White House infrastructure proposal includes education reform

President Donald Trump issued his infrastructure proposal Feb. 12, outlining spending $200 billion in federal funds. The White House says the proposal will spur $1.5 trillion in infrastructure investments — a move that would affect Federal Pell Grant usage and Federal Work-Study Program funding.

Included in the proposal are provisions the White House says are dedicated to the American workforce and to policies that will help Americans secure stable, well-paying jobs.

“An infrastructure bill will generate new projects that directly increase employment in the construction industry, as well as boost the demand for labor more broadly as additional infrastructure investment spurs economic growth,” the proposal said. “The provisions outlined below will ensure our country has enough skilled workers to perform not only existing work but also fill the new jobs created by the bill."

The provisions referenced would expand Pell Grant eligibility to “high-quality, short-term” programs, essentially granting greater spending flexibility to recipients who prefer shorter-term certifications.

The provisions also offer to strengthen ties to the workforce for college students by way of reforming the Federal Work Study Program. The proposal argues FWS funds are disproportionately distributed to four-year non-profit and flagship public institutions.

Douglas Lauen, a UNC public policy professor, said UNC could lose funding if the proposal does not include funding increases to meet the administration’s requests. He said there is a loose connection that would justify putting higher education reforms in the same proposal as infrastructure reform.

“That stuff should probably belong in the higher education reauthorization proposals that are moving forward and need to be reauthorized,” he said.

The Trump administration is putting a higher focus on trade jobs that don’t require a four-year bachelor’s degree and that isn’t what UNC does, he said. He said people should ask questions about why this was included.

“I think they should scratch their heads,” he said. “They should wonder why this is here.”

In a message to Congress in the proposal, Trump said the $1.5 trillion investment would be made over the next 10 years and shorten the process for approving projects to two years or less. The bill would also address unmet rural infrastructure needs, give more power to local governments and train future workers. 

Trump tweeted about the proposal the next day, saying the proposal had been well-received by everyone except the Democrats.

The 53-page plan outlines various projects to improve rural communities, transportation, water infrastructure, veterans’ affairs and land revitalization.

In a press release the same day, Trump outlined his proposal under goals like stimulating infrastructure investment, increasing state and local authority and investing in the people, which he calls the country’s most important asset.

“We will build gleaming new roads, bridges, highways, railways and waterways all across our land,” he said. “And we will do it with American heart and American hands and American grit.”

The proposal follows the American Society of Civil Engineers’ evaluation of the state of infrastructure in the United States, which happens every four years. In 2017, the U.S. received its second straight D+ and estimated cost to improve conditions at $4.59 trillion.

@CBlakeWeaver

state@dailytarheel.com