Dem senator: I’m ‘optimistic’ we can pass an infrastructure bill

Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) said he is optimistic that lawmakers can pass an infrastructure package, as the Trump administration’s impending plan nears getting pushed into February.

“So I’m optimistic about most things, including being able to pass infrastructure legislation, with a big piece of that being transportation infrastructure,” Carper told Politico’s Money podcast.

{mosads}Carper, the ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said “there’s a good track record” for the panel, suggesting it bodes well for an agreement to fix America’s trains, bridges and roads.

“We have a good record, in the Environment and Public Works Committee though, of Democrats and Republicans working together,” he said.

Carper’s remarks come as President Trump’s infrastructure package may not come to fruition until next month.

Lawmakers are currently focused on striking a deal to keep the government’s lights on, a fight that has largely focused on immigration and border security.

The administration, late last year, had promised to produce “detailed legislative principles” on an infrastructure plan in January.

Trump has also suggested that Republicans and Democrats may be able to work together on infrastructure, saying in December that it “would be a perfect place to start.”