2016 presidential candidates on infrastructure

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2016 Presidential Election Date: November 8, 2016

Candidates Winner: Donald Trump (R) Hillary Clinton (D) • Jill Stein (G) • Gary Johnson (L) • Vice presidential candidates

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For information about infrastructure policy under the Trump administration, click here.

This page was current as of the 2016 election.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gave American transit, road, aviation, and hazardous waste systems a grade of D in 2013. ASCE also estimated that between 2016 and 2025, infrastructure deficiencies would lead each U.S. household to lose $3,400 per year.

In addition to negative environmental and economic consequences, substandard infrastructure can cause public hazards. High-profile fatal incidents like the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse and the 2015 Philadelphia passenger train derailment led to greater awareness of the country's aging infrastructure and public opinion polling from Gallup in March 2016 showed that 75 percent of Americans supported increased federal spending on infrastructure.

Read below what the 2016 candidates and their respective party platforms said about improving infrastructure in the U.S.

Interested in reading more about the 2016 candidates' stances on related issues? Ballotpedia also covered what the candidates said about budgets and energy and environmental policy.

OVERVIEW OF CANDIDATE POSITIONS

Hillary Clinton (D) proposed investing $275 billion in infrastructure development over five years and supported the Railroad Safety Enhancement Act of 2008 and National Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2006 in the Senate.

Donald Trump (R) proposed rebuilding the country's infrastructure using a $500 billion fund financed by investors.

Jill Stein (G) advocated a Green New Deal to improve infrastructure and address economic issues like unemployment. As a gubernatorial candidate in 2010, she also proposed ending tax breaks for corporations to finance the development of bike paths, public transportation, and other infrastructure.

Gary Johnson (L) opposed federal funding of mass transit and supported widening the NM 44 highway through a private-public partnership deal in the late 1990s.

Democratic candidate

Hillary Clinton

• The Clinton campaign released a white paper detailing the goals of her infrastructure plan on her campaign website on November 30, 2015. Under the plan, up to $500 billion in federally supported infrastructure investment would be used on the following projects:
  • To fix and expand roads and bridges, reduce congestion, and cut the “pothole tax"
  • To expand public transit options and support bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure to connect workers to jobs and reduce carbon emissions
  • To initiate upgrades of at least the 25 most costly freight bottlenecks by the end of her first term
  • To push forward the Federal Aviation Administration's “NextGen” upgrade program
  • To establish high-speed internet access in 100 percent of U.S. households by 2020
  • To modernize energy sources and improve aging water infrastructure

• At her campaign event “Hard Hats for Hillary” in Boston, Massachusetts, on November 29, 2015, Clinton first announced her plan to invest $275 billion in infrastructure development. The proposal included $250 billion in direct investment by the federal government over the next five years. Another $25 billion would fund a national infrastructure bank to support $225 billion in loans intended to spur private investment, adding a total of $500 billion in new infrastructure funds into the economy, the Clinton campaign estimated. Her infrastructure proposal would be paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes, including ending “preferences for companies that stash their profits in overseas banks to avoid U.S. taxes,” and ending “a corporate tax loophole that allows large companies to avoid taxes by moving their headquarters overseas,” according to USA Today. At the event, Clinton said, “Investing infrastructure makes our economy more productive and competitive. To build a strong economy for our future, we must start by building strong infrastructure today.”

• Clinton voted in favor of HR 2095 - Railroad Safety Enhancement Act of 2008 on October 1, 2008. The bill, which authorized more than $10 billion in appropriations for Amtrak operations and mandated that positive train control systems be installed in most railroads, passed the Senate by a vote of 74-25 and became law on October 16, 2008.

• In a speech on August 8, 2007, a week after the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapsed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Clinton called substandard infrastructure in the U.S. a "silent crisis." She recommended the following initiatives to address aging and failing infrastructure: invest $10 billion over ten years to finance the backlog of emergency infrastructure repairs, upgrade standards based on recommendations from the National Academy of Engineering and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and improve intra-city transportation systems.

• Clinton cosponsored S 2388 - National Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2006 with U.S. Sens. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) and Thomas Carper (R-Del.) on March 8, 2006, which would have established a "National Commission on the Infrastructure of the United States to ensure that U.S. infrastructure meets current and future demand and facilitates economic growth." The bill was referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
• Read more of Hillary Clinton's public statements on crime and justice.

