FUNDING: BAF applauds Rahm Emanuel’s Chicago Infrastructure Trust

At a Center for American Progress event in Washington, D.C., Building America’s Future member and Mayor of Chicago Rahm Emanuel discussed innovative ways to finance infrastructure projects to help America’s economic growth. Mayor Emanuel focused on the newly crafted Chicago Infrastructure Trust as a creative way to leverage private capital with public funds.

In response to Emanuel’s action, Marcia Hale, President of Building America's Future, issued the following statement:

“We applaud the Emanuel administration for taking the initiative to work with the private sector to address Chicago’s critical infrastructure challenges. Partnering with the private sector is not the solution to all funding challenges, but it is appropriate for many. Mayors and governors know they can no longer wait for Washington to tackle our nation’s infrastructure challenges, and in lieu of federal action to create a National Infrastructure Bank, Chicago has developed an innovative program that will help improve the quality of life for its citizens and create economic growth. Mayor Emanuel understands how urgently this is needed and is bringing leadership, pragmatism and creativity to this issue.”

Building America's Future Educational Fund (BAF-EF) released a report - "Falling Apart and Falling Behind" - comparing the transportation infrastructure investments in the U.S. with those being made by our economic competitors. The report includes a series of recommendations to policy makers; chief among them is to develop a national infrastructure strategy for the next decade that makes choices based on economics, not politics. For the full report and more information about transportation infrastructure, visit http://www.bafuture.org/report.