U.S. Chamber Offers Infrastructure Plan
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce's president and CEO, Thomas J. Donohue, has called for raising the gas tax, streamlining the permitting process, and expanding the American workforce. "It's time to invest in a 21st century infrastructure system to support and grow our 21st century economy," he said.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce's president and CEO, Thomas J. Donohue, recently outlined its four-point plan for infrastructure modernization and investment, declaring it is a top priority for the U.S. business community and urging Congress and the Trump administration to take immediate action to advance an infrastructure bill.
"It's time to invest in a 21st century infrastructure system to support and grow our 21st century economy," he said. "It's time to approach this as a national imperative for long-term growth and competitiveness, not an exercise in parochial politics."
The chamber's key recommendations for an infrastructure package are:
- Raise the federal fuel user fee by 25 cents
- Implement a multi-faceted approach for leveraging more public and private resources
- Streamline the permitting process at the federal, state, and local levels
- Expand the American workforce through work-based learning and immigration reform
"This isn't a set of demands," he said. "It's a handful of ideas that we believe policymakers should consider as they begin work on this critical national priority. We will work with anyone . . . who is committed to getting this done for our country."
The four-point plan was unveiled at a chamber event, "America's Infrastructure Summit: Time to Modernize." Donohue said at the event that a higher federal gas tax idea is "the simplest, fairest, and most effective way to raise the money we need for roads, bridges, and transit. Our leaders need to stop hiding behind the fallacy that this can't be done and just go do it."
For more information about the the chamber's plan, visit www.letsrebuildamerica.com.