WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing and Urban Development (THUD), issued the following statement:

“People hoping for faster commutes, fewer potholes, and enhanced transit service will be very disappointed in President Trump’s transportation and infrastructure privatization plan.  As a candidate, Trump made a big deal of saying he’d invest in America’s infrastructure, but today he reversed course.  Gone is a massive infusion to rebuild America and in its place is a hodge-podge of very limited details, no new real funding, and the auctioning off of America’s transportation assets to the private sector. 

“We can’t solve our infrastructure problems on the cheap and ignoring them will only make things worse.  We need better roads, bridges, and mass transit infrastructure, and we need to invest wisely, in a strategic, coordinated way that will strengthen our economy now and in the future.”