Budget to ax agency infrastructure funds, as White House plan eyed

by Dramelin 2:30 AM 0 comments

Leahy was among eight Senate Democrats putting forth their own $1 trillion infrastructure plan in January.
The biggest infrastructure programs currently sit within the Department of Transportation, which repairs highways, bridges and airports, and the Army Corps of Engineers, which maintains the country`s inland waterways.
But Nussle said the power of the purse at the White House could become an important political tool when dealing with Congress, especially in a post-earmark world.
"There`s been reticence in the House since the word `Go,`" said Doug Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum.
The White House budget released Thursday will strip infrastructure funding from federal agencies to divert funds to a forthcoming executive branch infrastructure plan, according to Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget,"We believe those programs to be less effective than the package we`re currently working on," Mulvaney said.