WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump used his second State of the Union address on Tuesday to call for a bipartisan plan to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure.
“Both parties should be able to unite for a great rebuilding of America’s crumbling infrastructure,” Trump said during the speech.
This proposal, short on details, echoed one of the goals from his first State of the Union address. In January 2018, Trump proposed to spark $1.5 trillion in infrastructure spending from public and private sources.
Tuesday night’s speech made no mention of how much he wants to spend this time.
“I know that the Congress is eager to pass an infrastructure bill and I am eager to work with you on legislation to deliver new and important infrastructure investment, including investments in the cutting edge industries of the future,” Trump said.
Democratic senators were optimistic after the speech that an infrastructure package could gain support from both parties and reach the president’s desk.
“That’s one of the few areas that’s hopeful,” said Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill.
Sen.Joe Manchin, D-W.V., said Trump “gave us a bit of encouragement tonight.”
A large infrastructure package could benefit several companies in the construction industry.
“It is time for the President to reaffirm to passing a bipartisan infrastructure bill in 2019 with significant increases in funding,” U.S. Concrete CEO Bill Sandbrook said. “Every administration since 1993 has kicked the can down the road and now the road is crumbling before our very eyes.”
Trump, a former real estate mogul, has emphasized the importance of investing in infrastructure since the start of his 2016 campaign.
“This was a commitment that the president made to the nation during the campaign which he reaffirmed on the night of his election,” Sandbrook said. “True leadership from the White House will be needed to unite both sides of the aisle and cement their legacies for a generation to come.”
Published in conjunction with 