Infrastructure plan delayed, but set for January release

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump said that his administration would seek to invest "$550 billion to ensure we can export our goods and move our people faster and safer."

This pledge remains on the administration's list of priorities, but 11 months into Trump's presidency, there has been little concrete progress, in part because Congress has turned to other Republican priorities first, including attempting to repeal the Affordable Care Act and enacting a tax bill.

Now, with the tax bill nearing passage, there is a widespread expectation that the White House will introduce an official infrastructure proposal in January 2018, possibly before his State of the Union address Jan. 30, Politico reported.

Early discussions have suggested that the headline number in the White House proposal will be worth $1 trillion -- almost twice the amount promised during the campaign. However, the federal share of spending might be as low as $200 billion, with the rest made up through private investment.

"The hangup will always be how you pay for it, as it always is," said Matt Jeanneret, deputy chief operating officer at the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. "What that $1 million would mean, no one is really sure yet. The private sector likely wouldn't get involved unless there's a benefit to them."

Jeanneret added that it remains unclear how much of the White House proposal will be for transportation-related funding and how much for other areas, such as broadband communications and water projects.

It also remains to be seen how Democrats will react to the pending proposal. Unlike the health care and tax bills, which Republicans were able to address on a 51-vote basis, an infrastructure bill would increase spending, meaning Democratic votes would be needed to reach the 60-vote threshold in the Senate.

Since the White House is still planning to pursue an infrastructure bill, we'll keep this rating at In the Works.