Trump Celebrates Truckers And Again Teases Infrastructure Bill

From EjWiki

President Trump saluted America's truckers Thursday as he stood alongside the 'beautiful, beautiful' rigs of the country's major shipping companies including FedEx and UPS. 

'We say thank God for truckers - that will be our theme, thank God for truckers,' the president said, characterizing the workforce as 'heroes,' as his guests told anecdotes about hauling essential supplies to medical professional and first responders. 

At the South Lawn event, the president again teased an infrastructure package telling the truckers, 'We're working very strongly on an infrastructure package. And if we get some Democrat support, you're going to have some nice roads again.' 






President Trump appeared on the South Lawn and immediately pet one of the large rigs parked outside as part of a 'celebrating America's truckers' event Thursday 







President Trump again teased getting an infrastructure bill passed, despite infrastructure being pushed off for more pressing priorities like adding funds to the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program 







President Trump stood alongside four truckers and several large rigs, calling the truckers 'heroes' and applauding them for being more 'essential' than him 







Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao (right) also appeared at the truckers event with President Trump (left) at the White House Thursday 














'Nice, beautiful roads again,' the president continued, adding that it was 'potentially a $2 trillion package.' 

Trump has talked about signing an infrastructure bill since the beginning of his presidency - but it's never happened. Since then, Used Semi Trucks everytime the White House tried to hold an 'infrastructure week' something calamitous has happened - with the term becoming a running joke among the White House press corps. 

And while earlier this month there was chatter about infrastructure becoming part of the large Congressional recovery package, those provisions haven't been included, and don't look like they're a priority as lawmakers devise what will be in CARES 2, the next coronavirus pandemic package. 

'While I'm very much in favor of doing some things [in CARES 2] to meet the needs - clean water, more broadband and the rest of that - that may have to wait for a bill beyond this,' Pelosi said on April 3. 

The partisan bickering on Thursday centered around adding more funds to the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection.

'It is now depleted - $350 billion is now depleted - they want it, they have to have it,' Trump said at the trucking event.  

Republicans on Capitol Hill want a one-off bill to fill the program's coffers, while Democrats argue that hospitals and state governments also need propped up now. 

One Democratic source likened Trump bringing up infrastructure again to 'trying to build a house from the roof down' and called the move 'not surprising.' 

'But also not realistic,' the source said. 'The SBA program is a mess - aside from simply needing money, states and local governments are crashing and hospitals are waiting.' 

At Thursday's event, Trump arrived on the South Lawn and immediately pet one of the large rigs that flanked the presidential podium, calling the Used Semi Trucks 'the real deal.' 

'You wouldn't swith jobs with anybody would you, huh? I know the truckers, they wouldn't switch with anybody,' the president said. 

He lauded the truckers for remaining on the roads amid the pandemic. 

'At a time of widespread shutdowns, truck drivers form the lifeblood of our economy,' Trump said. 'In the war against the virus, truckers are the foot soldiers who are really carrying us to victory. They've done an incredible job. We have no problems.' 

Trump then listed some of the things the administration specifically did to keep truckers it their drivers' seats.    

'My administration is devoting every ounce of our energy and every fiber of our bodies to give a tremendous - really create a border, create something very powerful against this virus, this horrible virus,' Trump began.  

He said that they had gotten rid of some of the red tape to allow drivers to drive more hours and deemed private truck stop employees 'essential' just like the drivers themselves.






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'Do you know we call you all essential?' Trump asked the four truck drivers who surrounded him, Used Semi Trucks along with Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao. 'There are very few people called essential. I don't know if they call me essential,' he joked. 'I'm not sure about that.' 

He presented each of the four drivers with a ceremonial gold key and asked them to speak, with the drivers detailing how they've helped the coronavirus effort.  

Stephen Richardson, a Tennessee-based driver for Big G Express, who was representing the American Trucking Associations, said he was usually on the road 'hauling barrels for a company called Jack Daniels out of Lynchburg, Tennessee.'

'They make some of the greatest Tennessee whiskey if I can say, I've had a few swigs here and there,' Richardson said. 

But due to the coronavirus, Jack Daniels now makes hand sanitizer, Richardson said. 

'And by me hauling the barrels it allows the company on the front end to do something for agriculture in our area, it also allows the company to make hand sanitizer, which I think is great,' Richardson said.  















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