California officials may not be happy with President Trump’s immigration orders, but they are eager to get a piece of the $1 trillion infrastructure plan that he has promised.
State officials proposed a list of infrastructure projects on Wednesday that would require $100 billion in federal funds. Some of the projects include improving roads, bridges, levees, ports and public transportation according to the Los Angeles Times.
Although California Democrats have been critical of President Trump’s immigration policies, state officials have praised his massive infrastructure proposal. Trump promised to repair roads and bridges across the country in his inaugural address and California Gov. Jerry Brown responded last month in his State of the State address: “And I say, ‘Amen to that, man. Amen to that, brother.'”
The governor’s executive secretary, Nancy McFadden, wrote about the short-term and long-term effects the projects would have in a letter to the National Governors Association.
“In the short-term, these projects will benefit businesses up and down the state and put thousands to work — many in communities with the highest rates of unemployment,” McFadden wrote. “Long-term, this investment will have lasting, expansive economic benefits by moving goods and people faster, protecting vulnerable communities from flooding, bolstering emergency response capabilities, saving and storing more water and improving energy reliability.”
It is unclear whether or not the state will receive the requested funds due to the governor’s vow to protect people who are in his state illegally.
“Let me be clear: We will defend everybody — every man, woman and child — who has come here for a better life and has contributed to the well-being of our state,” Governor Brown said in his State of the State address.