特朗普基建计划为何这么久没落地？看看美国交通部长怎么说

美国总统特朗普在2016年竞选期间信誓旦旦地表示，要在基础设施方面投入约1万亿美元。但这项承诺至今还未兑现，就该问题的磋商也一再停滞。

上周二，美国交通部长赵小兰出席在科罗拉多州阿斯彭市举办的《财富》科技头脑风暴大会期间表示：“我们希望基础设施方面做些大调整。”

此前，赵小兰公开表态支持特朗普的基础设施计划，然而在过去两个基础设施宣传周活动里，特朗普几乎没有露面。

在解释基础设施方案拖这么久还未落地时，赵小兰表示，主要原因是就如何利用联邦政府拨发的2000亿美元负担1.5万亿美元的基础设施提案存在分歧。

“我们希望尽量促进两党达成共识，”她说，“其实基础设施提案的费用有很多解决方案。”

赵小兰特别提到，养老金、捐款，还有其他一些私营部门投资收益都可以填补基础设施计划的资金缺口。

当研讨会主持人《财富》总裁穆瑞澜问赵小兰，怎样应付特朗普政府看来永无休止的争议和人事震动时，她回答道，从某种程度上说，这种情况扎根在美国的基因里。

“美国是一个很年轻的国家，活力十足又充分实现民主。回顾一下国父们的著作就会发现，很多是匿名的。这个社会就是非常喧闹，喜欢争论。”

在发表这番言论以前，赵小兰刚为丈夫米奇·麦康奈尔辩解。之前有人抗议特朗普的移民政策造成移民家庭骨肉分离，而麦康奈尔是参议院多数党共和党的领袖。

今年6月末，赵小兰在一段视频里对抗议者说：“为什么不能放过我丈夫？为什么不放过我丈夫。”

被问及为何这届政府引起的争议格外多时，赵小兰指出网络扩散效应是主要原因。

“互联网带来的变化是，媒体可以7天24小时不断追踪，现在人们什么都知道。每个人都是记者，每个人都可以报道。当前是全方位互动的时代。”赵小兰表示。（财富中文网）

译者：Pessy

审校：夏林

President Donald Trump pledged to spend some $1 trillion on infrastructure while on the 2016 campaign trail. But such a promise has yet to materialize, with attempts to revive talks on the issue repeatedly stalling in Washington.

“We hope to do something big on infrastructure,” said Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao at Fortune’s annual Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen, Colo. last Tuesday.

Chao has vocally supported Trump’s plan of infrastructure in the past, even though Trump has held at least two “infrastructure weeks” with little to show for it.

When addressing why it is taking so long to address the issue, Chao said the delays stem from disagreements about how to pay for an $1.5 trillion infrastructure proposal using $200 billion from the federal government.

“We want to work on a bipartisan consensus,” she said, adding: “There are many ways of paying for for the infrastructure proposal.”

Specifically, Chao pointed to filling in the funding gaps with private sector investments, from pensions, endowments, and others.

When asked by panel moderator and Fortune president Alan Murray how she juggled the new administration’s seemingly never-ending controversies and shakeups, Chao argued that to an extent, it is built into the nation’s DNA.

“Our country is a very young country. It is robust, full democracy. If you look at the founding fathers and their writings, many of them are anonymous,” she said. “We are in a very argumentative, very raucous society.”

Those comments come after Chao defended her husband, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ala.) from protestors confronting McConnell over Trump’s immigration policy that led to the separation of parents and children.

“Why don’t you leave my husband alone?” She was videotaped saying in late June. “Why don’t you leave my husband alone.”

As to why this current administration seems particularly raucous, Chao pointed to the proliferation of the internet.

“What has changed is with 24/7 media, we now see everything. Every person here is a reporter. Every person is a journalist. We are seeing the full array of interactions,” she said.