Infrastructure Should Be Tied to Tax Reform, Democrats Say
Infrastructure Should Be Tied to Tax Reform, Democrats Say
- AuthorsDelaney, John K.Esty, Rep. Elizabeth H.Plaskett, Del. Stacey E.Torres, Rep. Norma J.Aguilar, Rep. PeteBera, Rep. AmiRochester, Rep. Lisa BluntBrown, Anthony G.Brownley, Rep. JuliaCarbajal, Rep. Salud O.Cárdenas, Rep. TonyCastro, Rep. JoaquinConnolly, Rep. Gerald E.Correa, Rep. J. LuisCourtney, Rep. JoeCrist, Rep. CharlieDemings, Rep. Val ButlerFoster, Rep. BillGottheimer, Rep. JoshHanabusa, ColleenHeck, DennyHimes, Rep. James A.Keating, Rep. William R.Kihuen, RubenKilmer, Rep. DerekKind, Rep. RonKuster, Rep. Ann M.Larsen, Rep. RickMaloney, Rep. Sean PatrickMeeks, Rep. Gregory W.Moulton, Rep. SethMurphy, Rep. Stephanie N.Norcross, Rep. DonaldO'Halleran, Rep. TomPerlmutter, Rep. EdPeters, Rep. Scott H.Polis, JaredQuigley, Rep. MikeRice, Rep. Kathleen M.Richmond, Cedric L.Schrader, Rep. KurtScott, Rep. DavidSewell, Rep. Terri A.Sinema, Sen. KyrstenSoto, Rep. DarrenVargas, Rep. JuanSchneider, Rep. Bradley Scott
- Institutional AuthorsU.S. House of Representatives
- Subject Area/Tax Topics
- Jurisdictions
- Tax Analysts Document Number2017-54631
- Tax Analysts Electronic Citation2017 TNT 95-40
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 21st 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 20th 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 Our water and energy pipelines are outdated, inefficient, and in many places, a danger to the American people.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
- AuthorsDelaney, John K.Esty, Rep. Elizabeth H.Plaskett, Del. Stacey E.Torres, Rep. Norma J.Aguilar, Rep. PeteBera, Rep. AmiRochester, Rep. Lisa BluntBrown, Anthony G.Brownley, Rep. JuliaCarbajal, Rep. Salud O.Cárdenas, Rep. TonyCastro, Rep. JoaquinConnolly, Rep. Gerald E.Correa, Rep. J. LuisCourtney, Rep. JoeCrist, Rep. CharlieDemings, Rep. Val ButlerFoster, Rep. BillGottheimer, Rep. JoshHanabusa, ColleenHeck, DennyHimes, Rep. James A.Keating, Rep. William R.Kihuen, RubenKilmer, Rep. DerekKind, Rep. RonKuster, Rep. Ann M.Larsen, Rep. RickMaloney, Rep. Sean PatrickMeeks, Rep. Gregory W.Moulton, Rep. SethMurphy, Rep. Stephanie N.Norcross, Rep. DonaldO'Halleran, Rep. TomPerlmutter, Rep. EdPeters, Rep. Scott H.Polis, JaredQuigley, Rep. MikeRice, Rep. Kathleen M.Richmond, Cedric L.Schrader, Rep. KurtScott, Rep. DavidSewell, Rep. Terri A.Sinema, Sen. KyrstenSoto, Rep. DarrenVargas, Rep. JuanSchneider, Rep. Bradley Scott
- Institutional AuthorsU.S. House of Representatives
- Subject Area/Tax Topics
- Jurisdictions
- Tax Analysts Document Number2017-54631
- Tax Analysts Electronic Citation2017 TNT 95-40