AEM: Time for Action on Trump Infrastructure Plan

June 14, 2017 - Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) President Dennis Slater issued the following statement on Monday regarding President Trump's new infrastructure plan:

The Trump Administration gets tremendous credit from the U.S. equipment manufacturing industry for focusing our national dialogue on the need to make substantial investments in American infrastructure.

Infrastructure investment routinely ranks among voters’ top policy priorities, which is why Congress should work on a bipartisan basis to consider and advance a comprehensive infrastructure investment package as soon as possible. 

Equipment manufacturers are heartened by efforts to induce additional private investment into infrastructure programs, and welcome efforts to streamline duplicative review processes that drive up the costs for projects. 

But we will not be able to realize the infrastructure system our nation needs and deserves without a sustained investment from the federal government. Expanding public-private partnerships will open up new avenues of infrastructure investment, but they are not a substitute for a strong federal program. That is most especially true for rural communities. 

AEM members look forward to working with the Trump Administration and Congress to develop forward-looking solutions for our nation's infrastructure needs. Our Infrastructure Vision 2050 initiative has already generated some of the most innovative ideas for the future of American infrastructure, and we look forward to sharing some of the resulting policy insights from this effort next week.