Iowa’s senior senator says shouldering most of the cost of President Trump’s infrastructure plan will be challenging for states. But, Republican Chuck Grassley says crumbling bridges and unreliable locks and dams are an impediment to Iowa’s economy.
“Being able to move agriculture goods out of the Midwest and into the world market is critical to our competitiveness in the coming decades,” Grassley says. “To do that, we need to ensure that we have adequate river, rail and highway infrastructure to move billions of bushels of grain.”
Grassley says Congress can take up the proposed $200 billion in federal spending, but the President is calling on local and state governments and private industry to come up with the bulk of his $1.5 trillion proposal. In Iowa, lawmakers already are facing the prospect of cutting millions from the current year’s budget because of a shortfall in projected revenue.
“It’s going to be a problem,” Grassley says, “but don’t forget, this is going to be a 10 year program and I wouldn’t expect Iowa’s budget problems to be a 10 year problem.”
