President Trump is donating his first-quarter salary to the Department of Transportation to help with their programs to rebuild infrastructure, the White House said Tuesday.
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao accepted the check from White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The president’s annual salary is $400,000; he has donated previous checks to issues including the opioid crisis and the National Park Service.
Mrs. Chao said infrastructure “is the backbone of our economy.” Mr. Trump unveiled a $1.5 trillion plan for rebuilding roads and bridges Monday, based on $200 billion of federal funding over a decade.
“The president’s proposal will create new jobs, strengthen our economy and improve the quality of life for everyone,” she said.
Getting full funding for the program is a big question. Asked about raising the federal gas tax of 18.4 cents per gallon, Mrs. Chao said the president “has not declared anything out of bounds.”
But she said raising the gas tax “is not ideal” because it has a “very regressive impact” on lower-income citizens.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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