Trump And Democrats Agree On $2 Trillion For Infrastructure, But Not On How To Pay

[Zippyjuan]

https://www.npr.org/2019/04/30/71867...-on-how-to-pay

During the campaign for the presidency, Trump said he wanted to spend at least $1 trillion on rebuilding infrastructure. But when he submitted his budget proposal, it included only $20 billion for it.

As for these "bipartisan White House meetings" they are almost always for show. Trump had one on immigration and DACA and one on avoiding a government shutdown and did the opposite of what was agreed to shortly afterwards. Photo- ops with big promises which lead to nothing.

Democratic congressional leaders say President Trump has agreed to a $2 trillion infrastructure plan. But — and it's a big but — there was no agreement on how to pay for such a wide-ranging and expensive proposal.

The leaders say they're waiting for Trump to outline his ideas for that in three weeks.

Emerging from a White House meeting that lasted some 90 minutes, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said they were "very excited about the conversation that we had." Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called it "very constructive," adding that it is clear that Democratic leaders and the president "want to get something done on infrastructure in a big and bold way."

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders also struck a positive tone in her statement after the meeting, calling it "excellent and productive."

"The United States has not come even close to properly investing in infrastructure for many years ... We have to invest in this country's future and bring our infrastructure to a level better than it has ever been before," the statement said.

The statement does not mention the $2 trillion figure that Schumer said the group had agreed on.

Trump likes debt so I would not expect him to suggest any way to pay for it.

[Zippyjuan]

https://thehill.com/homenews/adminis...plan-as-stupid

Trump trashes his own administration's infrastructure plan as 'stupid'


President Trump on Tuesday trashed his own White House infrastructure plan released last year, blaming his former top economic adviser Gary Cohn for drafting a proposal that was "so stupid."

Trump, meeting with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), made clear that he was never supportive of the proposal calling for public-private partnerships because "you get sued," according to a senior Democratic source who attended the private meeting in the White House’s Cabinet Room.

"That was a Gary [Cohn] bill. That bill was so stupid," Trump told the Democratic leaders, according to the source.

A second person present at Tuesday’s White House meeting confirmed Trump’s remarks criticizing his administration's plan. Unveiled in February 2018, the proposal calls for $200 billion in federal spending that would be used to leverage at least an additional $800 billion in private investment over the next decade.

Cohn, Trump's first director of the National Economic Council, resigned from his White House post in April 2018, two months after rolling out the White House infrastructure plan.

"[Trump] said definitively he doesn't like private-public partnerships, and he did not at all support the plan that was put forward last year," recalled House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), who was among the group of Hill Democrats who met with Trump.

"He said he never supported it," DeFazio added. "It was a product of a think tank guy, DJ Gribbin, and he said, 'That was Gary's thing. I never supported that.'"

Gribbin, an infrastructure policy adviser, also left the White House last year.

Tuesday's meeting marked a rare bipartisan breakthrough for Trump and Democratic leaders, who agreed to come up with a $2 trillion infrastructure package. But the two sides did not reach a deal on how to pay for the package and will meet again in three weeks to talk details, Pelosi and Schumer announced. Democrats want to raise taxes to generate revenue for roads, bridges, waterways and broadband projects.

Democrats now hope that Trump’s rejection of public-private partnerships means he’ll move a step closer to their position.

"I would like to do something. It may not be typically Republican," Trump told the Democrats, according to the senior Democratic source.

https://www.spglobal.com/en/research...Sector-Funding

President Trump's Infrastructure Plan: a Substantive Shift to Private-Sector Funding

After more than a year of anticipation, on Feb. 12 the Trump released the details of of its plans to fix the nation's broken and crumbling infrastructure. President Donald Trump's "Legislative Outline for Rebuilding Infrastructure in America" framework is aimed at shaking up the federal government's role in infrastructure investment.

The plan unveiled three new programs and other changes intended to provide $200 billion in federal funding which, combined with state and local funds and private capital, could lead to $1.5 trillion of new infrastructure investment. The plan also pledges to dramatically shorten the time it takes to obtain permits, and outlines a host of other features that could revamp state and local governments' infrastructure investment decisions while opening the door to the private sector.

That $200 billion would be spread over ten years or $20 billion a year. More at link.

[enhanced_deficit]

Every time Trump has met with Congressional leaders in the White House, he has gone back on the deal. But it is good PR. They had one on DACA and avoiding the government shutdown.

To be fair, deal on opening gov after shutdown/so called 'MAGA fold' was successful and gov was opened/backpay paid to all gov employees thanks to bold bipartisan leadership on both sides.
There are issues no doubt but the three leaders (Pelosi, Schumer, Trump) have strong chemistry going back decades and can make great deals as long as obstructionist conservative handlers are kept out of the room where deals with Dems are being made. As for money for $2T spending and national debt, why not do QE again/borrow, they all should agree on that. Debt ceiling drama has been another hoax.

[r3volution 3.0]

Make boondoggles great again.

[devil21]

States and localities will foot the bill in the form of giant bond referendums. In fact, many already are. Of course Goldman/Cohn had their hands all over the original infrastructure plan. Bonds are underwritten by banks like Goldman.

[Brian4Liberty]

Infrastructure spending: steal from the poor, give to the rich...

[Brian4Liberty]

Make boondoggles great again.

California will be happy to take a trillion of that for the average speed train to nowhere, and still not finish it.

[r3volution 3.0]

California will be happy to take a trillion of that for the average speed train to nowhere, and still not finish it.

Extend it to Hawaii and you're all set.

[Brian4Liberty]

Extend it to Hawaii and you're all set.

No problem. It will be the best, greenest, carbon friendly infrastructure spending ever. With cost overruns and change orders, let’s go ahead and budget $5 quadrillion. Make the first check out to the firm of “Feinstein, Pelosi and Newsome, LLC”.