“Together, we can reclaim our building heritage. We will build gleaming new roads, bridges, highways, railways, and waterways across our land. And we will do it with American heart, American hands, and American grit,” Trump said during the speech.
In the address, which largely drew praise from construction trade organizations, Trump called on Congress to approve $1.5 trillion in new infrastructure investments, and advocated for streamlined permit processes and more investments from private companies and state and local governments.
Associated Builders and Contractors President and CEO Michael D. Bellaman praised the President’s speech and said the group was “encouraged” by his commitment to rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure. “Lawmakers and regulators must capitalize on the president’s executive order to reduce project approval timelines while continuing to respect sensible environmental regulations,” said Bellaman in a reaction statement. “ABC also advocates for increasing the use of public-private partnerships, embracing technology that improves efficiency and safety and championing an inclusive policy of promoting robust competition that welcomes all qualified Americans and businesses to fairly compete to rebuild America’s taxpayer-funded infrastructure.”
Randy Noel, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders, lauded the President for reducing cumbersome regulations inhibiting small businesses and the housing industry in remarks regarding the address. “The President knows that housing and homeownership are critical to a strong and prosperous nation. We commend him for working tirelessly to reduce unnecessary regulations that hurt small business owners and impede a more robust housing recovery,” said Noel. “And we strongly support the President's call for more vocational schools to train young workers and prepare them for careers in the construction trades and other industries.”
Kristina Swallow, president of the American Society of Civil Engineers, said the nation’s unreliable and outdated infrastructure costs the average family $3,400 a year. Swallow called for a bipartisan approach to improving roads, bridges and waterways. “Infrastructure investment is one area where both Democrats and Republicans agree,” Swallow said. “I urge Congress to develop legislation that increases federal investment in infrastructure, including fixing the Highway Trust Fund. Further this bill should make investments that provide substantial, long-term benefits to the economy, consider the cost of a project over its lifespan, and be built sustainably and resiliently to maximize investment.”
However, the speech did draw criticism from the National Immigration Law Center for not doing enough to ensure a strong workforce through drastically curbing immigration. Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, said the President’s plan does not address the needs of the “working Americans who voted for him” and divides communities by “scapegoating immigrants.”
“The American people weren’t fooled by Trump’s discriminatory Muslim ban or by his xenophobic attempt to exploit the [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals] crisis to enact a white nationalist wish list. We certainly won’t be fooled by any attempt to pit workers, whether immigrant or native born, against each other.”
Read the entire transcript of the President’s address from the White House.