the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Feb 5, 2018
Donald Trump promises to rebuild the country’s roads, bridges, airports, water systems, and other infrastructure. But where’s the money?
Trump’s plan promises to inject 1.5 trillion dollars into U.S. infrastructure over the next 10 years. But he only promises 200 billion dollars from the federal government. Trump claims that this 200 billion will “generate” an additional 1.3 trillion dollars in spending from cities, states, and private companies.
Where are the cities and states going to get this money? Last we looked, most states and cities were cutting, not adding to basic funding. And why are these corporations going to invest? Out of the goodness of their hearts? Corporations invest to make a profit. And they only make a profit on infrastructure by taking money from the government, not giving it!
Even if this extra money magically appeared, it would not be enough. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, U.S. infrastructure needs 4.6 trillion dollars just to be patched up. So even if Trump’s money magically appears, it’s still less than a third of what’s needed, and it’s spread out over ten years.
Trump is right that the infrastructure is falling apart. But his promise to fix it is another big fat lie.