“We will build gleaming new roads, bridges, highways, railways, and waterways all across our land. And we will do it with American heart, and American hands, and American grit.” – President Donald J. Trump
REBUILDING AMERICAN INFRASTRUCTURE: President Donald J. Trump is in Ohio to discuss his proposal for rebuilding infrastructure in America.
- Today, President Trump is speaking with Ohio workers about how his infrastructure proposal will help rebuild and modernize America’s infrastructure and build a stronger American workforce for the future.
- The President’s proposal includes $200 billion in Federal funds to spur at least $1.5 trillion in infrastructure investments across America.
- $100 billion will be directed to an Incentives Program to generate additional investment from States, localities, and the private sector.
- $50 billion will be devoted to rebuilding and modernizing rural infrastructure.
- $20 billion will go to promoting bold, transformative infrastructure projects.
- $20 billion will go to expanding infrastructure financing programs.
- $10 billion will go to a capital revolving fund to help reduce inefficient Federal property leasing that would be more cost-effective to purchase.
- President Trump’s proposal will return infrastructure decision-making to States and localities, allowing them to invest in the specific needs of their communities.
- The proposal will get Washington out of the way of needed infrastructure improvements by eliminating regulatory barriers and streamlining permitting processes.
- A “one agency, one decision” structure will be established for environmental reviews and the process will be shortened to two years.
- More flexibility will be given to projects that have minimal Federal funding but currently must seek Federal review and approval.
INVESTING IN AMERICAN WORKERS: The President’s proposal will help better prepare American workers for the jobs of today and tomorrow.
- President Trump’s proposal for rebuilding infrastructure in America will help give more American workers access to education and workforce-development programs by:
- Expanding Pell Grant eligibility to high-quality short-term programs.
- Better distributing Federal Work Study program funds to ensure more students gain relevant workplace experience.
- Reforming the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) program so that more funds go to programs which meet local workforce needs.
- The President is appearing at a training site for International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 18’s apprenticeship and training program.
- IUOE Local 18’s training and apprenticeship program is one of the largest IUOE training programs in the country, serving over 15,000 members.
- The program offers a range of opportunities for workers to develop and improve the skills they need to succeed in their fields.
- Classes offered by the program provide workers with training in operating industry machinery, including bulldozers, forklifts, cranes, backhoes, and more.
- Skills-training and apprenticeship programs like IUOE Local 18’s are critical resources that help prepare workers for high-demand, well-paying jobs.
- More than 90 percent of all apprenticeship program participants gain employment after completing their programs according to data from the Department of Labor.
- Too many American workers have been unable to fill well-paying jobs due to insufficient access to skills-training programs.
- There are currently 250,000 job openings in the construction industry and 305,000 in transportation, warehousing, and utilities.
- According to a 2014 study by Georgetown University, just under two-thirds of all jobs will require some form of training or education beyond high school by 2020.
CONTINUING TO REBUILD THE AMERICAN ECONOMY: President Trump’s infrastructure proposal will build upon the success his Administration has already had in strengthening the American economy.
- President Trump’s proposal to leverage $200 billion in Federal funds to spur at least $1.5 trillion in infrastructure investments will help further strengthen the American economy.
- The Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) estimates that a 10-year $1.5 trillion infrastructure investment program could boost annual average gross domestic product (GDP) growth by between 0.1 and 0.2 percentage points.
- CEA estimates that a $1.5 trillion in infrastructure investments would employ between 290,000 and 414,000 additional infrastructure workers on average over ten years.
- The economic benefits of President Trump’s infrastructure proposal will build upon the gains the economy has already seen under this Administration.
- This week, United States GDP growth for the fourth quarter of 2017 was revised up from 2.5 percent to 2.9 percent, beating expectations.
- Nearly 2.5 million jobs have been created since President Trump took office, including 245,000 manufacturing jobs and 300,000 construction jobs.
- The unemployment rate has remained at a 17-year low since October of last year.