REPUBLICAN PLATFORM In contrast, Trump’s website, www.
donaldjtrump.com includes one line about infrastructure plans. “Infrastructure—28 percent of our
roads are in substandard condition and 24 percent of bridges are structurally deficient or worse. Trump’s plan will provide the growth to boost our infra- structure, Hillary Clinton’s will not.” In an Aug. 2 interview with Fox
Business Network, Trump said Clinton’s $275 billion proposal is “a fraction” of what he has in mind. “Well, I would say at least double
her numbers, and you’re going to really need more than that,” Trump said. “We have bridges that are falling down.” In July, Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Penn.),
chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Trump supporter said that he wasn’t sure of the particulars of Trump’s transporta- tion plan. Despite not sharing details, Trump continues to assure constitu- ents that “he’s going to be the greatest infrastructure president in the nation’s history.” Schuster says the claim would be a “tall order because Abraham Lincoln was an infrastructure president. Teddy Roosevelt was an infrastructure president. The Panama Canal. And Eisenhower. All Republican presidents. Infrastructure is a Republican issue, but over the years we’ve lost. We’ve got to get back to figuring out how to build and rebuild our national transporta- tion,” he told Business Insider. Trump’s advisers told Bloomberg
News that Trump would give a speech with more details later in the summer.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY In addition to their size and fund-
ing structure, the two candidates’ infrastructure plans also differ in how they address the issue of global climate change. One section of Clinton’s pro- posal specifically addresses building federal infrastructure projects to handle the results of climate change, including rising sea levels, heat waves and more severe storms. Trump did not mention the environment in his recent com-
ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 4 2016
“INFRASTRUCTURE IS A REPUBLICAN ISSUE, BUT OVER THE YEAR WE’VE LOST. WE’VE GOT TO GET BACK TO FIGURING OUT HOW TO BUILD AND REBUILD OUR NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION.”
—REP. BILL SHUSTER, CHAIR OF HOUSE TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE
ments about his infrastructure plan, but he has said repeatedly that he believes global climate change is a hoax. Neither candidate has endorsed a
permanent funding source for additional infrastructure projects, such as rais- ing the federal gas tax. The American Trucking Associations’ position on infra- structure spending includes supporting user fees—specifically the fuel tax—as the main source of funding for highway improvements, and on improving high- way networks that are the most crucial for interstate travel and moving freight.
RUNNING MATES AND REAL EXPERIENCE Both Trump’s and Clinton’s vice
presidential running mates have had some direct experience with infrastruc- ture proposals and projects—Republican Mike Pence as governor of Indiana and Democrat Tim Kaine as Virginia’s gover- nor and senator. Spending on highway projects has
been a major issue in Indiana, where Pence has served as governor since early 2013. Late last year, Pence pro- posed spending $1 billion on road and bridge improvements, funded through a combination of sources that would not have included new taxes. Democrats in the state criticized the proposal as fall- ing far short of what the state’s roads actually needed, but the Republican- controlled state legislature approved $230 million in funding. Additionally, Pence’s administration came under fire when it was revealed that at least $71 million worth of recent road projects might deteriorate years earlier than expected because of problems with the asphalt contractors used. Kaine has said that infrastructure
was a top priority for him as governor of Virginia from 2006-2010, in terms of both completing projects and reform- ing the financing and accountability of transportation infrastructure. During his campaign for senator, he described spending on infrastructure as “double- plus spending,” because it creates jobs in the short run and contributes to economic success in the long term. He voted for the FAST Act, the 5-year trans- portation bill passed with bipartisan support in December 2015. Although Kaine was not an initial supporter of raising the gas tax, he switched his posi- tion to support his state’s transporta- tion needs. However, he was never able to score a legislative victory on a sus- tainable funding source for the state. In reality, of course, whoever is
elected president will have only so much influence over what actually happens with infrastructure spending. Congress will ultimately decide how much to spend, on what, and from what sources of funding. Several Congressional Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, have said that they disagree with Trump’s calls for major increases in infrastructure planning, and that they’ll be working for their own policy priorities in the next session. Republican lawmak- ers also have a history of opposing, in the form of President Obama’s economic stimulus plan, major federal spending as a means to create jobs—not to mention adding to the federal debt. However, given the bipartisan
passage of a $305 billion, 5-year trans- portation bill in December 2015, infra- structure is obviously a bipartisan issue and Congress has proven they can come together (after many short-term punts) to address the problem. ATR
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