Shepherding
President Elect Trump’s promised ten year $1 trillion infrastructure
construction program through a deficit shy and spending averse Congress will be
the biggest challenge faces by Trump’s Transportation Secretary Designee Elaine
Chao, wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. While Chao’s past
experiences as Secretary of Labor and Deputy Secretary of Transportation, as
well as her service on the boards of directors of construction giants Parsons
and Vulcan Materials give her a depth of understanding of infrastructure and
politics not often combined in the cabinet job she is designated to hold,
bridging the gap between anticipated federal transportation revenue streams and
the projected cost of the nation’s infrastructure construction and repair needs
will likely be her greatest obstacle.
According
to a recent joint study by the American Association of State Transportation
Officials and the American Association of Port Authorities, American freight
infrastructure alone needs investment of nearly $258 billion. Getting
Congressional approval of the motor fuel tax increases, proposed $137 billion
in tax credits to spur private-public partnership investment in toll roads and
other revenue generating projects, in addition to the $10.3 billion Congress
just approved for water resources infrastructure, and the continuing resolution
freezing Highway Trust fund spending at 2016 levels could be an insurmountable
hurdle, even for Chao.
House
Democratic leaders, including House Transportation Committee ranking member
Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), have been quick to point out the schizophrenic nature
of the Congressional Republican response to President Elect Trump’s promises of
substantially larger, and construction job cresting, infrastructure investments
by the federal government: “Looks like House Republicans missed the memo from
President Elect Trump on boosting transportation infrastructure investment.
Instead of carrying out the promise of rebuilding our crumbling roads, bridges
and transit systems,” DeFazio said, “the Continuing Resolution ignores the FAST
Act transportation funding levels that were approved a year ago, resulting in a
$2.4 billion reduction in transportation investment, which will impact next
Spring’s construction season. … House Republicans like to talk about this ‘big
league’ trillion dollar transportation plan they supposedly want to pass. Cuts
like these make you question whether they are serious about it.”
The
negative impact of federal appropriations significantly below the levels promised
in last year’s FAST Act is already being felt in state capitals like Topeka,
where Kansas DOT put 10 more highway construction projects on hold, in addition
to the 24 projects dropped from its bidding schedule last month due to
increasing budget shortfalls.
It
looks like deferred maintenance could be a continuing headache for Chao once
her expected quick Senate confirmation becomes a reality.
