cities group wants greater washington role

In an effort to make the country aware of crumbling infrastructure issues in urban areas, the National League of Cities is planning to build on a position paper issued last month called Rebuild With Us.

That document called for a greater partnership between America’s cities and the federal government to “address the existing core infrastructure backlog.”

The document additionally declared that “cities are already paying their fair share and need a steady partner to fund existing national programs and make significant capital investments for the long-term benefit of the economy.”

In so doing, the group, which represents 19,000 cities, towns, and villages, has also called for the increased funding of water infrastructure programs as well as the establishment of a national broadband grant program for cities with populations of up to 20,000 people.

In a statement, Mark Stodola, NLC president, has criticized President Trump’s fiscal year 2019 budget, saying that it includes “$3 trillion in domestic cuts over ten years, many of which Congress has already rejected twice.”

The NLC has been particularly critical of reductions in spending for Community Development Block Grants, Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grants, and brownsfields redevelopment funding.  

“Our country faces a historic bipartisan opportunity to maintain, expand, and modernize our economy’s backbone,” said Stodola. “But the administration risks squandering that opportunity by proposing a $1.5 trillion infrastructure package with one hand while slashing successful local investment programs with the other.”

By Garry Boulard