No Roadblocks for Infrastructure Support from Americans

Three in four Americans agree that investing in infrastructure is vital to the United States’ future growth, one of the few issues capable of cutting through the partisan divide. They are also in agreement that more needs to be done: in a new Ipsos survey, two-thirds of Americans (66%) agreed that the country is not doing enough to meet infrastructure needs.

Indeed, even President Trump and Congressional Democrats agree that infrastructure is an important investment for the country to make. However, many infrastructure projects have been derailed by unrelated partisan conflict, holding up federal investment in potential infrastructure initiatives.

For instance, earlier this year, President Trump and Democratic leaders  agreed to spend $2 trillion on infrastructure. Before the two sides could figure out how to pay for it, the deal was off after President Trump canceled follow-up meetings, criticizing congressional investigations of him. The president continues to call for a $200 billion federal investment in infrastructure that would be matched by $1.5 trillion from the private sector.

While the word “infrastructure” might suggest sturdy bridges, smooth roads, reliable trains, and clean water systems, technological innovations of the 21st century have added to the list. State and federal governments must now also consider the maintenance needs of the physical structures underlying digital investments like 5G and renewable energy, such as solar, wind, and electric vehicle charging stations. 

Though Americans can agree that infrastructure is essential for the health of the country and the American economy – and that the country is currently failing to adequately invest in that future – concrete political and legislative action has not been forthcoming. 

Based on the most recent numbers from the Congressional Budget Office, public spending on transportation and water infrastructure as a share of GDP is down, compared to where it stood around 1961, falling from 3% of GDP to 2.3% in 2017. That amounts to a 25% decrease in public infrastructure spending over that time. Critically, most of this spending is going to maintenance and upkeep of existing infrastructure, with limited capital investment set aside for future projects.

As a standalone matter, most Americans agree that infrastructure is a major issue, with bipartisan lip service paid from both sides. Infrastructure touches on many issues Americans are increasingly identifying as important problems, like the environment, unemployment, and energy issues. That hasn’t seemed to influence how much money infrastructure gets.

With political polarization reaching a fever pitch, Americans are willing to build, instead of burn, bridges when it comes to infrastructure.  Will Washington follow suit?