The folks in this room turn dirt faster than anybody in America.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landreiu said this of local governments, when pushing the Federal government to directly fund locals through a federal infrastructure package.  Local governments will have the opportunity to apply directly for funds under the Administration’s yet-to-be-released plan, stated D.J. Gribbin, a special assistant to President Trump on infrastructure.

Governing reports:

Gribbin said the White House would release a detailed set of principles a week or two after the State of the Union speech on Tuesday, although the administration has missed several self-imposed deadlines so far.

The administration’s two main goals are to increase spending on government-owned infrastructure by $1 billion and to reduce the time it takes to get federal approval for major projects to two years. The plan won’t include any new revenue, but Gribbin said Trump would not stand in the way of a gas tax hike.

Gribbin said that the plan includes redirecting money supporting Amtrak.

Significant match requirements will be included in the plan. Governing reports that the Administration’s plan requires local governments to fund 80 percent of projects, in order to receive a 20 percent match in federal funds. In contrast, current projects receiving Federal Highway funds require a 20 percent match of state or local funds.