https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Schumer-unions-pitch-infrastructure-plan-12764748.php
Schumer, unions pitch infrastructure plan, reversal of some Trump tax cuts
Published 2:37 pm, Monday, March 19, 2018
Albany
Surrounded by union workers, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer called President Donald Trump's infrastructure plan a sham, and urged that recent federal tax cuts for corporations and the richest Americans be rolled back to help pay for long-overdue repairs.
Standing near the 115-year-old Livington Avenue bridge across the Hudson River, Schumer said the Trump plan, which limits federal financial support while seeking more private and state investment, falls far short of what is needed to fix aging roads, bridges, water and sewage systems.
"The federal government has said they are not paying another nickel," said Schumer. He warned the plan, if adopted, would result in more private control over projects. "Highway tolls would be going up all over" he said, as states raise the cash needed to repay investors with a profit.
He said the price tag to replace the Livingston Avenue bridge, which connects passenger rail service to the west and north of the Rensselaer Amtrak station, could be $1 billion.
Schumer said money for nationwide infrastructure spending can be found by increasing the corporate tax rate, which under last year's tax cut was lowered from 35 percent to 21 percent, to 25 percent.
He also said the estate tax, which was cut last year, should be restored to it previous level, which taxed estates of $10 million.
Jeff Kellogg, a business manager with Operating Engineers Union Local 158, agreed that Trump's plan falls far short of what is needed and that more federal spending must be done and taxes raised to pay for it.
"We are excited and optimistic about this," said Kellogg, whose union represents about 4,000 members upstate.
He said privatization of projects as proposed under the Trump plan would do too little and would primarily benefit wealthy investors, rather than the public.
Other unions that attended Schumer's announcement included the International Brotherhood Electrical Workers Local 236, Communication Workers of America Local 1118, International Association of Heath and Frost Insulators Local 40, Teamsters Local 294, Laborers Local 190, Carpenters Local 291, and Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 7.
Union members, a traditionally Democratic constituency, in the 2016 election provided substantial support to Trump's candidacy. Polls found that Trump's support among that subset of voters mirrored that of former President Ronald Reagan during 1980 and 1984.
Part of that union enthusiasm hinged on Trump's promises to rebuild national infrastructure, as well as to construct a massive wall along the border with Mexico.
But his $1.5 trillion building plan last month appears to fall far short of what is needed, according to a recent analysis of by the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, where Trump received his bachelor's degree.
The infrastructure plan calls for the federal government to spend up to $200 billion over the next decade, while also projecting for more than $1 trillion to come from state and local governments, as well as from private investors.
The Wharton analysis projected the plan could fall short of its goal by about $1 trillion, and put added pressure on state governments to raise taxes and fees.
