Trump responded to the Amtrak Washington train derailment with a tweet calling for more infrastructure spending. The problem is that Trump’s own budget slashes funding for Amtrak.
The President tweeted:
The train accident that just occurred in DuPont, WA shows more than ever why our soon to be submitted infrastructure plan must be approved quickly. Seven trillion dollars spent in the Middle East while our roads, bridges, tunnels, railways (and more) crumble! Not for long!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 18, 2017
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The Washington Post reported in May 2017, “President Trump’s transportation budget slashes federal aid to the nation’s rail systems by cutting funding for long-distance Amtrak service and severely limiting money to help expand transit lines and build new ones. The $16.2 billion budget for discretionary transportation spending represents a nearly 13 percent reduction in transportation spending over fiscal 2017. That includes a $928 million cut from transit construction grants, nearly half of what Congress recently appropriated for this fiscal year, and a $630 million reduction in subsidies for long-distance Amtrak routes.”
Trump’s infrastructure plan isn’t really an infrastructure plan. The White House plan doesn’t spend money to build new projects. Instead, they offer tax breaks to builders to build new infrastructure. Trump is planning to spend to $200 billion to get corporations to spend $800 billion. There is no real plan or legislation behind this Trump scam.
The President showed that he is totally clueless. As he calls for more infrastructure, Trump’s own budget slashes funding to Amtrak. The President has no idea what is going on around him, as he is only capable of regurgitating his campaign talking points on Twitter. Even when they end up being totally incoherent jibberish that has no bearing on reality, Trump can’t stop living in 2016 and spinning in his fantasy universe.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