The 2016 Democratic Party Platform on infrastructure

“ Building 21st Century Infrastructure If we are serious about reversing the decline of the middle class, we need major federal investments to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure and put millions of Americans back to work in decent paying jobs in both the public and private sectors. The climate emergency and the need to expand the middle class demand that we make the most ambitious investment in American infrastructure since President Eisenhower created the interstate highway system. We will put Americans to work updating and expanding our roads, bridges, public transit, airports, and passenger and freight rail lines. We will build 21st century energy and water systems, modernize our schools, and continue to support the expansion of high-speed broadband networks. We will protect communities from the impact of climate change and help them to mitigate its effects by investing in green and resilient infrastructure. We will address the backlog of deferred maintenance in our four key public land management agencies. And we will protect public health and safety by modernizing drinking and wastewater systems. These investments will create secure, good-paying middle-class jobs today and will substantially increase demand for American-made steel and other products manufactured in the United States. And by boosting economic growth in a fair and equitable way, and strengthening our long-term competitiveness, these investments will create many more jobs in the years to come. Democrats will also create an independent, national infrastructure bank that will support critical infrastructure improvements. This bank will provide loans and other financial assistance for investments in energy, water, broadband, transportation, and multi-modal infrastructure projects. Democrats will continue to support the interest tax exemption on municipal bonds and will work to establish a permanent version of Build America Bonds as an additional tool to encourage infrastructure investment by state and local governments. Furthermore, Democrats will fight to ensure resources and programs are adequately targeted to provide economic development, job training, and critical infrastructure investment in areas of the greatest need. ... Building Strong Cities and Metro Areas Democrats have a comprehensive agenda to invest in America’s cities, grounded on the premise that local leaders are best equipped to create a better future for their residents—but need the resources and flexibility to get the job done. We also recognize there is no easy way to build strong neighborhoods and strong cities, but rather we must address the challenge across many interconnected fronts—from housing, to schools, to jobs, to transportation, to health. We will dramatically increase federal infrastructure funding for our cities—making significant new investments in roads and bridges, public transit, drinking and wastewater systems, broadband, schools, and more. Democrats also will revitalize communities being dragged down by physical decay by building on programs like the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and the Hardest Hit Fund, which have helped cities across the country begin to address these challenges. We will provide resources to help overcome blight, expand Community Development Block Grant funds, provide more housing support to high-poverty communities, and build more affordable rental housing units. We will support entrepreneurship and small business growth in cities by providing mentoring and training to entrepreneurs and small business owners in underserved communities as well as expanding federal funding for the New Markets Tax Credit, community development financial institutions, and the State Small Business Credit Initiative. ” —2016 Democratic Party Platform

Republican candidate

Donald Trump

• During the first presidential debate on September 26, 2016, Donald Trump said that airports in the United States "are like from a third world country" and could have been improved, along with other infrastructure, if money spent on the Middle East had been invested domestically. He said, "When we have $20 trillion in debt, and our country's a mess, you know, it's one thing to have $20 trillion in debt and our roads are good and our bridges are good and everything's in great shape, our airports. Our airports are like from a third world country. You land at LaGuardia, you land at Kennedy, you land at LAX, you land at Newark, and you come in from Dubai and Qatar and you see these incredible -- you come in from China, you see these incredible airports, and you land -- we've become a third world country. So the worst of all things has happened. We owe $20 trillion, and we're a mess. We haven't even started. And we've spent $6 trillion in the Middle East, according to a report that I just saw. Whether it's 6 or 5, but it looks like it's 6, $6 trillion in the Middle East, we could have rebuilt our country twice. And it's really a shame. And it's politicians like Secretary Hillary Clinton that have caused this problem. Our country has tremendous problems. We're a debtor nation. We're a serious debtor nation. And we have a country that needs new roads, new tunnels, new bridges, new airports, new schools, new hospitals. And we don't have the money, because it's been squandered on so many of your ideas."

• During an interview on the Fox Business Network on August 2, 2016, Trump said that he would invest more than $500 billion in infrastructure. He said, “We have a great plan and we are going to rebuild our infrastructure. By the way, her [Hillary Clinton] numbers [$275 billion] is a fraction of what we’re talking about, we need much more money than that to rebuild our infrastructure. Well I would say at least double her numbers and you’re going to really need more than that. We have bridges that are falling down." When asked how he would fund his plan, Trump said, "People, investors. People would put money into the fund, citizens would put money into the fund and we will rebuild our infrastructure with that fund and it will be a great investment and it’s going to put a lot of people to work.”
• Read more of Donald Trump's public statements on infrastructure.

