We just passed the 100 day mark of the Trump Administration. In modern presidential terms, this is the period when the new executive has the most political and media capital to transform big ideas and campaign promises into policy and legislation. Yet even with one party control of the White House and Congress, the first 100-day milestone of this administration passed without any significant legislative achievement. Given the inter- and intra-party political divisions, it's hard to envision the path forward for something as comprehensive as tax reform. We have to hope that there are some issues on which congress can find common ground during this legislative session.

One campaign promise that is ripe for deal making is a $1 trillion reinvestment in America's infrastructure. At our office recently, I hosted Republican Congressman Bill Shuster (PA), Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Chairman Shuster's committee is ground-zero for all infrastructure legislation. While nothing specific has been offered by the White House yet, Chairman Shuster made clear in his remarks that he wanted to hear from members of both parties when it comes to ideas, projects and needs.

The infrastructure need in this country is great - and should transcend partisan concerns. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) offers an assessment of American infrastructure every four years in The Infrastructure Report Card. For 2017, ASCE gave the U.S. a "D+." The U.S. didn't rank among its top ten countries in a 2015 report on the economic competitiveness of infrastructure by the The World Economic Forum.

An enormous amount of the infrastructure burden has unfairly fallen on states and municipalities due to Washington gridlock. While a recent U.S. News and World Report study ranked Massachusetts number one among states for overall quality of life, our scores on roads and bridges were near the bottom. Even with state ingenuity and resources, there is no substitute for reliable and significant federal investment when it comes to our infrastructure.  

Infrastructure investments can be bipartisan because they are guaranteed job creators and economic stimulators at the state and local level. New revenue and creative financing will be the hurdles to overcome through a bi-partisan coalition of House and Senate lawmakers. The fact is our overall quality of life improves when our transit systems, highways, bridges, airports, water and sewer systems, and power grids are fundamentally sound and ready for the future. Smart roads, modern air traffic control, convenient rail, and reliable utilities make it easier for workers to access jobs, for companies to become more competitive, and for more commerce to flow. And, according to Moody's every $1 spent on new roads, bridges and schools produces more than $1.40 in economic output in the subsequent year.  And as important as infrastructure investment is for today, it is also critical to ensuring that the country remains economically competitive in the future.