Bloomberg 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22, 2020

WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg today is outlining his plan to bring the nation’s infrastructure into the 21st century while making it smarter, faster, safer, and greener. Mike’s plan equips and empowers local officials to address critical issues, acknowledging that not only do mayors best understand their infrastructure needs, but also that job creation, economic development, and efforts to fight climate change are most effective at the local level. The plan invests more than a trillion dollars in funding to state and local governments and includes investments tied to clear goals: better roads, safer bridges, clean air and water, and reliable power and broadband for everyone. 

Mike is unveiling his infrastructure policy later today at The United States Conference of Mayors 88th Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C. In his remarks, Mike notes that President Trump has pledged repeatedly to prioritize infrastructure and the  federal government has allocated trillions of dollars toward infrastructure without ever fixing the problem. In contrast, Mike’s policy will be the most community-driven infrastructure plan to get people and goods moving faster. His plan will require states to distribute 100 percent of the federal infrastructure funds intended for cities directly to cities, and create a national capital budget specifically dedicated to major, long-term infrastructure projects. 

“President Trump has wasted billions of taxpayer dollars on a border wall that should’ve gone to fixing our roads and bridges and airports and water lines and to building the new infrastructure we need,” said Mike Bloomberg. “Meanwhile, other countries – including China – are racing ahead.  We won’t beat China with trade wars that harm our own farmers and factory workers – we’ll do it by investing in America, and that's what I'll do as president. The plan I'm releasing today will transform the way we build in America, allowing projects to be built faster, and with more accountability for completing them on-time. And I will give mayors and other local leaders the authority and resources to take on the most important projects – and complete them, on-time and on-budget. President Trump has done nothing on infrastructure – except break promises. I have a record of getting big things done – and as president, I will rebuild America and our crumbling infrastructure in partnership with local and state governments."

President Trump pledged on the campaign trail and as president that he would invest billions in infrastructure — and even declared an “infrastructure week” at least seven times — but he has failed to uphold his promises. In 2018, Trump offered up a plan meant to “spur the biggest and boldest infrastructure investment in American history,” with up to $1.7 trillion in investment, but proposed to allocate just $200 billion to the plan; states and local governments were expected to foot most of the rest of the bill. It was all talk and no action. Just last year, Trump made an agreement with Democrats to spend $2 trillion on infrastructure, but then walked away from it and said he wouldn’t work with Democrats unless they dropped their investigations into him and his administration.

In contrast, Mike’s plan will actually bring America’s infrastructure into the 21st century and create millions of high-quality jobs. His plan is organized around four key outcomes: SMARTER, FASTER, SAFER, GREENER.

Mike’s plan includes commitments to:

• Repair all of America’s busiest roads and bridges by 2025 and save Americans billions of dollars in lost time and productivity.
• Save 20,000 lives by 2025 by adopting safe street designs, lowering speed limits, and implementing other safety measures.
• Build a 21st-century energy grid that expands clean energy access to over 150 million more Americans and allows renewables to compete on a level playing field.
• Give millions of Americans more and better transportation options, including electrifying the highway system and increasing the production of electric vehicles to reduce carbon pollution.
• Retrofit millions of buildings to modernize the nation’s building stock and reduce indoor and outdoor air pollution.

Mike’s plan will impact individual sectors: 

• Roads & Bridges: Repair 240,000 miles of roads and 16,000 bridges, saving the average commuter $300 per year by 2025.
• Airports: Build fast rail links to 10 of the U.S.’s busiest airports by 2030.
• Transit: Expand and improve public transit for 50 million Americans.
• Rail: Devise a strategy for developing high-speed rail and complete one high-speed rail line by 2025 and three by 2030.
• Broadband: Expand broadband access to 10 million more Americans by 2025 and to all by 2030.
• Water: Ensure clean water in the 100 most vulnerable communities by 2025.
• Regional service: Prevent millions of rural Americans from losing access to convenient air travel.

SMARTER- Building Infrastructure for the 21st Century

America has never had a coherent, national vision for transportation. Mike will set national goals for a transportation network that will connect people to jobs, increase equity, improve accessibility, and more. Mike’s plan will create the first-ever national map that traces all road, rail, transit, air, and freight routes, to identify where gaps and obstacles exist, and leverage data from both the public and private sectors to make smarter decisions on transportation investments and safety. As Mayor of New York City,  Bloomberg launched PlaNYC, a comprehensive strategy that identified challenges impacting growth and set goals for New York City’s infrastructure. 

FASTER- Reduce Congestion and Bottlenecks to Get America Moving

• The nation’s transportation network is crumbling. Mike’s plan will repair 240,000 miles of roads and 16,000 bridges by 2025. 
• Allocate $850 billion over 10 years to critical capital investments in roads, bridges, dams, and other infrastructure.
• Establish a $1 billion annual “pothole” fund to make emergency repairs. 
• Expand Surface Transportation Block Grant Program funding to $30 billion a year. Require that states devote a quarter of their grants to fixing any local bridges in poor repair. 
• Over the next five years, triple annual federal investment in public transit, including $12 billion per year in a new operating assistance program to improve service and attract new users. 
• Ensure transit is accessible for seniors and those with disabilities. Triple funds for local alternative transportation projects, including bike lanes.
• Allow federal grants for new public transit capacity projects to be 100% federally funded.

Develop a strategy for a faster, better connected rail network. America’s railroads rank 37th globally.  

