Equipment Manufacturers Respond to $1.5 Trillion Infrastructure Plan

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) President Dennis Slater issued the following statement upon the introduction of the $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan:

Equipment manufacturers welcome the introduction of President Trump’s infrastructure proposal today. It should serve as an important starting point for serious debate in Congress, given that an overwhelming majority of Americans wants for Washington to act on infrastructure this year. 

The White House plan includes a number of important elements. Equipment manufacturers applaud the “One Agency, One Decision” initiative to reduce permitting time on projects to 24 months, as well as their request to create designated funds to support rural infrastructure development and transformative infrastructure projects. The industry is also encouraged by the inclusion of a proposal to help train our manufacturing and construction workforce in charge of building America’s infrastructure. 

However, the Trump administration’s proposal does not solve our nation’s underlying infrastructure issues, including the solvency of the Highway Trust Fund and other programs to support our utility, water and aviation infrastructure. 

We hope that Congress will take up and build upon the Trump administration’s infrastructure proposal on a bipartisan basis to help America reclaim its infrastructure advantage over our global competitors.