I keep telling myself that there has to be a point in time in which our infrastructure will deteriorate to such a state that Congress will be forced to come up with a permanent funding solution to repair and replace the country’s infrastructure. I was cautiously hopeful when the Obama Administration was coming to a close. I remained optimistic as the new Administration came into the picture. Now we have a new majority in the House of Representatives. I’ve been trying to “think happy thoughts” for so long, anything other than a sunny outlook would feel like I was giving up.
Now here we are at what feels like square one. Reuters is reporting that Democrats in Congress are looking for cooperation and support from the President for legislation calling for approximately $2 trillion to renew our infrastructure.
According to Reuters:
“House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said at separate news conferences they would try to revive an effort that sputtered early in Trump’s presidency for major investments in aging public works.
The White House said Trump had spoken recently with Pelosi and ‘agreed to meet soon to discuss working together on infrastructure,’ White House spokesman Judd Deere said.
Democrats have been seeking a much larger investment than Trump and fellow Republicans in Congress have suggested.
‘Has to be at least $1 trillion, I’d like it to be closer to $2 trillion,’ Pelosi told reporters at a House Democratic meeting in Leesburg, Virginia. She said there would be discussions on how such an amount could be financed.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, told reporters later on Thursday that the financing issue was a major obstacle.”
The first and most critical step would be to figure out exactly how to pay for it.
Reuters continues:
“‘Has to be at least $1 trillion, I’d like it to be closer to $2 trillion,’ Pelosi told reporters at a House Democratic meeting in Leesburg, Virginia. She said there would be discussions on how such an amount could be financed.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, told reporters later on Thursday that the financing issue was a major obstacle.”
As difficult as this thing has been in the past, there may be a unique opportunity looming. The 2020 presidential and congressional elections are coming soon. Candidates on both sides of the aisle are going to want to be able to show some kind of ability to get things done so that constituents will vote for them. Being able to say “I had a hand in creating this country’s infrastructure revival” would be an extremely great way to reach voters.
Here’s the list as I see it: an old, crumbling, outdated infrastructure; a Republican Senate; a Democratic House of Representatives; and a President Trump. I don’t think holding my breath this time will do any good. What do you think?
