![]() Last winter President Trump suggested that Congress should think about funding up to $1.5 trillion in infrastructure investment. In a document called the Legislative Outline for Rebuilding Infrastructure in America, Trump proposed spending that amount over the span of a decade, while shortening the “process for approving projects to two years or less,” and addressing what he called “unmet rural infrastructure needs.” But the idea went nowhere due to a coalition of Democrats, who thought that the President’s plan put too much of a burden on state and local governments, and Republicans, who expressed concerns about raising the nation’s federal gasoline tax from its current 18.4 cents a gallon to pay for the legislation. Now some analysts are suggesting that if the Republicans lose the House in the elections, it could surprisingly turn out to be a good thing for Trump’s infrastructure plan. “A Democratic House might be more willing than the current Republican-led Congress to devote big money to rebuilding the nation’s roads, bridges, rails, airports, waterways and broadband networks,” notes Tanya Snyder, a reporter for Politico.com. The House Democratic Policy & Communications Committee has released a document called Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure, which is calling for $1 trillion in infrastructure spending, with less of a buy-in on the part of state and local governments than proposed by Trump. A Democrat takeover of the House would most likely mean that Oregon Representative Peter DeFazio would become the new chair of that chamber’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. DeFazio has said he is willing to work with the White House to pass infrastructure legislation, and has indicated that he would pay for that legislation by raising the gas tax and indexing it inflation. The President has also said that there is a chance that the White House may be able to come to an agreement with a Democratic House on a new infrastructure initiative. “They want infrastructure, I want infrastructure. There’s something that can bring us together,” he said in an interview on the TV show Fox and Friends. Analysts have suggested, however, that if the Senate remains in Republican hands, any infrastructure bill coming out of the House that would require a significantly increased fuel tax might find rough going. By Garry Boulard
0 Comments
![]() Located at 119 3rd Street SW and designed by noted architect Henry C. Trost, the Occidental Life Building is one of the most unusual looking structures in downtown Albuquerque. Opened in the late summer of 1917 and described at the time by the Albuquerque Journal as “the most artistic office building in the southwest,” the structure is known for its Venetian Gothic Revival style. The 26,000 square-foot structure has through the years provided office space for a number of law firms and businesses, including most recently Resilient Solutions 21, which moved into the building late last year. Now the information technology services company, popularly known as RS21, has announced plans to expand its current 4,700 square foot space within the Occidental building. To that end, the company has secured $800,000 in Local Economic Development Act funds, approved by members of the Bernalillo County Commission, to help pay for the expansion effort. As currently planned, RS21, which provides user-friendly data analytics to private companies, government agencies, and cities, will build out just under 2,500 square feet of new office space in the structure for the first phase of its expansion. The second phase will see the building out of another 5,100 square feet. According to county documents, the each phase is expected to take around six to eight months to complete. The LEDA funding for the project will specifically apply to construction, engineering, Internet infrastructure, and design expenses associated with the expansion. With a current staff of some 20 employees, the expansion is expected to result in the hiring of an additional 80 people. By Garry Boulard |
Get stories like these right to your inbox.
|