WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump’s meeting with top Democrats (all times local):
10:35 a.m.
The White House says President Donald Trump is the “guy who lowers taxes,” appearing to rule out hiking the federal gasoline tax to pay for infrastructure repairs.
Trump is meeting with congressional Democrats after they asked to meet to discuss projects to rebuild roads, bridges and other infrastructure. But one big issue is how to pay for the repairs. The nation’s top business groups and labor unions support increasing the federal tax, currently 18.3 cents a gallon since it was last raised in 1993.
Asked whether Trump supports raising the gas tax, White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said: “This president is the guy who lowers taxes.”
Conway acknowledged that “there’s no question” that infrastructure repairs need to be paid for.
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12:20 a.m.
The last time President Donald Trump sat down with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, the president walked out in a huff and dismissed their government shutdown talks as a “total waste of time.”
Nearly four months later, the leaders are coming together again Tuesday, this time in search of a plan to fix the country’s crumbling infrastructure.
It’s seen as the issue with the best chance for the two sides to work together this Congress — and even that isn’t given good odds for a fruitful ending.
Pelosi and Schumer sent Trump a letter in advance of the meeting outlining their priorities. They said they want to hear from him on how to pay for the improvements, sure to be a sticking point.
