The Infrastructure Crisis: What’s the Political Reality?

And so the cycle continues. President Trump has proposed a plan that supposedly would generate $1.5tr for the repair and upgrading of U.S. infrastructure. But only $200bn of that amount would come from the federal government. The rest would be provided by states and private investors. Or so goes the theory. But can we really accomplish this ambitious goal without greater federal participation — specifically, an increase in the federal gas tax, the basis for the Highway Trust Fund? It has remained at 18.4 cents per gallon for 25 years, during which time it has lost 40 percent of its purchasing power due to inflation. On this episode, we examine the question with Kerry O’Hare, vice president and director of policy with Building America’s Future. She assesses the prospects for a viable infrastructure bill in the current Congress. And she explains why a higher gas tax, although necessary, won’t solve the entire funding problem. Hosted by Bob Bowman, Managing Editor of SupplyChainBrain.

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Show notes:

The 2018 Vision of Building America’s Future.

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