Many observers agree on the need for increased investment in America’s aging infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and airports. However, determining how to fund and finance infrastructure investment presents an important policy challenge. As it stands, the main source of U.S. infrastructure funding at the federal level — the Highway Trust Fund — is predicted to become insolvent this summer, underscoring the need to implement long-term policy solutions; adding to the urgency is the expiration of the surface transportation bill at the end of May 2015.
On May 11, as part of Infrastructure Week, The Hamilton Project and Building America’s Future hosted a public forum discussing the challenges of U.S. infrastructure financing and potential policy solutions. In conjunction with this event, The Hamilton Project released anew paper by Roger Altman of Evercore, Alan Krueger of Princeton University, and Aaron Klein of the Bipartisan Policy Center that proposes a multi-pronged approach to increase investment in the nation’s infrastructure.
Agenda
2:00 PM Welcome and Introductions
Robert E. Rubin
Co-Chair, Council on Foreign Relations
Former U.S. Treasury Secretary
2:10 PM Roundtable: Challenges and Opportunities in U.S. Infrastructure
Discussant: The Honorable Anthony Foxx
Secretary of Transportation, United States Department of Transportation
@SecretaryFoxx
Discussant: Roger Altman
Founder and Executive Chairman, Evercore
Discussant: Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro
United States Representative, Connecticut’s 3rd District
@rosadelauro
Discussant: Edward Rendell
45th Governor of Pennsylvania
Co-Chair, Building America’s Future
@GovEdRendell
Moderator: Albert Hunt
Bloomberg View Columnist, Bloomberg News
@AlHuntDC
3:15 PM Break
3:25 PM Roundtable: Infrastructure Financing
Author: Alan Krueger
Bendheim Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, Princeton University
@Alan_Krueger
Author: Aaron Klein
Director, Financial Regulatory Reform, Bipartisan Policy Center
@AaronKleinBPC
Discussant: Congressman John K. Delaney
United States Representative, Maryland’s 6th District
Discussant: Tyler Duvall
Principal, McKinsey & Company
Moderator: Melissa Kearney
Director, The Hamilton Project
4:30 PM Forum Adjourns
