Report: Administration infrastructure plan could involve some privatization
The Trump administration is crafting a plan that could pay state and local governments money to compel them to sell some public assets like airports, bridges, highway rest stops and other facilities as it seeks to reform the nation's crumbling infrastructure, according to The Washington Post.
President Trump's 2018 budget released Tuesday, the report notes, proposes spending $200 billion over a decade to "incentivize" state and local governments spending money on infrastructure.
A task force that represents 16 federal departments and agencies, along with White House officials, and outside advisers are considering the idea of paying state and local governments to sell public assets. The report says the proceeds of the sales would finance infrastructure projects. The president and his advisers have also raised the idea of raising the gas tax to pay for projects as well, the report said.
The budget blueprint says Mr. Trump's "target of $1 trillion will be met with a combination of new federal funding, incentivized non-federal funding and expedited projects."
"While the administration continues to work with the Congress, states, localities, and other infrastructure stakeholders to finalize the suite of direct Federal programs that will support this effort, the Budget includes $200 billion in outlays related to the infrastructure initiative," the blueprint reads.
Senate Democrats unveiled a $1 trillion infrastructure plan in January, just after Mr. Trump entered office, but top Democrats have said the White House has not engaged with them on it.
