Trump's infrastructure push hits wall in Congress

[DonViejo]

Source: The Hill




BY MALLORY SHELBOURNE - 03/10/18 12:10 PM EST

Less than a month after its release, President Trump's infrastructure plan appears to have crashed and burned in Congress.

Republicans are openly questioning whether action on the issue is likely, while their leaders are moving on to other priorities.

Speaker Ryan (R-Wis.) on Wednesday night added another nail in the coffin by declaring a gas tax increase off the table, removing what many lawmakers see as the most viable funding stream for a rebuilding overhaul.

In a bid to regain momentum, the Trump administration is sending five Cabinet members to testify to a Senate panel Wednesday about the infrastructure plan. But whether the show of force will be enough to jolt Congress into action remains to be seen, with the dispute over the gas tax looming as a major obstacle.

Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/377681-trumps-infrastructure-push-hits-wall-in-congress

[lark]

1. OMG, the rich might have to pay a few pennies more, that can't be allowed.

Who cares if bridges crumble and kill people, who cares if the roads are so crowded they are very dangerous, all that matters is the rich get everything and the poor get nothing. No bill can go through that doesn't hurt working class/poor, favor the rich, and give drumpf a large moneystream.

[bitterross]

2. Of Course they don't want a gas tax - they want toll roads owned by private companies

This is just part of their plan.

[Iliyah]

3. The GOP's motto . . . .

take from the needy, hard working, to give to the greedy because of freedom!

[BarbaRosa]

7. I've said this for years,

"steal from the needy give to the greedy".

[elleng]

4. Surprise?

We can all crash and burn, and very likely may do so thanks to repugs.

[thesquanderer]

5. Tax cuts for the rich don't have to be paid for, but roads and bridges do. Got it. (n/t)

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

6. Ryan is committed to one thing, and one thing only -- to completely dismantle the New Deal.

Anything that remotely resembles helping the common man and woman, like the WPA did in the 30s and 40s, has be be destroyed. It''s been Ryan's wet dream since he was in college, he says.

Infrastructure work provides good-paying jobs and all the other benefits that flow from that -- more jobs in the service industries, for example, as people have more disposable income at hand.

The next thing on Ryan's list is the destruction of Medicaid, Medicare, and finally Social Security. Why should he care? He's being paid $174,000/year plus perks, with great medical and retirement benefits. "I've got mine, so fuck you," is the Republican mantra. Or, alternatively, if you're poor and vote Republican, you have bought into the GOP myth that there are two types of people in the U.S.: the rich and the soon-to-be-rich. And of course there's this incredible hatred white Republicans have against PNLU (people not like us).

Yesterday I saw a guy outside Walmart with a petition to do away with all gas taxes here in California. I wanted to point out how stupid that idea was, but I had more important things to do, like go home and play with the puppy. As comedian Ron White says, "You can change your hair style, lose weight, have plastic surgery to improve your looks, but you can't fix stupid."