#POLITICS JANUARY 9, 2018 / 12:56 PM / UPDATED 15 MINUTES AGO

Bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers and officials in talks on infrastructure spending

Ginger Gibson
4 MIN READ

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of U.S. senators met with administration officials on Tuesday to discuss drafting legislation to spend $1 trillion on improving the country’s infrastructure, a goal that President Trump made a priority in the 2016 elections.

Passing an infrastructure bill in the Republican-controlled Congress to improve U.S. infrastructure like roads, airports, ports and railways, will likely require support from the Democratic party in the Senate where Republicans only have a slender majority.

Some Democrats have expressed a desire to see a bill passed, but mid-term congressional elections in November this year could make the politics of a bipartisan effort difficult.

Congress would need to find a way to fund an expensive infrastructure package and the cost could cause both Democrats and Republicans to oppose the legislation.

Many Republicans want to use private sector investment to finance infrastructure projects to avoid increasing the national debt but Democrats think that government money is necessary to produce such a large package.

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