White House 1600 Daily: The plan to rebuild rural America

The plan to rebuild rural America “Throughout American history, we have been recognized as a global leader in many areas, but we are in distinct danger of squandering advantages we hold over other countries when it comes to our infrastructure system,” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue writes this week in the pages of the Des Moines Register. Secretary Perdue is right—and he wisely points out that President Donald J. Trump’s infrastructure plan would steer the Nation back toward prosperity, “particularly in rural America.” Here is how: – President Trump’s plan allocates $50 billion, a quarter of all Federal funds in the plan, to empower rural America to address the infrastructure needs of its communities. – The plan will give states the flexibility to address the unique needs of their rural residents without a flurry of bureaucratic commands from Washington. – The Rural Infrastructure Program will build upon efforts the Administration has already undertaken to expand broadband access in rural America. “We have to make sure American farmers and their families, wherever they may be, wherever they may go, have the infrastructure projects that they need to compete and grow,” President Trump said. Learn how the Trump Administration is rebuilding rural infrastructure for the 21st century. Bonus read: Secretary Perdue says rural America will see ‘major benefits’

‘The end of immigration enforcement in America’ Last week, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced legislation that would provide a pathway to citizenship for 1.8 million DACA-eligible illegal immigrants in exchange for border security resources and reforms to America’s broken Visa Lottery and chain migration immigrant systems. “A simple, common-sense framework that can address everyone’s concerns,” Sen. Grassley called the bill last week. Regrettably, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) led an effort to propose entirely new legislation that ignores the deep problems with the Visa Lottery and chain migration systems altogether. The Department of Homeland Security offered its stark assessment: The Schumer bill “would be the end of immigration enforcement in America.” Here is an in-depth comparison of the two proposals:

‘Small-business confidence hits record high’ “Small-business confidence is surging in 2018 as optimism rises among small-business owners about the newly enacted tax-reform package,” Kate Rogers writes for CNBC. The Small Business Confidence Index, produced by CNBC and SurveyMonkey, confirms the findings from numerous recent polls: Americans are seeing positive results from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that President Trump signed shortly before Christmas. The index ticked up five points, from 57 to 62, reaching a record high with the largest quarter-to-quarter surge seen since the index launched. Furthermore, a majority of Americans now support the tax law, according to a New York Times poll conducted by SurveyMonkey earlier this month. “Public opinion is moving in the direction of this bill,” Chief Research Officer for SurveyMonkey Jon Cohen said to the Times. Read more: A majority of Americans now support the tax law, the Washington Examiner reports

POTUS TODAY

This morning, President Trump will discuss the Economic Report of the President with the Council of Economic Advisers before having lunch with the Administrator of the Small Business Administration. This afternoon, the President will meet with trade union leaders and later, along with Vice President Mike Pence, host a listening session with high school students and teachers. Today, the Vice President will lead the second meeting of the National Space Council, “Moon, Mars, and Worlds Beyond: Winning the Next Frontier,” and participate in a tour of Kennedy Space Center.