New President, New Congress, and New Signs of Interest in Infrastructure Bill

During the presidential transition, Congressional Republicans indicated an infrastructure bill would not be on the agenda for the first 100 days of the Trump Administration. The opening days of the Trump presidency, however, have featured a number of positive signs for increased investment in passenger rail. Inaugural Address: During his first speech as president, President Trump reiterated campaign promises to rebuild America’s infrastructure, explicitly mentioning railways in a callback to earlier statements about high-speed rail. “We will build new roads, and highways, and bridges, and airports, and tunnels, and railways all across our wonderful nation,” said President Trump. “We will get our people off of welfare and back to work -- rebuilding our country with American hands and American labor.

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