White House to Take Up Tax Reform, Infrastructure Funding Plans, ATA Official Says
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Trump administration and the Republican-led Congress will try to advance an overhaul of tax policy and infrastructure funding measures after their attempt to reform health care, a senior official with American Trucking Associations informed industry officials March 28.
“The most recent intelligence we’ve been getting out of the White House is that they are going to be focusing on tax reform as well as infrastructure next,” said John Drake, ATA’s senior vice president for legislative affairs, said at the Safety Management Council and Transportation Security Council policy conference.
“This setback in the health care changes really sort of changed the calculus of Congress and the administration going forward,” Drake added.
The trucking sector is among the freight stakeholders urging policymakers to increase funding for infrastructure projects around the country. The industry supports raising federal fuel taxes to fund the transportation grid.
Senior Republicans on Capitol Hill indicated over the weekend of March 25-26 that infrastructure funding policy is likely to garner more bipartisan support than reforming health care. Senate Democrats who already unveiled a $1 trillion infrastructure funding blueprint say they are waiting on GOP leaders to reveal their plan.
In February, President Trump called on Congress to pass a $1 trillion measure that would invest in infrastructure through public and private funds. The president promised to present Congress with such a plan during his first 100 days in office.
