Democrats are planning to pursue a major U.S. transportation and infrastructure measure if they retake control of the U.S. House in the Nov. 6 midterm elections, but the same question that helped stall Donald Trump’s trillion-dollar initiative remains: How would it be funded?
Representative Peter DeFazio, who’s in line to become chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has said Democrats would seek a spending measure for roads, bridges and other public works if they take power. Nancy Pelosi, who could become speaker again, said it may be something Democrats can do with the Republican president.
“One of my themes is build, build, build,” Pelosi said at an Oct. 22 event hosted by CNN. “Build the infrastructure of America from sea to shining sea. Not only surface transportation but broadband and water systems.”
Trump said in an Oct. 17 interview on Fox Business News that “infrastructure is going to be starting after the midterms and we think that’s going to be an easy one.’’
Despite the bipartisan enthusiasm for the idea, several recent efforts to reach agreement on a major bill have all faltered -- and ballooning federal budget deficits along with growing partisan rancor will make it even harder.
House Democrats could start hearings in late January if they take power, with the aim of crafting a bill that could pass by May, said Ed Rendell, the former Democratic governor of Pennsylvania who co-founded Building America’s Future, a bipartisan coalition of officials that promotes infrastructure spending.
Philadelphia Meeting
Rendell said he and other transportation advocates met Oct. 23 in Philadelphia to discuss a potential Democratic bill with Representative Earl Blumenauer, an Oregon Democrat and member of the House Ways and Means Committee.
A spokesman for Blumenauer declined to discuss the meeting, but said the representative is exploring the idea of creating a subcommittee on infrastructure with his colleagues and stakeholders around the country.
DeFazio also didn’t provide specific details but said in a statement that “it’s well past time for Congress and the Trump Administration to get serious about our infrastructure needs.”
Broadband Access
A Democratic majority “will prioritize investment to rebuild our transportation networks, boost affordable housing, and expand broadband access in towns and communities,” said Representative David Price, a Democrat from North Carolina who serves on the the House Appropriations Committee and is the top Democrat on the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee.