Hillary Clinton Releases Plan That Would Help Rebuild Minnesota’s Infrastructure, Address Lost Hours to Traffic and Structurally Deficient Bridges
~ Governor Dayton and Minneapolis Mayor Endorse Plan
~Dayton Says “It’s an investment in our future” ~
With families in Minneapolis, Minnesota losing 47 hours per year stuck in traffic according to an analysis done by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute and over 831 bridges that the US Department of Transportation believes are structurally deficient, Hillary Clinton announced a plan this week that would help address Minnesota’s infrastructure needs. Citing the plan’s ability to “spur private investments” and “create good-paying jobs”, both Governor Mark Dayton and Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges are endorsing it.
Hillary Clinton’s new infrastructure investment proposal is committed to reducing congestion and improving safety across the country, including for Minnesota families.
The five-year, $275 billion plan to create jobs and increase wages will invest in the modernization of our nation’s infrastructure. Clinton’s plan is a comprehensive proposal to invest in infrastructure across the board: transit systems, roads and bridges, ports and waterways, the electric grid and energy system, in railways and airports, and more.
"The federal government should do its part to help Minnesota keep roads and bridges from falling into an unacceptable state of disrepair. My plan will support key improvements to Minnesota’s infrastructure, and create good-paying jobs in the process," Hillary Clinton said.
The major elements of Clinton’s infrastructure investment plan include:
• Boosting direct federal infrastructure investment by $250 billion over the next five years. She will fully pay for these investments through business tax reform.
• Creating a $25 billion national infrastructure bank—supporting up to an additional $225 billion in federally supported investment for energy, water, broadband, transportation, and multi-modal infrastructure projects to ensure America’s competitiveness in the 21st century. This means that, adding up the direct federal investment with the infrastructure bank financing, Clinton's plan would support up to $500 billion in infrastructure projects across the country.
• Reauthorizing a Build America Bonds program to help finance the rebuilding of America’s infrastructure. In just two years, the Obama Administration’s Build America Bonds (BABs) supported more than $180 billion in infrastructure spending in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
• Applying best practices to improve the way we invest in infrastructure. She would work to ensure that projects are selected on impact, not politics, streamline permitting, break down silos that limit funds to a single type of transportation, and encourage 21st century design and technology.
Clinton’s plan would create good-paying jobs today and lay the foundation for rising incomes in the future. According to the White House Council of Economic Advisers, every $1 billion in infrastructure investment creates 13,000 jobs. Other studies show that every dollar of infrastructure investment leads to an estimated $1.60 increase in GDP the following year and twice that over the subsequent 20 years.
“Hillary Clinton knows that our bridges, roads, and transit networks form the backbone of our economy, and that we must do everything we can to improve them to ensure Minnesotans have access to the opportunities they need and deserve,” said Governor Mark Dayton. “Hillary’s plan will spur more private investment, boost Minnesotans' wages, and make us more competitive – plain and simple, it’s an investment in our future.”
“Hillary Clinton’s comprehensive infrastructure plan is proof positive that she has an agenda that will not only create good-paying jobs, but also make our economy more productive and competitive across the board,” said Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges. “As our city continues to grow, we’ll need to keep pace with the demands that that requires and Hillary’s plan provides a path forward to do so.”
