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Report: States Submit More Than 400 Infrastructure Projects To White House

The Washington Post reports that Trump's transition team sought three to five projects from each state, but that most states submitted many more.

State officials this week submitted 428 high-priority infrastructure projects in hopes that they would be included in a massive Trump administration spending initiative.

The then-incoming administration asked the National Governors Association for a list of potential projects in December after Trump repeatedly vowed to rebuild roads, bridges, airports and other essential infrastructure both on the campaign trail and following his election.

The Washington Post reports that Trump's transition team sought three to five projects from each state, but that most states submitted many more.

The overall list, which was not disclosed by the NGA, comprised 49 states and territories; Florida, which was not included, plans to lobby the Trump administration directly, Gov. Rick Scott told the Post.

Some states kept their requests under wraps, but California's transportation secretary said his state alone listed 51 projects worth more than $100 billion. California officials, who have repeatedly clashed with Trump, attached a letter to their proposal noting that the state houses one in eight Americans and “when we build in California, we build for America.”

Details about Trump's infrastructure proposal are scant, but a paper circulated shortly after his election outlined efforts to spur $1 trillion in private infrastructure investment with the help of a massive tax credit.

Critics, however, questioned whether that amount would be sufficient — and whether taxes from construction worker incomes would make up for the lost tax revenue.

Republicans in Congress, meanwhile, are unlikely to eagerly support a massive government spending bill — especially one reminiscent of the 2009 economic stimulus long criticized by the party.

“I am a fiscal conservative, and the biggest issue we’re facing in America right now is our debt," Rep. Raúl Labrador, R-Idaho, told Politico this week. "As Republicans, we better be consistent on this or we’re going to lose our base.”

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