Make That Phone Call

Make That Phone Call!

By Jeff Bonior

Just when we thought an agreement between Congress and the White House to finally address America’s neglected infrastructure was about to happen, President Trump once again quashed the first steps of a deal.

On April 30, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer met with the President and had a productive conversation about a $2 trillion bipartisan plan. The sticking point, as usual, was how to fund such an ambitious project.

They agreed to meet three weeks later, on May 22, to discuss ways to fund the repair and rebuild of America’s crumbling infrastructure.

That meeting lasted less than four minutes as the President walked into the room and berated the Democratic leaders saying he would not negotiate with them until all the investigations into his personal dealings ended.

He is clearly playing politics, hitting back at Democrats for their ongoing investigations of him and his administration. 

Repairing and rebuilding our infrastructure is the one issue that an overwhelming majority of Americans agree upon. If our leaders cannot agree on this bipartisan issue, it is likely a divided Congress will not agree on passing any other meaningful, major legislation.

Meanwhile, Americans will continue to endure the burdens of inadequate roads, bridges, water systems, transportation systems, the electric grid and many more conveniences they rely upon daily.

An aggressive agreement on infrastructure would be a boon to the steel industry and create many thousands of well-paying jobs. A larger and stronger USW membership would be welcomed by SOAR members to help preserve pensions and healthcare.

It is now doubtful that a sincere infrastructure plan will materialize before the 2020 presidential election although the President promised to tackle this problem during his first year in office.

This is an issue that isn’t going away. Our failing infrastructure is making America less competitive and it is also becoming a public safety risk.

We urge you to reach out to your members of Congress and the White House to demand that plans for our infrastructure resume immediately. You can contact your members of Congress at their district offices or by calling the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 where you will be connected to their Washington, D.C. office. To reach the White House and leave your comments call (202) 456-1111.

Jeff Bonior is a staff writer for the Alliance for American Manufacturing