By ALAN DUNCANAssociated PressWASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump has taken steps to shore up a trust between himself and Congress and the nation, but he hasn’t moved to overhaul the country’s signature infrastructure program, a move that would have far-reaching implications for the nation’s ability to build on its reputation for success.
Trump, who has said he has little interest in the Senate’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill, has said that it will be done by a special committee that will focus on the needs of the American people.
It will be led by Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who chairs the powerful Senate Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and by Democrat Sen. Patty Murray of Washington.
Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, said in a statement Tuesday that “we have to rebuild our bridges, our roads, our bridges and our airports, and we have to do it in a way that works for all Americans.”
Trump and Murray, who have been at odds for years, have clashed over the role of federal funding for highway and transit projects.
Murray has said she supports funding for road repairs.
Trump has said it should be more directed at improving bridges.
Trump has also said that the infrastructure plan should be approved by the Senate, but has stopped short of endorsing Murray as the nominee.
The House is expected to vote on the infrastructure package this week, and the Senate is expected after that to approve it.
The president is expected next week to sign a memorandum directing the Department of Transportation to provide an assessment of the nation-building efforts in place.
That effort is part of a broader effort to build a relationship with the public and the Congress that is key to ensuring that infrastructure projects receive the support they need to succeed, a White House official said Tuesday.
The move comes after Trump’s first major infrastructure push.
He announced a $1.2 trillion package for the rebuilding of roads and bridges last month, and his administration has been working to get it done.
Trump announced in October that the Transportation Department would begin the construction of a $10 billion highway network connecting several states.
The infrastructure package is part, a second official said, of the administration’s broader effort “to work with Congress on a comprehensive, bipartisan package that will ensure the American economy grows, improves and protects our national security.”
Trump has been in constant contact with lawmakers about infrastructure projects, often going door-to-door to get the public on board.
But he has not made infrastructure a priority of his legislative agenda.
That’s because he is trying to win re-election in 2020, and lawmakers in both parties have largely been on board with the infrastructure spending.
Trump’s White House has not provided any details about how it will spend the money.
Murray’s office said Tuesday that she is confident that the House will approve the infrastructure bill.
But she said she would prefer to get this done with the Senate.
“We have to have bipartisan support for this,” Murray said.
“I would like to see the Senate take a long-term approach, but the Senate has to do what’s best for the American taxpayer, not the White House.
Trump also has pledged to expand the number of federal construction jobs, a promise he repeated during his campaign and one he’s made repeatedly in the months since taking office. “
As part of that, we’ve also had ongoing discussions with Congress about how to address the long-standing and pressing need to ensure that infrastructure funding is focused on improving our nation’s infrastructure infrastructure,” the White Press statement said.
Trump also has pledged to expand the number of federal construction jobs, a promise he repeated during his campaign and one he’s made repeatedly in the months since taking office.
But the White the construction industry is struggling, and it has seen job losses over the last year.
Trump and Murray have also clashed over funding for roads and transit, and Murray has called for more federal money to be directed at bridges.
Trump said in October he was “100 percent behind” Murray’s plan to raise the nation of $10 trillion in debt.
Murray has said the administration needs to focus on building bridges.
“We have no money for bridges, and I don’t think that will be a problem for the Trump administration,” Murray told ABC News on Tuesday.
“They’ll take a look at what the needs are in the state of New York, for example, and then make sure that they are able to meet those needs.”
The Trump administration also has been criticized for not having an infrastructure plan in place to build out the country.
The administration has not yet released a detailed plan for how it would finance infrastructure projects or how much money to give to states to build.
The White House says it is working on a plan.
“Our infrastructure plans will be developed based on real, hard data,” the administration said in the statement.
Murray said Tuesday she thinks Trump and his advisers are working hard to build the country back up