What Gary Cohn told Republicans about infrastructure behind closed doors

[brooklynite]

Source: Axios

Gary Cohn talked about infrastructure with members this morning at the Republican Congressional Retreat, per a source briefed on the presentation. Cohn — who sat on a panel with Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and key GOP members — said the administration's plan targets $1.5 trillion in infrastructure investment, reduces permitting process times and pays for projects in rural areas.

Why it matters: The Trump administration plans to release its infrastructure plan in the next few weeks.

Per a source in the room: There was a discussion about raising the gas tax to pay for infrastructure. Rep. Bill Shuster was pushing them to take a serious look at the gas tax and not rule anything out. Cohn had said that as an administration they are open to supporting Congress looking at all options to raise revenue. There was respectful conversation on the subject, the source told me, with Sen. John Barrasso disagreeing and Sen. John Thune seeming intrigued.

But top Republican sources tell me raising the gas tax seems unlikely given they've just passed a massive tax cut. It would be seen as raising taxes on the middle class and undoing all that good work.

Read more: https://www.axios.com/behind-closed-doors-gary-cohn-infrastructure-1f656205-5631-43ae-8d26-8bf509696785.html

[NCjack]

1. The rich have siphoned all the money in USA. Tax them for infrastructure. nt

[hibbing]

2. Of course, increase a regressive tax n/t

[democratisphere]

3. Hell, why don't they throw another $1.5 trillon on to the debt.

Conservatives spending money they don't have like a bunch of drunken sailors.

[PatSeg]

6. Or steal it from Social Security again

Cuts to Medicare and Medicaid? As long as they don't touch the military or tax cuts for the rich.

[barbtries]

4. of course it would be.

republicans are all about those regressive taxes that hurt the middle class and the poor.

[MattP]

5. They need to fund infrastructure with higher taxes for the rich and a higher gas tax

We need trillions for infrastructure like now 1.5 is just patching holes unfortunately nobody has the balls to do it all they do is cut and politicians run against the gas taxes we have now

[highplainsdem]

7. "Pays for projects in rural areas" - where Trump's voters are. Will pay for only a small

fraction of projects in cities, where Democrats are.

[matt819]

8. Funny, isn't it?

How all this shit is connected.

Tariffs met with counter tariffs.

Tax cuts met with tax increases.

Tax cuts means less money for government stuff.

Once more: How is any Democratic administration going to undo all this shit?

[brush]

9. Wonder if they kept privatizing infrastructure off the record so those plans didn't leak?

I'm pretty sure they're going to try that where we pay tolls for every new privatized road or

bridge and/or be taxed directly by private companies for new power grid, sewer, airport, water

line, high-speed internet and rail installations—trump/repugs will somehow give private

companies the authority to send us all monthly bills for using THEIR roads and bridges and

power lines and on and on and on in perpetuity.

[lark]

10. Such BS.

They have tilted the field towards oil and gas and are trying to hid the real repercusions of their acts. But that's not why they are doing this, they are trying to give away the nations infrastructure to the rich and make the working class and poor pay for it forever. Rich pay a small fraction, I've read 18%, get the rest done by taxpayers then charge tolls forever and ever for the roads/airports/bridges. Rich pay them big bribes to win the bidding, then the donor class that got the bids get lots of money to fund the congresscritter campaigns by soaking the poor and working class. 'win win for russian repugs, lose for consumers - as it always is with the russian repugs.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

11. So they lowered income taxes to take it back as gas taxes?

Like Rachel says, "Watch what they do, not what they say."

[BigmanPigman]

12. I read this over a week ago.

I remember because I said, "That is what they do in CA". That is one reason our gas is so high. It was passed by the state and was increased 12 cents. It is $3.35 gallon for med now.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

13. why is it per gallon instead of a percentage of price?

I've never understood why gasoline is taxed by the gallon instead of by the dollar.

Taxing gallons is an incentive for sellers to raise prices.

Taxing dollars reverses that incentive. It also keeps money for the roads coming in as fuel economy increases.

[BigmanPigman]

14. I know, it is another thing that I don't understand

about finances and govt.