Trump, Schumer, Pelosi Agree on a Number: $2T

That's how much they want to spend on infrastructure
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 30, 2019 2:12 PM CDT
Trump, Dems Have an Infrastructure Number. Now, the Hard Part
Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of NY, talks with reporters after meeting with President Donald Trump about infrastructure, at the White House, Tuesday, April 30, 2019, in Washington.   (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

We have a figure: After a 90-minute meeting with President Trump on Tuesday, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi said they collectively agreed to spend $2 trillion repairing America's crumbling infrastructure. That may have been the easy part. What they did not agree on is where the money would come from—and, reports CNBC, whether the lion's share of it should come from the feds or from state and local governments. Still, Schumer sounded a positive note, reports Politico: "It was a very constructive meeting. It's clear that both the White House and all of us want to get something done on infrastructure in a big and bold way. And there was goodwill in this meeting," which the AP points out contrasts with the last time the three met—and Trump stormed out. Schumer said they started with a slightly lower number, but "even the president was eager to push it up."

Trump also reportedly agreed to throw the money into more than just roads and bridges: Democrats named broadband, water systems, and electrical-grid upgrades. Trump and top Democrats plan to meet again in three weeks, at which time Trump will offer up his ideas on where to get the money. Some are clamoring for a rise in the federal gasoline tax, which has been set at 18.3 cents a gallon for 26 years. Before the meeting, Kellyanne Conway suggested the idea is a nonstarter: "This president is the guy who lowers taxes." And the Wall Street Journal reports Schumer is also said to be unwilling to go that route—it's a tax he and other Dems say hits the poor harder—unless Trump walks back some of the 2017 tax cuts. As far as timeline, Dems are hoping to have legislation ready to share as early as June. (The AP has much more here.)

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