Public assets could be sold under Trump road plan

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that his administration’s efforts to create a more business-friendly regulatory environment in the U.S. will encourage private companies to invest in construction of public assets such as airports, bridges and highways. Trump is calling for federal spending of $200 billion over 10 years that administration officials say can be used to “incentivize” up to $800 billion in private, state and local spending on infrastructure. At the plan’s core is the assumption that private companies would enter into “public-private” partnerships with local and state governments. U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Southfield, is skeptical of such privatization plans. “There is a difference between government and private industry,” she said in an interview with The Detroit News. “One exists to make a profit and one exists to ensure the quality of life for its citizens. We had a glaring example of looking at just profit when we looked at Flint.”