Trump outlines $1.5 trillion infrastructure proposal

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump released a proposal Monday to invest $1.5 trillion in new infrastructure projects. “After so stupidly spending $7 trillion in the Middle East, it is now time to start investing in OUR Country!” Trump tweeted Monday morning. The 55-page document is Trump’s most significant attempt to implement his campaign promise to overhaul U.S. infrastructure. But funding the plan remains an uphill battle. The president’s proposal calls for a $200 billion federal investment, with the rest of the burden shifted to state and local governments. Half the $200 billion would fund an incentive program to spur additional investment from state budgets and the private sector. One-quarter of the federal investment—$50 billion—would fund infrastructure projects in rural America. The White House projects the initiative could take five to 10 years to complete. Both Republicans and Democrats support investing in infrastructure, but Trump’s plan will be a hard sell for fiscal conservatives in Congress. Many Republicans are still reeling from last week’s budget deal that busted spending caps and allocated $300 billion in new spending over the next two years.