Infrastructure Funding Questions Continue

The talk “Inside-the-Beltway” about the need for more infrastructure funding continues, but it’s not clear where the funding will come from or whether the talk will result in anything concrete (pun intended). A recent Washington Post story details a meeting on Tuesday, September 26th, between President Trump and Democrats from the House Ways and Means Committee where President Trump told the lawmakers he was abandoning his previous approach of attracting private investors with some sort of federal backing and/or guarantees. From the President’s point of view, partnerships between the private sector and the federal government don’t work in many cases. A recent blog post from the Reason Foundation provides a different point of view on public-private partnerships.
The White House says all viable options for infrastructure funding will continue to be considered, including direct federal funding.  Rep. Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.) said that “Trump indicated the administration instead would seek to pay for infrastructure upgrades through direct federal spending-either by paying for projects with new tax revenue or by taking on debt”. We will continue tracking discussions between Congress and the White House on the federal budget, as well as potential tax reform legislation.