President Donald Trump's big-picture administration goals of bolstering U.S. infrastructure and streamlining the governmental approval process are as grand as they are challenging – more money, more problems – The New York Times chronicled in-depth Sunday.
Among the biggest challenges to achieving President Trump's stated mission to stop allowing "the infrastructure of our magnificent country to crumble and decay" are five "obstacles" as outlined by the Times:
- Politics and politicians can get in the way.
- State and local red tape can be stifling: "The law generally does not allow the federal government to pre-empt permitting decisions made by state and local officials," the Times wrote. "So even before federal delays might come into play, some projects are dead — or close to it — on arrival."
- The federal government may not always have jurisdiction: "Some projects that are big drivers of the economy do not involve federal approvals," the Times wrote. "Delays result from state and local decisions, and Mr. Trump — or any federal official for that matter — does not have the standing to intervene."
- Environmental impact concerns can be restrictive: "Building of any sort has environmental consequences, and big building can have big consequences, making environmental objections a central factor in delaying federal projects," the Times wrote.
- Myriad government agencies do not always agree.
President Trump issued an executive order in August to help streamline infrastructure plans, but the administration has had to back-burner building plans after a fall of major hurricane relief packages, failures in efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare, government budget and spending approvals, issues over immigration like DACA, and the current year-end push for tax reform.