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Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for January 8, 2018
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
January 8, 2018: The Hill, a publication for Washington, D.C., insiders, says there are five obstacles that may prevent President Trump from implementing his infrastructure agenda:[1]
- Democrats
- Fiscal conservatives
- Funding offsets
- Crowded agenda
- Midterm elections
According to The Hill, Democrats don’t like “the rebuilding ideas floated by the White House.” In particular, they reject the idea of private-public partnerships and “prefer to inject federal funding directly into the nation’s transportation system.” They “have laid out their own competing $1 trillion infrastructure package.”
Fiscal conservatives “are wary of massive federal spending on transportation.” Congressional leaders have offered what The Hill describes as mixed messages on the topic.
Funding offsets is a Washington phrase meaning how to pay for it. While the infrastructure ideas have been outlined, The Hill says “there have been far less clues about how it will be funded.”
A crowded agenda begins with fully funding the government after January 19. “House and Senate leaders will have to reach a deal on a bipartisan budget agreement, which will lay the groundwork for a massive, trillion-dollar omnibus package to fund agencies for the rest of the 2018 fiscal year.”
The midterm elections are an obstacle, The Hill writes, because “[m]ajor achievements are generally more difficult in election years.” That’s because “there is less time on the legislative calendar and lawmakers are more conscious of how votes might impact them in primary races and general elections.”
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- January 5, 2018 – 2.7 million cord-cutters dropped cable in first nine months of 2017
- January 4, 2018 – 83 percent of Americans say they understand the risk of police work
- January 3, 2018 – 7 percent of Americans think it’s very likely their job will be replaced by automation
- January 2, 2018 – 62 percent of media coverage about Donald Trump was negative
- December 29, 2017 – 635 proposed regulations withdrawn
- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
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Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
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