First of all, Trump’s policies on deregulation are going to put workers at risk. He’s also going to destroy the environment, which seems to be a plan he’d like to attack head on from every angle. He’s going to allow corporations to regulate themselves, making sure they pay their workers enough and keep them safe, and he’s going to allow corporations to charge whatever prices they want on toll roads even when there are no other suitable routes home or to your job.
He’s also going to shift the burden to the states, which is why I put together this quick chart to explain that the states most in need of infrastructure improvements are the same ones that have literally no ability to pay for it. If they even do find a way, these states don’t even contribute that much to the nation’s overall productivity. Trump says he’ll increase GDP by 5-6% EACH YEAR?!
Vermont, Maine, and maybe even New Hampshire can afford their desperately needed infrastructure projects, but they contribute less than one perfect to US GDP! So that investment isn’t going to get us anywhere. Rhode Island doesn’t contribute anything either, but they can’t afford it anyway. Hawaii can afford it, but their GDP ranks near the bottom, as well. The remaining five states contribute significantly to US GDP, but four of them are broke! I don’t think Maryland can carry all 50 states. Fun fact: Maryland has the most millionaires per capita. I’m guessing they don’t wanna pay.
Additionally, most of these states vote Democratic in almost every Presidential election. Six out of the ten governors are Republicans, but I think Trump would have to make major concessions to get them to pay, especially when they don’t have any money. Since he’s not going to want to do that, I don’t see how it’s going to happen.
Some benefits of Trump’s infrastructure plan include quicker transportation of goods, which increases GDP, modernization of critical infrastructure, which will increase efficiency. His plan will also include better technology, which will benefit national security and also increase efficiency at ports that process critical levels of international trade. That doesn’t mean we’ll actually be able to use those ports for more business, whether exports or imports, but efficiency increases capacity. If there’s more demand, then at least our ports will be able to handle it.