The top story this week under the Trump administration is undeniably the long-anticipated testimony of James Comey, former director of the FBI. Comey testified on Thursday before the Senate Intelligence committee, and stated that the White house had spread "lies, plain and simple" about him and the FBI. He also stated his belief that Trump fired him in order to prevent him from further investigating the alleged ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump presidential campaign. Comey's testimony, while incendiary, was not flattering for any party involved. If Trump was truly obstructing justice as Commander in Chief, then Comey is at fault for not taking action while he was still serving as director of the FBI.
Despite the flurry of press coverage over Comey's testimony, this past week was also Infrastructure Week at the White House. President Trump's infrastructure plan involves spending $200 billion in government money while simultaneously using tax breaks to tempt private businesses to invest more in building projects themselves. Trump has also stated that his administration would slash regulations in order to keep the government "out of the way" of private projects. The total price tag of the infrastructure plan, including the projected spending of states and local governments, would reach $1 trillion.
However, despite infrastructure being one area that might inspire compromise between political parties, there has been very little progress with regard to passing any impactful legislation through Congress. This is largely due to the fact that despite making grand, sweeping promises and proposals, the administration has provided little to no specifics about how exactly it plans to fortify the nation's infrastructure. For example, the Trump administration had said that it would unveil details about how it planned to spend on rural infrastructure during the president's speech in Cincinnati on Wednesday. Yet the press release that same Wednesday only stated, "Rural America will receive grants to rebuild crippled bridges, roads, and waterways," and there continue to be no further details about the plan at this time.
Rural America in truth has much to worry about under Trump's new budget proposals in addition to his infrastructure plans. Trump ran on a campaign promise to bring jobs back to the United States, which gained him support in traditionally Democratic yet economically struggling states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. However, the president's proposals cut over $2 billion from federal job training programs (40% of the total budget). In economically vulnerable areas, such as the Rust Belt, these programs provide a means for unemployed individuals to enter the workforce. They are important for millions of people, and for both full-fledged adults and young adults alike. The former may need training for modernized workplaces, whereas the latter may not have had sufficient opportunities to enter the workforce at all. Senior citizens, veterans, and the disabled also benefit from these programs. The same voters that rallied to Trump's calls for a nationalistic outlook on job creation are those that would be hurt the most by the president's budget.
