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Trump to unveil details of infrastructure plan today | Aggregate, Excavation, Dump Truck Company

President Donald Trump today is set to unveil details of his long-awaited infrastructure plan. It’s designed to use $200 billion in federal money to generate $1.5 trillion for fixing the nation’s infrastructure by leveraging local and state tax dollars and private investment.

His plan relies heavily on private investments and funding from state and local governments.

Sunday in San Diego, during a reception for the National Asphalt Paving Association, some state DOT officials noted that it may be difficult for some states to raise those funds – especially if the funding split is reversed from 80 percent federal and 2o percent from the states, to become vice versa.

They question whether some states can generate enough private investment for the projects they need. They also expressed concerns that some rural areas and states may be left out of infrastructure funding.

Trump says he’s pushing for investments in rural infrastructure projects. He wants to streamline the permitting process down to two years, and he’s calling for more training for skilled laborers.

Since the president’s January 30 State of the Union address, many lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have also voiced doubt about whether there will be viable funding for the states – and the transportation and infrastructure improvements they need to repair and rebuild a crumbling infrastructure.

The president’s plan for the federal government to provide $200 billion in direct investment is in the White House’s budget proposal for fiscal 2019, which also will be released today.

A senior White House official told reporters in a February 11 background briefing that the administration will be “quite flexible” toward finding ways of achieving its main infrastructure goals, according to published reports.

The Trump administration plans to offset the $200 billion by cutting other programs such as mass transit and the grants known as Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER, grants, the reports say.

Since 2009, Congress has dedicated nearly $5.1 billion for eight rounds of the popular TIGER grants to fund projects that have a significant impact on the nation, a region or a metropolitan area, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy is among skeptics of the administration’s plan. His state is facing severe funding problems for critically needed transportation projects, according to the governor and Connecticut DOT officials.

“Despite big promises of a massive infrastructure package, it has become clear that the Trump administration has no plans to make real investments in our transportation system,” Gov. Malloy stresses in a recent press release.

“Other states have realized that they must take matters into their own hands, and we must do the same to ensure the viability of the Special Transportation Fund.”