• Build fast rail links to 10 of the busiest U.S. airports by 2030. 
• Complete one high-speed rail corridor by 2025, and three by 2030. 
• Establish a national rail authority to oversee planning, design, and construction of regional high-speed rail networks. 
• Prioritize new rail links to make travel more convenient than flights for trips under 600 miles. 
• Ensure all rail adheres to the highest safety standards. Enforce Positive Train Control. 

Airports fit for the 21st century. The five busiest airports saw an increase of more than 33 million passengers between 2013 and 2018. However, infrastructure has failed to keep up, leading to delays and congestion. Mike’s plan will improve safety and decrease air traffic congestion, saving Americans billions in lost time. His plan will also increase connectivity in rural areas.

Spread Broadband to Increase Opportunity. Some 21 million Americans lacked a broadband connection at the end of 2017. Mike’s plan will expand broadband access to 10 million more Americans by 2025 and to all by 2030. This will link even remote communities to the global economy, boost economic growth, health care access, and civic participation. 

Fix our Overloaded Freight System. Make cargo transfers from ship to rail to truck more efficient. Raise the budget for the Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects program to $5.5 billion annually by 2025 and invest more to modernize and improve security at America’s ports. 

SAFER- Safe Water and Safe Homes for everyone. 

Mike’s administration will save 20,000 lives by 2025 by drafting and implementing America’s first national safety plan, using data and creating federal “complete streets” design standards to reduce road fatalities. His plan will also address the 100 cities with the worst water infrastructure by the end of his first term, and cities in crisis, including Flint and Newark, in his first 100 days. The plan includes an investment of $100 billion over 10 years to ensure clean drinking water for all communities, and $175 million over five years for the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program to accelerate local investment in water infrastructure, as well as an increase in the EPA’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund and  and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to $6.6 billion annually to ensure a long-term commitment to protecting water supplies. 

GREENER- Every American deserves to breathe clean air. 

Under Trump’s watch, air quality has declined and progress addressing climate change has reversed. The Trump administration has been trying to roll back mileage and pollution standards and failed to invest in the infrastructure we need to fight climate change and build resilience against its impacts.           

Mike’s plan will create a Climate Resilience Finance Corporation with $100 billion annually in Treasury credit authority to provide loans, loan guarantees, and grants to states, cities, and the private sector to build out and upgrade the building, transportation, and grid infrastructure needed to reduce carbon pollution and increase resilience to climate change impacts.

In addition, Mike will modernize the nation’s power grid for the 21st century and build a clean energy future. He will also provide funding to transition to pollution-free electric vehicles and implement standards to build a pollution-free transportation system running on clean energy. He will also launch a Zero-Emissions Trucks and Buses Hubs Program in 10 to 15 big metro areas to bring ports, shippers, and other private and public operators of trucks and buses (including school and transit buses) together with manufacturers to jump-start electrification of ports and freight hubs. And Mike will upgrade America’s building stock to reduce pollution and save families and businesses money on energy bills. 

Read Mike's full policy here.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT MIKE’S INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN: 

“Smart infrastructure investments create jobs, spur economic growth and promote environmental sustainability,” said former Mayor Manny Diaz, Mike Bloomberg 2020 National Political Co-Chair and Florida Co-Chair. “They are essential for America’s economic prosperity and a measure of our ability to compete globally -- where we continue to fall behind both developed and developing countries. Investing in infrastructure is an American imperative and not simply a local problem. Mike’s plan presents a visionary and accountable approach which recognizes that we can't wait any longer for action.”

"For too long the White House has been holding hostage critical funding to rebuild and harden our cities against extreme weather...and we can't wait any longer,” said Mayor Adrian Perkins of Shreveport, Louisiana.  “Decades of deferred maintenance have caught up to us, leaving one generation with the check to pay for billions in upgrades and unplanned spending. Under Mike Bloomberg's plan, we can regain control and get the job done faster, smarter, better."

"Cities are on the front lines of providing safe streets, clean water, and good transportation systems. Under Mike Bloomberg's plan, new dedicated funding to localities will expedite the necessary modernization projects to bring our infrastructure network into the 21st century,” said Mayor Shirley of Washington of Pine Bluff, Arkansas. 

“It’s time to finally fix America’s crumbling infrastructure,” said John D. Porcari, Deputy Secretary of Transportation for President Obama. “Mike Bloomberg is someone who has always backed up rhetoric with results, finding ways to get the difficult things done.”

“This plan is a welcome new approach to infrastructure. It is a big vision to deliver a bold new program with specific strategies to fix our roads and bridges, ports, airports, and transit systems,” said Chris Ward, EVP Business Development, Bravo Inc and Former Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. “It will expand access to jobs, improve safety and economic opportunity. Mike Bloomberg delivered on these strategies for New York, and he will get it done for America.”

“Transportation is more than just getting people from point A to B. It is about connecting people with opportunity and uniting communities,” said Bradley Mims, CEO, Conference of Minority Transportation Officials. “With more work comes more jobs. Mike’s demonstrated record of putting people to work gives me great hope for the future of our country under his leadership.”

“This plan is smart, executable, measurable, and specific. Mike Bloomberg understands how to leverage data and innovative tools to get projects done on time and on budget,” said Mort Downey, Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation. “If you are serious about rebuilding our infrastructure for generations to come these are the steps you would take to get it done.”