Road to Infrastructure Bill May Run Through Freedom Caucus

Much talked about Trump infrastructure bill has yet to be written, but the president's failure to pass a health care bill in the House has drawn Congress watchers' attention to the Freedom Caucus and the impact they may have an infrastructure bill.

2 minute read

April 9, 2017, 11:00 AM PDT

By Casey Brazeal @northandclark


Capitol

Orhan Cam / Shutterstock

During his campaign, one of the few Donald Trump policy proposals to get a white paper from his team was his trillion dollar infrastructure plan. The bill was touted by some as evidence that that President Trump would govern from the middle. Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, even wrote his own version of an infrastructure bill with money for broadband internet, rail and bus transit along with repairs for roads and bridges. But, after the recent clash with the hard-line conservative, Freedom Caucus, some speculate that group will have more influence over the legislation than the Democrats will.  "The conservative caucus is sure to play a role in the legislative fight over rebuilding the nation’s roads, bridges and highways, something Trump promised to deliver during his campaign," Melanie Zanona writes for The Hill.

Zanona suggests, "Trump’s transportation plan was always going to be a tough sell with fiscal conservatives." Now that the President has tweeted critical statements about the Caucus, some feel it will be that much harder to get the group’s support for his future legislation. "The White House is still in the early stages of crafting a proposal, but Trump has signaled that it will streamline regulatory hurdles and target transportation projects where enough advanced planning has already been completed so work can start shortly," Melanie Zanona reports. The White House is going to deliver a very different bill depending on what kind of coalition it wants to build, if the bill had some Democratic support, it could pass without any votes from the Freedom. 

Sunday, April 2, 2017 in The Hill

Black and white Rideshare Pick-Up Zone sign

The Slow Death of Ride Sharing

From the beginning, TNCs like Lyft and Uber touted shared rides as their key product. Now, Lyft is ending the practice.

June 1, 2023 - Human Transit

Red on white 'Room for Rent, Inquire Inside' sign

In Most U.S. Cities, Archaic Laws Limit Roommate Living

Critics argue laws preventing unrelated adults from living in the same home fail to understand the modern American household.

May 24, 2023 - The Atlantic

Vancouver Chuck Wolfe

Ten Signs of a Resurgent Downtown

In GeekWire, Chuck Wolfe continues his exploration of a holistic and practical approach to post-pandemic urban center recovery, anchored in local context and community-driven initiatives that promote livability, safety, and sustainability.

May 24, 2023 - GeekWire

Self-driving Mercedes semi truck on highway with white semi truck behind it

California Moves to Limit Autonomous Trucks

A bill passed by the State Assembly and moving on to the Senate would require autonomous semi trucks to have a trained human operator in the vehicle.

June 2 - The Sacramento Bee

Minnesota state capitol building with red flowers on green front lawn

Minnesota Budget Includes Significant Transit Investments

After a contentious debate, the state legislature passed a budget that changes how transportation projects are funded and supports increased transit service in the state.

June 2 - Governing

A vacant lot between two one-story brick buildings with graffiti in Detroit, Michigan

Proposed Land Value Tax Plan in Detroit

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan proposes hiking property taxes for vacant land and buildings while lowering the rate for occupied homes and businesses in a split tax plan he contends will resolve many of Detroit's blight and high property tax woes.

June 2 - The Detroit News

Project Manager III

San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency

UDO Transportation Planner

City of Charlotte - Charlotte Area Transit

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.