Bernie Sanders wants to spend $1 trillion on infrastruture
For years, transportation experts have called for a massive investment to save a network of roads, bridges and transit systems that has fallen into disrepair. A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate Tuesday would meet that need, providing $1 trillion over the next five years.
Given that elsewhere on Capitol Hill, members are scrambling for funds to keep annual federal transportation spending just above about $50 billion, coming up with $148 billion on top of that amount would seem problematic.
“For too many years, we’ve underfunded our nation’s physical infrastructure. We have to change that and that’s what the Rebuild America Act is all about. We must modernize our infrastructure and create millions of new jobs that will put people back to work and help the economy,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, who introduced the $1 trillion bill.
Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), the ranking member on the appropriations committee, is a co-sponsor.
“By making smart federal investments in our nation’s infrastructure, we can create jobs and opportunities today, while strengthening our economy for tomorrow,” Mikulski said.
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has calculated that an additional $1.6 trillion should be spent on infrastructure by 2020. A 2010 report by the University of Virginia’s Miller Center estimated that an additional $134 billion to $262 billion must be spent per year through 2035 to rebuild and improve roads, rail systems and air transportation.
