What will Trump's infrastructure bill look like? [Poll]

[ivwshane]

So far the patient hasn't accomplished shit except for getting a sc justice. Other than that, the only thing he seeks good at building is cluster fucks. So I don't expect any infrastructure bill.

 

[McGerkins]

Boondoogle. Something in it will be illegal, impossible, or just ridiculous. Perhaps replacing Lady Liberty with a giant statue of Donny that is also a fully functional hotel. Or, it's about time we added another head to Mt. Rushmore.

I wish I was joking....

 

[soundforbjt]

Lots and lots of toll roads and bridges owned by private interests and built with mostly our money.

 

[dawp]

Boondoogle. Something in it will be illegal, impossible, or just ridiculous. Perhaps replacing Lady Liberty with a giant statue of Donny mooning that is also a fully functional hotel. Or, it's about time we added another head to Mt. Rushmore.

I wish I was joking....

fixed, which is what I think DT is doing to the country.

 

[imported_tajmahal]

With much support from Democrats it would be a large bipartisan Bill, with limited support from the Dems it will be a small one with only Dems that benefit voting for it.

 

[Jhhnn]

With much support from Democrats it would be a large bipartisan Bill, with limited support from the Dems it will be a small one with only Dems that benefit voting for it.

I figure it'd be a give away to the financial elite. Instead of paying for it with taxes TrumpCo wants to do it with private investment, meaning that the public will be paying rent forever.

Collecting rent is how Donald makes his living.

 

[Bitek]

Lots and lots of toll roads and bridges owned by private interests and built with mostly our money.

I think that's the point of it honestly.

They don't want to spend money out of the general fund for projects to fix/upgrade existing infrastructure. Instead it's a vehicle to extract user fees from the common commuters and poor folks that earn too little to pay fed taxes. We surely won't raise fuel taxes as direct pay fors either.

I don't see how anything of importance gets done.

 

[Bitek]

I'm not dead yet!

The White House's Leaked Infrastructure Plan Is a Road Map With Few Details

President Trump has been promising a $1 trillion infrastructure plan to rebuild the nation’s crumbling roads, bridges, and water pipes since well before he was elected. A year into office, his administration still has not delivered, but that may soon change: The latest report is that the White House plans on releasing a proposal after the State of the Union address this month.
..

White House has not signaled any plans for maintaining and fixing the decaying roads, water pipes, and energy systems that are already here.

But for cities, the most concerning element of the draft is the criteria described for “Infrastructure Incentives” grants. Some 70 percent of a project’s qualifications would be weighted on “evidence supporting how applicant will secure and commit new, non-federal revenue” for planning, construction, maintenance, and operations.

In other words, the ability of a state or city to demonstrate they already have money to build something is what counts most—more than the type of project, how it is planned, or even its projected economic or social benefits. “The initial conclusion we can take from this proposal is that [the] administration’s priority is in projects that can largely be funded with user fees, not on creating infrastructure for the public benefit,” tweeted Freemark.

______
Of the limited available federal resources, some of the pay fors include selling public land.
Trump suggested raising the gas tax, but Congressional GOP and Koch network are pushing back hard.

Disposition of Federal Real Property: would establish through executive order the authority to allow for the disposal of Federal assets to improve the overall allocation of economic resources in infrastructure investment.




https://www.citylab.com/transportat...e-plan-is-a-road-map-with-few-details/551204/

 

[IronWing]

Donald Trump: waterboy for the Zinke agenda

 

[K1052]

No real plan, no money to pay for it, and congress doesn't seem to like it at all. Appears to be standard work product for this administration.

 

[Puffnstuff]

Trump will probably ask for gold street pavings in front of his properties and call it infrastructure renewal.

 

[zinfamous]

Do smart leader truly the good leader.

 

[Bitek]

Some more leaked details.

Supposedly going to be a major focus of the SOTU and Trump's economic pivot in 2018.

IOW, convince the middle to support GOP in midterms by equating rich people getting richer means everybody's rich, and selling everyday people that they'll love all the newly tolled roads, (now with 25% less potholes!)

Math students will notice Trump claims a $1.7T package, yet the spend only adds up to $200B.

