According to U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, the Trump administration will unveil a $1 trillion infrastructure plan later this year. The announcement did not offer details of funding for projects, but according to Chao, investment will be valued at $1 trillion over 10 years. The proposal is expected to cover transportation, energy, water, and potentially broadband and veterans hospitals. Chao said that the administration plans to offer incentives for public-private partnerships.
It is not clear how the administration plans to fund the proposal and to what extent the plan represents additional funding over current federal government spending on infrastructure, but we do know that the upcoming tax reform effort will be an important piece to the puzzle. The administration’s proposed budget (also known as the skinny budget) for fiscal year 2018 reduced the Department of Transportation’s discretionary budget by 13%. Trump’s proposed budget would also eliminate the previous administration’s “TIGER” grant program, among other prized-programs.