Can Trump’s Infrastructure Plan Navigate the Political Potholes?

The steel industry stands to be a major beneficiary of the $1.5 trillion in infrastructure improvements proposed by President Trump in his State of the Union address on Tuesday, but don’t count on the extra government business anytime soon.

Not unlike his plan to build a border wall paid for by Mexico rather than the U.S., the president contends repairs to the nation’ aging roads and bridges can be paid for mostly with money from state and local governments, along with private investors. Trump has proposed spending just $200 billion in federal money from unspecified budget cuts over the next decade to spur the additional $1.3 trillion in spending from other sources—a far-fetched funding formula that is unlikely to receive the necessary support from a divided Congress in an election year, say many experts.