A trillion is not enough: Trump's infrastructure ambitions grow

Source: The Guardian::

April 12, 2017 at 14:36

President considers privatising US airports and dams and admits final bill could exceed $1tn, but may once more face bipartisan obstacle in Congress

Donald Trump is considering privatising America’s airports and dams as part of an infrastructure building programme that could exceed past estimates of a trillion dollars.

But the US president, bruised by the failure of his healthcare bill, could again face a combination of doubtful Democrats and sceptical conservatives threatening to scuttle the flagship project.

On Tuesday, Trump hosted 16 business leaders, including the chief executives of General Electric, IBM, PepsiCo and Walmart, to discuss subjects including infrastructure, regulations and fixing the Veterans Administration.

Philip Howard, a lawyer and advocate of “government simplification”, took part in a break-out session with Elaine Chao, the transportation secretary; Bayo Ogunlesi, chairman of Global Infrastructure Partners; and Matt Rose, executive chairman of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railway, which then reported back to Trump.

Read More (...)