Hillary Clinton rolls out $275 billion infrastructure plan at launch of construction coalition

Updated Dec 4, 2015

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton rolled out a massive $275 billion infrastructure at the launch of her campaign’s new “Hard Hats for Hillary” coalition.

According to ABC News, the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination revealed her new five-year plan to invest in America’s infrastructure that would be paid for by business tax reform. Clinton made the announcement while speaking to a crowd in Boston to launch the coalition of union of road workers, bridge builders and other construction workers who support Clinton.

“To build a strong economy for our future we must start by building strong infrastructure today, and putting you and your members to work,” Clinton said. “I have a five-year, $275 billion plan to invest on our infrastructure, create good paying jobs and build the future America deserves. This would be on top of what the Congress should finally get around to authorizing. This is a down payment on our future.”

Clinton’s infrastructure plan is the launch of her campaign’s strategy to focus on jobs during December. Reuters reported that the Clinton campaign cited a study that showed infrastructure workers get paid a median salary of $38,810—several thousand dollars more a year than the national average.

“My jobs plan starts with investing in infrastructure,” Clinton said. “Not just because infrastructure jobs are good-paying jobs, though they are, and not just because we desperately need to invest in building our future again, which we do, but because investing in infrastructure makes our economy more productive and competitive across the board.”

Clinton also called on Congress to pass a long-term highway bill before the end of the year. Congress, after passing the 36th straight short-term patch, has until Dec. 4 to pass a bill, or transportation funding will expire.

Both chambers have already passed long-term transportation funding bills this year. The House passed the six-year, $325 billion Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act Nov. 5 with overwhelming bipartisan support. The Senate passed its long-term transportation bill called the DRIVE Act in June, but the House didn’t act on it because of certain concerns regarding funding—the bill had funding for three years, but made commitments for six.

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A bicameral conference committee has been meeting to work out a unified bill to send to President Barack Obama.