The 2016 Republican Party Platform on infrastructure

“ America on the Move Our country’s investments in transportation and other public construction have traditionally been non-partisan. Everyone agrees on the need for clean water and safe roads, rail, bridges, ports, and airports. President Eisenhower established a tradition of Republican leadership in this regard by championing the creation of the interstate highway system. In recent years, bipartisan cooperation led to major legislation improving the nation’s ports and waterways. Our Republican majority ended the practice of earmarks, which often diverted transportation spending to politically favored projects. In the cur-rent Congress, Republicans have secured the longest reauthorization of the Highway Trust Fund in a decade and are advancing a comprehensive reform of the Federal Aviation Administration to make flying easier and more secure. The current Administration has a different approach. It subordinates civil engineering to social engineering as it pursues an exclusively urban vision of dense housing and government transit. Its ill-named Livability Initiative is meant to 'coerce people out of their cars.' This is the same mentality that once led Congress to impose by fiat a single maximum speed limit for the entire nation, from Manhattan to Montana. Our 1980 Republican Platform pledged to repeal that edict. After the election of Ronald Reagan, we did. Now we make the same pledge regarding the current problems in transportation policy. We propose to remove from the Highway Trust Fund programs that should not be the business of the federal government. More than a quarter of the Fund’s spending is diverted from its original purpose. One fifth of its funds are spent on mass transit, an inherently local affair that serves only a small portion of the population, concentrated in six big cities. Additional funds are used for bike-share programs, sidewalks, recreational trails, landscaping, and historical renovations. Other beneficiaries of highway money are ferry boats, the federal lands access program, scenic byways, and education initiatives. These worthwhile enterprises should be funded through other sources. We propose to phase out the federal transit program and reform provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act which can delay and drive up costs for transportation projects. We renew our call for repeal of the Davis-Bacon law, which limits employment and drives up construction and maintenance costs for the benefit of unions. Recognizing that, over time, additional revenue will be needed to expand the carrying capacity of roads and bridges, we will remove legal roadblocks to public-private partnership agreements that can save the taxpayers’ money and bring outside investment to meet a community’s needs. With most of the states increasing their own funding for transportation, we oppose a further increase in the federal gas tax. Although unionization has never been permitted in any government agency concerned with national security, the current Administration has reversed that policy for the Transportation Security Administration. We will correct that mistake. Americans understand that, with the threat of terrorism, their travel may encounter delays, but unacceptably long lines at security checks can have the same impact as a collapsed bridge or washed out highway. TSA employees should always be seen as guardians of the public’s safety, not as just another part of the federal workforce. Amtrak is an extremely expensive railroad for the American taxpayers, who must subsidize every ticket. The federal government should allow private ventures to provide passenger service in the northeast corridor. The same holds true with regard to high-speed and intercity rail across the country. We reaffirm our intention to end federal support for boondoggles like California’s high-speed train to nowhere. ” —2016 Republican Party Platform

Green candidate

Jill Stein

• As part of her 2016 platform, Jill Stein said that she would "maintain and upgrade our nation's essential public infrastructure, including highways, railways, electrical grids, water systems, schools, libraries, and the Internet, resisting privatization or policy manipulation by for-profit interests" through a "humane federal budget."
• In June 2015, Stein said during an interview that the "top plank" of her platform was the promotion of a Green New Deal that would address infrastructure failures and unemployment, among other health and human rights concerns. "So, our top plank really is a Green New Deal to transform our economy to a green economy, 100 percent wind, water and sun by the year 2030—we can do it; this is an emergency, and we must do it—but to use that as an opportunity to put America back to work, to renew our infrastructure and to basically assure that everyone has a job," Stein said.
• When Stein was a gubernatorial candidate in Massachusetts in 2010, she advocated "rescind[ing] tax breaks for corporations to help create 50,000 'green jobs' in energy efficiency, sustainable farming, recycling and building of bike paths, public transportation and other infrastructure," according to MassLive.
• Read more of Jill Stein's public statements on 2016 campaign issues.

The 2016 Green Party Platform on infrastructure

“ The new money that must be regularly added to an improving system as population and commerce grow will be created and spent into circulation by the U. S. Government for infrastructure, including the 'human infrastructure' of education and health care. This begins with the $2.2 trillion the American Society of Civil Engineers warns us is needed to bring existing infrastructure to safe levels over the next 5 years. Per capita guidelines will assure a fair distribution of such expenditures across the United States, creating good jobs, re-invigorating the local economies and re-funding government at all levels. As this money is paid out to various contractors, they in turn pay their suppliers and laborers who in turn pay for their living expenses and ultimately this money gets deposited into banks, which are then in a position to make loans of this money, according to the new regulations. ” —2016 Green Party Platform

Libertarian candidate

Gary Johnson

• In December 2011, Gary Johnson said that he opposed federal funding of public transit. "I know of no mass transit in this country that pays for itself and the government shouldn't, in my opinion, be involved in projects that don't pay for themselves," he said.
• In the late 1990s, Johnson supported widening the NM 44 highway to four lanes through a private-public partnership. Koch Industries, Inc., the only bidder on the project, directed the construction of the highway rather than the New Mexico Department of Treasury. Critics questioned why Koch had initially proposed the project and was being paid an additional $62 million for a 20-year maintenance warranty, while supporters said the unique arrangement would "save New Mexico taxpayers an estimated $89 million in road maintenance and repair costs."

• Read more of Gary Johnson's public statements on 2016 campaign issues.

The 2016 Libertarian Party Platform on infrastructure
“ The 2016 Libertarian Party Platform does not mention infrastructure. ” —2016 Libertarian Party Platform

Recent news

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2016 presidential candidates on infrastructure - Google News

See also

• Presidential candidates, 2016
• 2016 presidential candidates on budgets
• 2016 presidential candidates on energy and environmental policy

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