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Even as Congress was away from Washington for part of April for lawmakers’ annual Easter recess, there were growing signs in the nation’s capital that the White House’s much-discussed infrastructure plan may have no legislative future.  Even President Trump himself admitted that any action on the plan is unlikely prior to the November elections.

Speaking at a March 29 rally in Richfield, Ohio, Trump told a crowd of union workers, “I don’t think you’re going to get Democrat support [for the infrastructure plan] very much.  And you’ll probably have to wait until after the election, which isn’t so long down the road.”

The White House did not elaborate on the remarks, but since the unveiling of the plan in February the president has noticeably avoided making a concerted push for action on Capitol Hill.  This, combined with the fact that the White House did not produce legislative text nor a plan to pay for the proposal – choosing instead to have Congress work out those details – has led many observers to speculate that lawmakers would not make the president’s plan a priority in the coming months.  Indeed, several congressional leaders have spoken recently of enacting some sort if infrastructure package – potentially including components such as a new Water Resources Development Act or a reauthorization of the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund – but few have come out with a full-throated endorsement of the White House plan.

It also seems unlikely that Congress would turn its attention to legislation based on the White House infrastructure plan after the election, as President Trump suggested at the Ohio rally.  Democrats would still be disinclined to support the plan regardless of the outcome of the elections, and Republicans – should they lose control of one or both chambers – would be unlikely to focus on a massive, unpaid-for infrastructure bill as their last legislative act before leaving office.  And even if Republicans maintain their hold on both chambers, it is not clear why they would suddenly embrace the White House plan they avoided the prior year.

Another ominous sign for the infrastructure plan came on April 3, when reports surfaced that D.J. Gribbin, President Trump’s lead staffer on infrastructure policy and the main architect of the White House infrastructure plan, plans to leave the administration.  The reason for his exit was not immediately known, but Gribbin was the White House’s top advocate for the infrastructure plan, so his departure leaves the administration without a key voice to pitch it to lawmakers this year.