The Washington Post reports, “President-elect Donald Trump’s ambitious plan to raise $1 trillion for infrastructure is a boondoggle that would line the pockets of wealthy investors while not meeting the need for infrastructure repair or improvement in much of the country, according to an analysis [link added] released [on December 1] by a progressive think tank. Trump’s plan “shovels money at wealthy investors instead of solving real infrastructure challenges,” according to a white paper from the Center for American Progress.” The newspaper adds, “The challenge [facing Trump’s expected plan] is a simple one: Investors want a return on their money, and very few transportation projects provide one. Tolls can be imposed on selected roads and bridges, but the vast majority of them offer no opportunity to recoup investment. ‘That would be a very rude shock to a lot of people who voted for Donald Trump if they suddenly found that the rural roads in Nebraska or Indiana — the interstate highway, which they paid for and they’re still paying gas taxes — now they have to pay a toll on top of that?’ said Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (Ore.), the ranking Democrat on the House Transportation Committee. ‘They probably wouldn’t be happy.’”
