Press Release - Building a Stronger America: Rural Infrastructure for the 21st Century

BUILDING STRONGER RURAL COMMUNITIES: President Donald J. Trump's Infrastructure Initiative will help ensure Americans living in rural communities have access to the quality infrastructure they deserve.

• The President's infrastructure plan will establish a Rural Infrastructure Program to invest in rebuilding and modernizing rural infrastructure.
• President Trump's plan allocates $50 billion to empower rural America to address the infrastructure needs of their communities.
• The $50 billion dedicated to rural America represents 25 percent of all Federal funds in the President's plan.
  • 80 percent of the Rural Infrastructure Program funds will go directly to the governor of each State as determined by a formula.
  • 20 percent of the Rural Infrastructure Program funds will be provided to selected States that apply for Rural Performance Grants.
  • President Trump's Rural Infrastructure Program will seek to:
  • Use outcomes-driven planning efforts and capital improvements to rebuild and modernize rural infrastructure.
  • Grow business revenues and personal incomes in rural areas by expanding access to markets, customers, and employment opportunities.
  • Enhance regional connectivity for rural communities through interregional and interstate projects developed by the public and private sectors.
  • Spur economic growth and competitiveness by closing infrastructure gaps to attract more development and manufacturing investments in rural America.
• The President's plan will set aside a portion of the Federal funds for Tribal and territorial infrastructure.

FUNDING FLEXIBILITY: The President's plan will give states the flexibility to address the unique needs of their rural communities.

• States will be provided funding without burdensome bureaucratic commands on how they should spend it.
• The Federal funding provided by the President's plan will not be awarded in pre-packaged, asset-specific amounts, as is often the case in other Federal programs.
• Funds provided under the President's proposal will go directly to the governor's office of the State receiving funds.
  • This will allow Governors to make investments based on the individual infrastructure needs of their rural communities.

BROAD ELIGIBILITY: President Trump's plan will make a broad range of infrastructure assets eligible for funding under his Rural Infrastructure Program.

• President Trump's infrastructure plan will enable the rebuilding and modernization of rural infrastructure across a broad range of asset classes.
• The array of broad asset classes eligible for funding under President Trump's plan will include:
  • Transportation projects which will rebuild roads, bridges, railways, and other vital infrastructure.
  • Broadband deployment projects which will improve access for rural communities.
  • Water and waste projects to help ensure rural families have access to clean water.
  • Power and electric projects to provide rural areas with reliable, affordable power.
  • Water resources projects to better manage flood risk and improve rural water supplies and waterways.

RURAL BROADBAND ACCESS: President Trump understands how important expanding broadband access is to ensuring a better quality of life and increasing economic opportunity for rural Americans.

• President Trump has made clear that broadband should be an infrastructure priority.
• The President's plan will provide States with the flexibility to invest in the needs of their rural communities, including broadband.
• Given the level of discretion granted to states under the President's Rural Infrastructure Program, governors can spend 100 percent of the Federal funds they receive under the Program on broadband.
• The Program will build upon efforts this Administration has already undertaken to expand broadband access in rural America, such as the Executive Order signed by the President in January on "Streamlining and Expediting Requests to Locate Broadband Facilities in Rural America."