Exclusive–Ted Budd: GAIIN Act an ‘Outside the Box’ Solution to America’s Infrastructure Woes

Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC) told Breitbart News in an exclusive comment Friday that the GAIIN Act serves as a “unique” and “outside the box” solution to America’s infrastructure woes.

Congressman Budd told Breitbart News regarding his support for the GAIIN Act, the Generating American Infrastructure and Income Now (GAIIN) Act, which would require the Department of Agriculture to sell off its distressed assets worth more than $50 billion, pay down America’s debt, and fund infrastructure projects in rural districts and America’s inner cities.

The legislation has gained significant bipartisan support in the House, as many members of the House Freedom Caucus, including Budd, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) support the legislation.

The North Carolina Republican told Breitbart News that the GAIIN Act serves as a significant step in the right direction for solving America’s infrastructure woes and has built a “unique” coalition to garner strong Republican and Democrat support for the bill.

“It’s a major step in the right direction. Not only have we come up with a mechanism to fund infrastructure projects in low-income areas across the country without raising taxes, but we’ve also put together a unique coalition,” Budd said.

Funding a dynamic infrastructure proposal faces many partisan hurdles, as many Republicans, conservatives, and even many Democrats oppose an increase in the federal gas tax, which hurts low-income Americans the most. Many Republicans oppose a repeal of the Trump tax cuts, which Democrats such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have proposed to fund a $1-2 trillion infrastructure program.

Congressman Budd said that the GAIIN Act serves as an “outside the box” solution that could crack open the logjam in Congress regarding a potential bipartisan infrastructure package.

I think there’s a hunger among many in the House to get an infrastructure bill across the finish line. The devil’s always in the details, but crumbling roads, bridges, and airports aren’t a red or blue problem – it’s something that affects us all,” Rep. Budd explained. “Whenever we talk about doing a bill like this, the hangup is always in how to pay for it. So we thought outside the box a little bit and came up with a bill that could send crucial funds to poorer areas in urban and rural communities across the country by selling off distressed assets currently owned by the government. ”

As Leader McCarthy announced his support for the GAIIN Act, Budd told Breitbart News that several Republican offices have reached out to him regarding the GAIIN Act. Rep. Budd said that the legislation will only continue to garner more support because it’s bipartisan and invests in rural districts and urban cities that need the investment the most.

Rep. Budd said, “We’ve seen Leader McCarthy mention this several times recently, and a number of Republican offices have reached out to us about it. I think the GAIIN Act should certainly be a part of the conversation for three reasons: it’s bipartisan, it wouldn’t explode the debt, and it would focus on the areas that need the investment the most.”