Infrastructure Should Be Tied to Tax Reform, Democrats Say

May 17, 2017

President Donald J. Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Trump,

As Members of the New Democrat Coalition, we are committed to working toward bipartisan policies that create jobs and grow the economy in every town and city across the country. In the coming months, we have an opportunity to find agreement on a visionary plan that brings our infrastructure system into the 21^st century and once again makes American businesses the most competitive in the world.

America’s network of transportation, energy, water, broadband, and civic infrastructure was once the envy of the entire world. And yet, today, it is crumbling all around us. The National Highway System, one of the crowning human achievements of the 20^th century, is badly in need of repair and is not keeping up with the projected growth in the American economy. Mexico and Canada are outcompeting American ports because they are making huge investments to accommodate Post-Panamax ships, and many of our airports pale in comparison to those in Europe and Asia. Our water and energy pipelines are outdated, inefficient, and in many places, a danger to the American people. Our electric grid is also deeply vulnerable to attack and needs a nationwide upgrade.

Put simply, this is the result of a federal government that has failed to invest in the basic needs of the American people. For too long, we have underinvested and relied on short-sighted, stop-gap measures that don’t provide the level of funding we need to support a world-class economy. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers 2017 Report Card, U.S. infrastructure has a cumulative grade of “D+” and needs trillions of dollars of investment by 2025. Similarly, our tax system has not been updated for three decades and now hinders U.S. companies from maintaining an international competitive edge. America’s workers deserve better.

We agree with your call to make a major investment of at least $1 trillion in infrastructure. Additionally, we believe this should be coupled with reforming our tax code in a fiscally responsible manner. We encourage you to work toward a plan that includes a significant investment in infrastructure, including direct federal spending that is paid for in part by a deemed repatriation in comprehensive tax reform. Members of the New Democrat Coalition have led efforts along this line that have gained significant bipartisan support. Combining these efforts would be a win-win for American workers and our economy. Specifically, this investment should provide a combination of direct funding and innovative financing that addresses rural and main street infrastructure needs by prioritizing the repair and upgrading of outdated infrastructure, while also supporting major projects using private sector innovation where appropriate.

We believe that in order to accomplish these important goals, we must be willing to set aside partisanship and prioritize the needs of the country. We look forward to learning more about how we can work together to revitalize our nation’s infrastructure and provide the necessary foundation for robust growth and new jobs.

Sincerely,

John K. Delaney
Member of Congress

Elizabeth Esty
Member of Congress

Stacey E. Plaskett
Member of Congress

Norma Torres
Member of Congress

Pete Aguilar
Member of Congress

Ami Bera
Member of Congress

Lisa Blunt Rochester
Member of Congress

Anthony G. Brown
Member of Congress

Julia Brownley
Member of Congress

Salud Carbajal
Member of Congress

Tony Cárdenas
Member of Congress

Joaquin Castro
Member of Congress

Gerald E. Connolly
Member of Congress

J. Luis Correa
Member of Congress

Joe Courtney
Member of Congress

Charlie Crist
Member of Congress

Val Butler Demings
Member of Congress

Bill Foster
Member of Congress

Josh Gottheimer
Member of Congress

Colleen Hanabusa
Member of Congress

Denny Heck
Member of Congress

Jim Himes
Member of Congress

Bill Keating
Member of Congress

Ruben J. Kihuen
Member of Congress

Derek Kilmer
Member of Congress

Ron Kind
Member of Congress

Ann McLane Kuster
Member of Congress

Rick Larsen
Member of Congress

Sean Patrick Maloney
Member of Congress

Gregory W. Meeks
Member of Congress

Seth Moulton
Member of Congress

Stephanie Murphy
Member of Congress

Donald Norcross
Member of Congress

Tom O’Halleran
Member of Congress

Ed Perimutter
Member of Congress

Scott H. Peters
Member of Congress

Jared Polis
Member of Congress

Mike Quigley
Member of Congress

Kathleen M. Rice
Member of Congress

Cedric L. Richmond
Member of Congress

Bradley S. Schneider
Member of Congress

Kurt Schrader
Member of Congress

David Scott
Member of Congress

Terri Sewell
Member of Congress

Kyrsten Sinema
Member of Congress

Darren Soto
Member of Congress

Juan Vargas
Member of Congress