump administration for guidance and assistance amid the coronavirus pandemic, the president insisted multiple times last week that investing in infrastructure — about $2 trillion — could re-energize the country’s economy and possibly lead to an increase in jobs.
Here he was April 3:
Mulero
“Infrastructure is a great thing for me. I think infrastructure for this country — we have an old, broken infrastructure. Fifty years ago, we were the envy of the world. And then we spent all this money so stupidly in the Middle East. We spent — it’s going to be very close to $8 trillion in the Middle East. How stupid was that decision? But they spent it on that and other things. We’ve got to fix our infrastructure.”
But reaction to Trump’s sentiment on Capitol Hill initially split along partisan lines. The Republican leadership suggested waiting for the three coronavirus emergency aid packages to reach businesses and individuals before looking to advance a massive policy measure.
Democrats, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, exhibited enthusiasm and pointed to their five-year, $760 billion plan unveiled in January. The speaker explained to reporters this time was different. This wasn’t your typical Trump-era “infrastructure week.”
“If you’re referencing the Republican ‘infrastructure week,’ yes, it was a joke. But you can’t be referencing ours, because this is very substantial. And by the way, our interest in infrastructure has always been bipartisan,” Pelosi said April 1.
Democrats' Infrastructure Plan by Transport Topics on Scribd
Stakeholders from various sectors applauded.
“Improved infrastructure is important to healthy real estate markets and a growing economy,” National Associations of Realtors President Vince Malta said in a statement to Transport Topics. “[National Association of Realtors] is pleased to hear that discussions are underway in Congress that would provide needed funding for transportation projects, water-quality improvements and enhanced access to broadband, and we look forward to reviewing these proposals as they move through the legislative process.”
Two days later, the thrill was gone, somewhat. The speaker shifted her team’s focus from macroinfrastructure policy to legislation specific to the concerns of the recently unemployed, medical community and small business owners grappling with an economic downturn.
Eventually, the coronavirus crisis will recede. And whenever members of Congress recover from the policy whiplash, they will be required to confront funding uncertainty across surface transportation networks. A 2015 highway law expires this fall, and the looming insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund is not going to fix itself.
Freight Corridor
James Pethokoukis shares another perspective.
Buzz
When the federal government is the backup, states become the lead players.
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And now, time for a brief history lesson about the Brooklyn Bridge.
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A man for all seasons.
Trump eliminated the job of coordinating a national pandemic response. That job is now being performed by Jared Kushner. @jonathanchait writes https://t.co/dNaX0dbKId — Intelligencer (@intelligencer) April 2, 2020
The Last Word
Increased access to rapid testing remains one of our top priorities in order to identify more cases, get Georgians the care they need and prevent further infection in our communities.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) on April 6 after announcing the state joined CVS Health to increase access to rapid COVID-19 testing.
We publish weekly when Congress is in session. E-mail emulero@ttnews.com with tips. Follow us @eugenemulero and @transporttopics.
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