Infrastructure package will land on Hill in a few weeks — Chao
Sixteen agencies have been preparing the broad package, she said, which will pack $200 billion in direct federal spending for a broad range of projects — from roads and bridges to broadband and energy infrastructure.
The taxpayer funds are aimed at “triggering” $1 trillion in private investment, she said.
Chao also promised the package would remove regulatory burdens to speed project development.
The administration first promised to bring up the infrastructure bill next fall after doing health care and tax reform, but it recently pushed up what is likely to be more of a bipartisan effort than other legislative priorities.
Chao also said the administration is looking at ways to prepare transportation workers, like truck drivers, for autonomous vehicles and other technologies. She urged companies involved in developing new technology to help educate the public about how drones and self-driving cars will change transportation.