From the very beginning of his presidency, Trump has been an ardent proponent of bigger, more expensive government, which is the primary reason we are witnessing record-breaking deficit spending despite an allegedly healthy economy.
Unfortunately, with Republicans more concerned about winning elections than they are governing, and with Democrats ready to put our money where their mouths are, the only question being asked in Washington is how can we make big government bigger?
The answer? Put Trump’s name on it.
One of Trump’s favorite big-government agenda items — outside Ivanka’s socialist feminism agenda — is the Far-Left’s favorite pet project of all time … infrastructure.
It’s no secret Trump loves putting his name on everything he touches: Trump Casinos, Trump University, Trump Airlines, and other business failures. So, it should come as no surprise to learn that it has been his plan to use the presidency to erect “built by the Trump administration” projects across America.
As it turns out, infrastructure has been high on his list.
In an early 2017 infrastructure meeting with his friend, NY real estate billionaire, Richard LeFrak, Trump laid out his Trumpian vision.
“They say Eisenhower was the greatest infrastructure president. They named the highway system after him. But we’re going to do double, triple, quadruple, what Eisenhower did.”
Was Trump serious? Well, his original infrastructure proposal called for only $1 trillion but he recently told Richard Neal, the Democrat chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, that he now wants to spend at least $2 trillion.
$2 trillion number isn’t an arbitrary number. Nancy Pelosi stated last month that any infrastructure plan “has to be at least $1 trillion” but “[she] would like it to be closer to $2 trillion.” What’s the additional $1 trillion for?
Pelosi and Chuck Schumer informed Trump ahead of their planned meeting today that a “bipartisan” infrastructure package now must include provisions dealing with so-called climate change along with “broadband, water, energy, schools, housing, and other initiatives.” The letter stated in part:
In light of our commitment to work with you to pass a comprehensive infrastructure bill, we urge you to consider the following priorities:
1. America’s unmet infrastructure needs are massive, and a bipartisan infrastructure package must meet those needs with substantial, new and real revenue. We look forward to hearing your ideas on how to pay for this package to ensure that it is big and bold enough to meet our country’s needs.
2. A big and bold infrastructure package must be comprehensive and include clean energy and resiliency priorities. To truly be a game changer for the American people, we should go beyond transportation and into broadband, water, energy, schools, housing and other initiatives. We must also invest in resiliency and risk mitigation of our current infrastructure to deal with climate change.
3. A big and bold infrastructure plan must have strong Buy America, labor, and women, veteran and minority-owned business protections in any package. This bill can and should be a major jobs and ownership boost for the American people — manufacturers, labor contractors, and women, veteran and minority-owned businesses.
I guess if you’re white, male, and a small-business owner, you’re just out of luck.
Pelosi and Schumer also told Trump that his infrastructure plan must include, “substantial, new and real revenue.” While it’s unlikely he will roll back tax cuts as Schumer is demanding, Trump did mention to lawmakers last year that he would support a 25-cent hike in the gas tax to pay for his infrastructure plan.
In Trump’s first year in office, he announced his intention to use infrastructure spending as a bargaining chip to get Democrats to support his agenda. When you add this fact to his narcissistic dream of creating the Trumpian States of America, along with Washington’s incurable spending addiction, we’ll be lucky if $2 trillion is all we spend.
David Leach is the owner of The Strident Conservative. His politically incorrect and always “right” columns are also featured on NOQReport.com.
His daily radio commentary is distributed by the Salem Radio Network and is heard on stations across America.
Follow the Strident Conservative on Twitter and Facebook.
Subscribe to receive podcasts of radio commentaries: iTunes | Stitcher | Tune In | RSS
3 comments for “Trump infrastructure plan: A narcissistic, Far-Left, $2 trillion disaster for America”