Miller serves as Michigan rep at Trump meeting on infrastructure

At the invitation of President Donald Trump, Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller will serve as Michigan’s representative on Thursday for a discussion at the White House on the nation’s infrastructure needs.

A former 14-year member of Congress, Miller will join governors and mayors who will meet with Vice President Mike Pence and then brief Trump on their conclusions.

The Harrison Township Republican said her public works agency’s $75 million repair of a massive sinkhole in Fraser, caused by an underground sewer collapse, is a “canary in the coal mine” example of the deteriorating infrastructure that has gone unchecked across the nation.

“I am honored to be able to bring Macomb County’s and Michigan’s voice to the table. As we deal with what may very well be the largest infrastructure emergency in the nation right now, we appreciate the president’s interest and his desire to hear directly about the needs of our local communities as we deal with these challenges,” Miller said.

Trump released a budget proposal this week that is designed to spur $1 trillion in new infrastructure spending over the next nine years. The president has also scheduled events this week to emphasize the infrastructure issue.

Speaking at a marina overlooking the Ohio River in Cincinnati this afternoon, Trump said, “It’s time to rebuild our country” and “to put America first.”

While Miller took the traditional approach, completing a $70 million municipal bond sale on Tuesday to fund most of the sewer and sinkhole repairs, Trump advocates a different path.

The president’s plan has been met with skepticism by many congressional Democrats because it does not call for $1 trillion in government spending. Instead, the federal government would provide $200 billion in tax credits to private investors that would generate private-public partnerships. Private companies would be enticed to participate and pony up the remaining $800 billion via promised cash flows generated by public revenues, such as highway toll booths.