issues

Last year President Trump established an infrastructure council that is charged with helping infrastructure project managers navigate a federal permitting process. The White House also announced the establishing of a new office within the Council of Environmental Quality "to root out inefficiency, clarify lines of authority, and streamline federal, state and local procedures so that communities can modernize their aging infrastructure without fear of outdated federal rules getting in the way.”

I look forward to working with President Trump to pass an infrastructure bill and have it signed into law this year. Some of my top infrastructure priorities include:

• Providing significant, long-term federal investment in modern roads, highways, bridges, transit systems.
• Funding waterway infrastructure such as ports being that our ports connect farmers, manufacturers, and consumers to the worldwide market—Ports and waterways move American goods and services to the global marketplace.
• Making sure infrastructure investments promote accountability to ensure the greatest value for every dollar and provide flexibility so that states can determine and address their most pressing need.
• Ensuring that federal dollars make their way to rural parts of our country.

I also support private public partnerships as well in order to maximize resources and ensure our country is connected by a safe and efficient transportation network. While this remains our federal responsibility it can also be carried out by the help of our non-federal partners. In 2018 we must work to provide financially responsible investment in our nation’s infrastructure.