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During his presidential campaign, Trump said he would push for a
$1 trillion infrastructure program to rebuild roads, bridges,
airports and other public works projects.
The lunch meeting is set to include real estate, management
consulting, private equity and other business leaders, along
with at least one environmental group, a person briefed on the
matter said.
Last month, Trump touted the plan in an address to Congress.
"The time has come for a new program of national rebuilding,"
Trump said.
"To launch our national rebuilding, I will be asking Congress to
approve legislation that produces a $1 trillion investment in
infrastructure of the United States - financed through both
public and private capital - creating millions of new jobs."
The American Society of Civil Engineers has graded U.S.
infrastructure at D+ and estimated the country needs to invest
$3.6 trillion by 2020.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao told Fox News last
month that the needs for infrastructure are so great the federal
government cannot shoulder all the costs.
"Public private partnerships are a very important part of a new
way of financing our roads and bridges that are in disrepair and
our very dangerous," Chao said.
In January, Trump signed an executive order aimed at expediting
environmental reviews and approvals for all infrastructure
projects, especially high priority projects "such as improving
the U.S. electric grid and telecommunications systems and
repairing and upgrading critical port facilities, airports,
pipelines, bridges, and highways."
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Robert Birsel)
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