President Trump traveled to Richfield, Ohio Thursday and gave remarks to an audience made up of 400 union workers at the Local 18 Richfield Training Site.
After touting a series of campaign promises and progress during his first year in office, Trump detailed plans for revamping infrastructure around the country.
"Nearly 40 percent of our bridges were built before the first moon landing. Clogged roads force the average driver to spend 42 hours every year stuck in traffic, costing us $160 billion annually. Our mass transit systems are dilapidated and decayed. Nationwide, we average 300 power outages per year, compared to just five per year in the 1980s," Trump said. "We are going to rebuild America’s crumbling infrastructure."
"The plan I have outlined to Congress is built on four key principles. It can be
passed in one bill, or in a series of measures. What matters, is that we get the
job done," Trump continued. "First, we will invest in the American worker. Second, we will completely transform the horrible, costly and broken permitting process. The current permitting system is a total disaster – adding tremendous costs and years of endless delay to infrastructure projects all around the country. Third, we will provide a $50 billion commitment to build infrastructure in rural communities which are too often left behind. Fourth and finally, we will expand the reach of federal dollars through smart state and local partnerships."
President Trump was joined by White House Senior Advisor Ivanka Trump on the trip, along with Transportation Secretary Elaine Choa.
"We will transform our roads and bridges from a source of endless frustration into a source of incredible pride," he said. "There is no better place to begin this campaign than right here in Ohio, at this state-of-the-art training site, where the awesome skills of the American worker are forged and refined."
In addition to touting job growth and his infrastructure plan, Trump advocated for vocational education and two-year college programs to give workers the skills they need to enter the labor force.
"America's treasure is its people," he continued.