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U.S. NEWS Saturday 27 January 2018
White House infrastructure plan may have some potholes

been waiting to see what Association of State High-
the White House will pro- way and Transportation
pose. There is wide, bipar- Officials, which represents
tisan support for continu- state transportation de-
ing, and even increasing, partments. "A failure to ad-
transportation spending. dress the long-term solven-
But most lawmakers have cy of the (trust fund) could
been unwilling so far to mean a 40 percent drop in
back tax increases or highway spending in 2021,"
spending cuts to pay for it. Wright said. "We're hope-
The federal government is ful the president will play
currently spending $15 bil- a strong leadership role in
lion a year more than the addressing this challenge."
Highway Trust Fund takes in The U.S. Chamber of Com-
through gasoline and die- merce last week called
sel taxes. Authorized trust for a 25-cent, phased-in
fund spending for the cur- increase in the federal
rent federal budget year gas tax to shore up the
Truck and automobile traffic mix on Interstate 5, headed north through Fife, Wash., near the Port of that ends on Sept. 30 is trust fund. Congress hasn't
Tacoma. President Donald Trump’s plan to beef up the nation’s infrastructure will contain a crater- about $56 billion. "Address- passed a gas tax increase
sized hole when it’s unveiled next month. The trust fund that pays for most federal highway and ing the solvency of the since 1993, primarily be-
transit aid is forecast to go broke in about three years unless the government significantly scales Highway Trust Fund is the cause being associated
back its transportation spending or comes up with more money.
(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) most important infrastruc- with a highly visible tax hike
ture issue facing us today," felt by most Americans is
WASHINGTON (AP) — When billion in federal dollars, re- tions haven't yet begun, said Bud Wright, executive viewed by many lawmak-
President Donald Trump un- lying instead on state and the official said. director of the American ers as political poison. q
veils his plan to beef up the local governments and pri- Republican leaders have
nation's infrastructure plan vate investors to come up
next month, it will include a with most of the rest of the
crater-sized hole. money. The administration
The trust fund that pays for views the plan as a supple-
most federal highway and ment to current infrastruc-
transit aid is forecast to go ture spending. The mon-
broke in about three years ey would be distributed
unless the government sig- through new types of pro-
nificantly scales back its grams that are designed
transportation spending or to generate greater state
comes up with more mon- and local government and
ey. But Trump's infrastruc- private sector spending.
ture plan is silent on the Also, there's no guarantee
looming problem, an ad- how much of the money
ministration official familiar will go to transportation
with the plan told The As- projects since the admin-
sociated Press. The official istration is broadly defining
wasn't authorized to speak infrastructure as everything
publicly about the plan from building water treat-
and spoke on condition of ment plants to expanding
anonymity. Fulfilling a cam- high-speed Internet access
paign promise, Trump's to rural areas.
plan proposes to generate The administration is open
$1 trillion in infrastructure to working with Congress to
spending over 10 years. But address the trust fund later,
the plan seeks only $200 although those conversa-

Trump denies NY Times story

that he ordered Mueller fired

WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- after the special counsel
dent Donald Trump de- was first appointed by Dep-
manded the firing of spe- uty Attorney General Rod
cial counsel Robert Mueller Rosenstein. Trump pushed
last June but backed down back against the report,
after White House lawyer without addressing the
Don McGahn threatened specific allegation, as he
to resign, according to a arrived Friday at the site of
New York Times report that the World Economic Forum
Trump quickly dismissed Fri- in Davos, Switzerland.
day as "fake news." “Fake news, folks. Fake
The newspaper reported news. Typical New York
that Trump demanded Times fake stories,” Trump
Mueller's firing just weeks told reporters. q