Building Up American Infrastructure and American Workers

REBUILDING AMERICAN INFRASTRUCTURE: President Donald J. Trump is in Ohio to discuss his proposal for rebuilding infrastructure in America.

• Today, President Trump is speaking with Ohio workers about how his infrastructure proposal will help rebuild and modernize America's infrastructure and build a stronger American workforce for the future.
• The President's proposal includes $200 billion in Federal funds to spur at least $1.5 trillion in infrastructure investments across America.
  
  • $100 billion will be directed to an Incentives Program to generate additional investment from States, localities, and the private sector.
  • $50 billion will be devoted to rebuilding and modernizing rural infrastructure.
  • $20 billion will go to promoting bold, transformative infrastructure projects.
  • $20 billion will go to expanding infrastructure financing programs.
  • $10 billion will go to a capital revolving fund to help reduce inefficient Federal property leasing that would be more cost-effective to purchase.
• President Trump's proposal will return infrastructure decision-making to States and localities, allowing them to invest in the specific needs of their communities.
• The proposal will get Washington out of the way of needed infrastructure improvements by eliminating regulatory barriers and streamlining permitting processes.
  
  • A "one agency, one decision" structure will be established for environmental reviews and the process will be shortened to two years.
  • More flexibility will be given to projects that have minimal Federal funding but currently must seek Federal review and approval.

INVESTING IN AMERICAN WORKERS: The President's proposal will help better prepare American workers for the jobs of today and tomorrow.

• President Trump's proposal for rebuilding infrastructure in America will help give more American workers access to education and workforce-development programs by:
  
  • Expanding Pell Grant eligibility to high-quality short-term programs.
  • Better distributing Federal Work Study program funds to ensure more students gain relevant workplace experience.
  • Reforming the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) program so that more funds go to programs which meet local workforce needs.
• The President is appearing at a training site for International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 18's apprenticeship and training program.
  
  • IUOE Local 18's training and apprenticeship program is one of the largest IUOE training programs in the country, serving over 15,000 members.
  • The program offers a range of opportunities for workers to develop and improve the skills they need to succeed in their fields.
  • Classes offered by the program provide workers with training in operating industry machinery, including bulldozers, forklifts, cranes, backhoes, and more.
• Skills-training and apprenticeship programs like IUOE Local 18's are critical resources that help prepare workers for high-demand, well-paying jobs.
  
  • More than 90 percent of all apprenticeship program participants gain employment after completing their programs according to data from the Department of Labor.
• Too many American workers have been unable to fill well-paying jobs due to insufficient access to skills-training programs.
  
  • There are currently 250,000 job openings in the construction industry and 305,000 in transportation, warehousing, and utilities.
  • According to a 2014 study by Georgetown University, just under two-thirds of all jobs will require some form of training or education beyond high school by 2020.

CONTINUING TO REBUILD THE AMERICAN ECONOMY: President Trump's infrastructure proposal will build upon the success his Administration has already had in strengthening the American economy.

• President Trump's proposal to leverage $200 billion in Federal funds to spur at least $1.5 trillion in infrastructure investments will help further strengthen the American economy.
  
  • The Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) estimates that a 10-year $1.5 trillion infrastructure investment program could boost annual average gross domestic product (GDP) growth by between 0.1 and 0.2 percentage points.
  • CEA estimates that a $1.5 trillion in infrastructure investments would employ between 290,000 and 414,000 additional infrastructure workers on average over ten years.
• The economic benefits of President Trump's infrastructure proposal will build upon the gains the economy has already seen under this Administration.
  
  • This week, United States GDP growth for the fourth quarter of 2017 was revised up from 2.5 percent to 2.9 percent, beating expectations.
  • Nearly 2.5 million jobs have been created since President Trump took office, including 245,000 manufacturing jobs and 300,000 construction jobs.
  • The unemployment rate has remained at a 17-year low since October of last year.