President Donald Trump called for new infrastructure spending in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night and pledged to work with Congress.
"I know that the Congress is eager to pass an infrastructure bill — and I am eager to work with you on legislation to deliver new and important infrastructure investment, including investments in the cutting edge industries of the future," Mr. Trump said. "This is not an option. This is a necessity.''
He also asked the now-divided Congress to get things done through bipartisanship.
In his 2018 State of the Union speech, Mr. Trump called on Congress to produce a $1.5 trillion infrastructure spending package. When legislation did not materialize, the White House proposed a $200 billion federal spending package aimed at spurring more investment by the states and private interests, but no further action was taken.
On Jan. 31, Mr. Trump issued an executive order emphasizing "Buy American" preferences for infrastructure projects.
Mr. Trump also focused on tougher immigration policy, including his call for a border wall that led to the recently ended federal government partial shutdown. The deal ending the shutdown expires Feb. 15, and a congressional committee is working on a deal to avoid a second shutdown with new border security funding.