A+ students will note the spend is mostly taken from existing programs, like Amtrak, army corp of engineers, and other infrastructure programs.

• $100 billion (50% of the total federal investment) in grants on "infrastructure incentives" designed to encourage investment from state governments, local governments, and private companies on "core infrastructure." Each state could only receive up to 10% of the total, and federal grants couldn't make up more than 20% of the total spent on a project.
• $20 billion (10% of federal investment) on the "Transformative Projects Program." The program would give federal money to swing-for-the-fences type projects that can't get money from private markets due to the "uniqueness of the program." Included in the possible programs that could receive money are "commercial space" ventures.
• $50 billion (25% of federal investment) on rural infrastructure. This is to ensure that projects in rural areas, which usually have lower returns on investment, do not get left behind.
• $14 billion (7.05% of federal investment) to grow existing federal credit programs for infrastructure.
• $10 billion (5% of federal investment) towards a "Federal Capital Financing Fund" that would assist federal agencies in purchasing land for new projects or indicatives.

Another key question is how the Trump administration will come up with the $200 billion. Many Republicans would likely balk at adding more to the federal deficit, so administration officials suggested previously that the investment would be financed through cuts to other programs.

Trump's 2018 budget proposal included cuts to Amtrak, infrastructure investment grants, and the Army Corps of Engineers' civil works programs.

 

[IronWing]

We can call it The Phoenix Program: America Rises From the Ashes. You have to cut infrastructure spending to boost infrastructure spending.

 

[K1052]

Basically no way this thing passes. It's worse than useless.

Many federal infrastructure programs will probably tick along as is, mostly, since the easiest thing for congress to do is to change little or nothing. Congress really loves to do the easiest thing.

 

[Puffnstuff]

We can call it The Phoenix Program: America Rises From the Ashes. You have to cut infrastructure spending to boost infrastructure spending.

First we have to tackle things like this.

 

[zinfamous]

It will look like it was drawn in crayon, on the back of a Denny's kids menu.

 

[sandorski]

Wouldn't hurt the Infrastructure, but adds another $trillion to the Debt on top of the $1.5trillion the Tax Cut added, plus the accumulated other Deficits that will occur during his Presidency.

If only there were ways to raise Revenues....

 

[HomerJS]

Trump will want a 1.5T infrastructure bill where others come up with 90% so he can take 100% credit

 

[Jhhnn]

It's what we call a pump fake for strapped govt entities & a license to beat the cash out of the little guy for privatizers.

 

[Bitek]

Anyone find the tragic irony in the fact the GOP was riding an Amtrak when the 115th had their literal and figurative flaming-garbage-covered train wreck yesterday?

 

[Bitek]

This week is the official rollout of the plan.

There is still great skepticism on the funding for it and doubts whether much will materialize.

Recall that only $200B of the $T1.5 is proposed to come from Washington, 80% from states and cash strapped cities.

The $200B is not new federal spending, it comes from other infrastructure programs like already dangerously underfunded Amtrak.

Meanwhile, the $25B in Wall money is new spending, so in effect Trump/GOP will spend more new money on the wall than all the roads and bridges in the nation, and worth 12% of all infrastructure spending. Conservatives wonder why liberals are so against it...

Even

 

[K1052]

Going nowhere fast and it's a terrible plan anyway.

 

[Linux23]

Anyone find the tragic irony in the fact the GOP was riding an Amtrak when the 115th had their literal and figurative flaming-garbage-covered train wreck yesterday?

lol, yep

 

[Bitek]

One of the Republican proposals on the table is increasing the gas tax $.25/g

The idea is that gas taxes are user fees, however these taxes tend to be highly regressive.

The avg miles driven per yr is 13,500
Avg mpg for the US is 23.6 mpg

Therefore, average tax increase is $150/yr/driver.

For a two parent household, that's $300/yr. Teenagers? Pony up more.

So how much did families save on the GOP tax proposals?

Chart below is tax changes from the tax bill. Balance that will the potential gas tax increase.

Net effect, every household under ~$50k will see a net increase in their taxes.

That's before they start tolling more roads...

How many households is that? Millions.