After Amtrak Crash, Trump Plugs ‘Soon To Be Submitted Infrastructure Plan’

Emergency services respond to a mass casualty incident after Amtrak train 501 derailed onto Interstate 5 in DuPont, Wash, on December 18, 2017. The train was part of a new high speed service between Seattle and Portl... Emergency services respond to a mass casualty incident after Amtrak train 501 derailed onto Interstate 5 in DuPont, Wash, on December 18, 2017. The train was part of a new high speed service between Seattle and Portland. (Photo by Alex Milan Tracy/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images) MORE LESS
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President Donald Trump on Monday used a multi-casualty train crash to plug his promise to invest in the nation’s infrastructure.

Multiple people were killed after an Amtrak train crashed during its first trip on a new route outside Tacoma, Washington, a spokesperson for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department confirmed Monday.

The President further addressed the incident during a speech later in the day.

Trump campaigned on the promise of a trillion-dollar investment in infrastructure projects nationwide.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean his administration supports spending that much in tax dollars. Rather, Trump administration officials have promoted a plan of funding so-called public-private partnerships — in other words, publicly financing a fraction of that total sum in exchange for private companies further investing in, and profiting from, infrastructure projects.

Unnamed White House officials told CNBC earlier this month that details of a plan could emerge in January ahead of Trump’s first State of the Union address.

This post has been updated.

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