Opinion: Trump’s $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan
Jazmyne Boozer, Assistant Editor
Photo Courtesy of Unsplash
The views and opinions expressed on in this article are solely those of the original author. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of The Vision NGU or North Greenville University.
President Donald J. Trump recently released his infrastructure plan to Congress and subsequently the American people. The Trump administration has proposed a $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan to be implemented within the next 10 years. Although the proposed bill states that it is strictly for infrastructure, only about $200 billion is actually going towards infrastructure.
The notion of a $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan is preposterous at best and ridiculous at its worst. However, this seems to be nothing more than a right-winged hoax to further shame the current president. Upon any further investigation (even a mere 10 minutes is enough) one can see that all $1.5 trillion will not go towards actual infrastructure.
Really, Trump’s trillion-dollar infrastructure bill is a billion-dollar infrastructure bill. This bill is no more expensive than what former presidents’ have proposed. In fact, under the Obama Administration, Congress passed a $305 billion infrastructure bill in 2015, that was to be spent within 5 years. This bill was made to repave roads, build bridges and the like.
This trillion-dollar plan came as no shock to Congress. During his state of the union address, President Trump made it a pinnacle part of speech. It is no surprise that the infrastructure of the United States is under scrutiny. The New York transit system is under fire for lack of renovations, space and funding. Like most states, New York receives roughly 80 percent of its infrastructure funding from the government. The bigger the infrastructure bill, the better the renovation.
According to the proposal, the $200 billion will be spent in four parts in 10 years. Roughly $10 billion will be devoted to funding the construction of federal buildings and renovations. This may also include a fraction being used to clean up national parks. About $20 billion will be spent on “American projects.” This will be used to raise American spirits up, and completely revitalize old systems. The rest of the billions are put in vague categories, so much so that it appears that it can be used for anything to the discretion of Congress.
Although this has been titled “Trump’s $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan” less than half of that amount is being put towards the country’s infrastructure.
As far as the infrastructure proposal is concerned, I believe this plan is achievable, well thought-out and a great goal. In fact, I believe economically, this could be one of the most well-produced infrastructure proposals Congress has seen in some time. Although this program has its perks; it has its kinks, too.
As of now, States abide by the 80-20 principle for renovations, road maintenance and the like. States can expect 80 percent of their infrastructure projects to be funded by the federal government while 20 percent is funded by the states themselves. With this proposal, it will change this system making states have to pay $4 for every $1. This promotes states’ rights which traditionally have worked well for religious institutions such as North Greenville.
Although I agree with the 80-20 principle being flipped on its head, I do believe that the $20 billion should be cut in half and put towards other programs. What helps build the “American Spirit” is not presidential rallies and more underfunded programs (this was entailed as to where the $20 billion will go). This money could be used to help cities such as Detroit, New York and Chicago decrease their homeless population and fund their schools. This in turn could help the image of Trump while also increasing the “American spirit”.
