Sen. Amy Klobuchar Proposes National Infrastructure Plan

Minnesota Democrat, a 2020 candidate for president, focuses on issue that has bipartisan support

Sen. Amy Klobuchar is proposing $650 billion in direct federal funding for infrastructure, along with several hundred billion dollars more for loans, loan guarantees and bonds.

Photo: Andrew Harnik/Associated Press

WASHINGTON—Sen. Amy Klobuchar wants to devote more than $1 trillion to rebuild the nation’s aging network of roads, highways and bridges, in a proposal that aims to break the partisan logjam in Washington.

President Trump campaigned in 2016 on an infrastructure plan that has so far failed to materialize.

Sen. Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat who is running for the party’s 2020 presidential nomination, would seek $650 billion in direct federal funding for infrastructure, more than three times the amount that Mr. Trump has prescribed, to repair roads and bridges, rebuild public schools and expand broadband internet across the nation.

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The senator’s infrastructure plan is the first of its kind from a Democratic presidential contender, and she plans to make it a centerpiece of her campaign and the type of solution she could achieve by working with Democrats and Republicans alike.

“America needs someone who will deliver on their promises and get things done for this country,” Sen. Klobuchar said. “This plan is about bringing our country together. Building bridges is not just a metaphor—this is what I’ve done and what I will continue to do as President.”

During his 2016 campaign, Mr. Trump proposed $1 trillion in improvements to the nation’s road, rail and energy infrastructure. His package last year would have pressed cities and states to provide at least 80% of the funding for infrastructure projects.

Congress has thus far failed to reach consensus on a package. Improving the nation’s infrastructure remains one of the president’s unfulfilled promises as he seeks re-election.

Both Republicans and Democrats have some incentive to work together on a plan to rebuild the nation's infrastructure. But the opportunity for bipartisan action is ending quickly. WSJ's Gerald F. Seib explains. Photo: Getty

Sen. Klobuchar’s plan would focus on improving highways and bridges, including the nation’s more than 50,000 bridges deemed structurally deficient, while enhancing the nation’s seaports, airports and rail systems.

It would also emphasize fixing schools facing disrepair, improving public transit systems serving low-income neighborhoods, and strengthening wastewater treatment systems to provide clean drinking water.

The collapse of Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis in 2007 dramatized the crumbling of America’s infrastructure. Ms. Klobuchar obtained funding to rebuild the span.

Photo: Jim Mone/Associated Press

Sen. Klobuchar’s proposal would also provide Midwest communities dealing with extensive flooding with greater flood protection, an issue the senator is expected to discuss this week in Iowa. She would also set a goal of connecting every home to the internet by 2022, a concern in rural communities.

Beyond the $650 billion in federal funding, Ms. Klobuchar’s plan would create an independent infrastructure financing authority that would leverage $250 billion to $300 billion in direct loans and loan guarantees and issue a series of bonds that would support nearly $400 billion in investments in projects.

Most of the plan would be paid for by raising the corporate tax rate to 25% from 21%, aides said, and by establishing a financial risk fee on the nation’s largest banks, an approach that was championed during President Obama’s administration.

Sen. Klobuchar, who has served in the Senate since 2007, has long emphasized her work on improving roads and bridges. She scored an early legislative victory on infrastructure for her home state when she helped obtain funding for the rebuilding of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis, which collapsed into the Mississippi River in August 2007.

Write to Ken Thomas at ken.thomas@wsj.com

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