Perdue, Ross Brief State Governors on Rural Implications of Trump's Infrastructure Proposal
Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and other federal officials met Monday with eight state governors on President Donald Trump’s infrastructure proposal, which includes $50 billion in state block grants for rural projects, the White House…
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told pool reporters. Broadband projects could qualify for the rural infrastructure money, which state governors will control, but Trump’s proposal contains no dedicated broadband funding (see 1802120001). Federal officials said the proposal could “increase access" to broadband and “improve rural infrastructure,” a White House spokeswoman said. Governors participating in the meeting were Mississippi's Phil Bryant (R), North Carolina's Roy Cooper (D), South Dakota's Dennis Daugaard (R), Colorado's John Hickenlooper (D), Alabama's Kay Ivey (R), Wyoming's Matt Mead (R), Nebraska's Pete Ricketts (R) and Alaska's Bill Walker (I), the White House said. The session was before a meeting between Trump and 39 governors on the administration’s shared priorities with state governments. Trump was criticized for not specifically mentioning broadband during his January State of the Union speech (see 1801310071). The White House has since repeatedly cited Trump's commitment to broadband (see 1802140052, 1802200050, 1802220064 and 1802230044). The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, meanwhile, plans a Thursday hearing on rebuilding infrastructure with Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, beginning at 10 a.m. in 406 Dirksen.