Trump Promises To Improve Nation's Infrastructure

by Jana Ritter - Published: 7/22/2016

Donald Trump’s Thursday night acceptance speech has fired up the nation with a long list of statements and promises that have both inspired his supporters and angered his non-supporters. But what might have been missed amongst his more controversial platforms on law and order, immigration and his plan to restore the economy, is that he tapped on an issue directly affecting the trucking industry, which is improving the country’s infrastructure.

                                                                 

“Our roads and bridges are falling apart, our airports are in Third World condition, and 43 million Americans are on food stamps,” Trump said. “We will build the roads, highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, and the railways of our tomorrow. This, in turn, will create millions of more jobs,” he promised.

While Trump has been criticized for misconstruing and exaggerating facts on many issues, he is certainly correct to say that the nation’s infrastructure is in dire need of repair. In fact, over the last decade infrastructure experts have repeatedly determined that the country’s intricate transportation network requires significant repairs. However, although he indicated that he would advance "myriad economic policies" that would generate the funding needed to cover the huge costs of revamping an entire highway and freight network that is currently struggling to meet consumers’ demands, he did not specify exactly how his policies would translate into seeing the nation's massive upgrade through.

                                                               

He also blamed Obama for the infrastructure’s current dismal state but failed to mention that Obama has repeatedly proposed huge investments to rebuild the roads and highways year after year, and his attempts have always been blocked by the very party that Trump now represents. It is also important to note that last November Hillary Clinton, who is now Trump’s Democratic rival, had proposed a 5-year, $275 billion plan specifically aimed at financing infrastructure repair and freight connectivity projects. Clinton stated that her plan was to increase infrastructure spending over the next five years in order to "bankroll upgrades to roads, bridges, airports and public transit." She said her plan would also entail establishing a $25 billion national infrastructure bank that would put up federal dollars to attract private investors.

                                                              

"To build a strong economy for our future, we must start by building strong infrastructure today," Clinton said last November. "I want our cities to be in the forefront of cities anywhere in the world. I want our workers to be the most competitive and productive in the world. I want us, once again, to think big and look up, beyond the horizon of what is possible in America."

It will surely be interesting to see Trump and Clinton go head to head about their plans to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure during the upcoming 2016 Presidential debates. The first debate is scheduled for September 26th.

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