Construction companies buy Fox News ads to hit Trump on infrastructure

Angered by Trump’s complete failure to pass the massive infrastructure spending bill he promised, companies that make construction equipment are targeting Trump directly — by buying ads on Fox News.

“The Association of Equipment Manufacturers is airing a 30-second ad starting Monday on ‘Fox and Friends’ and other programs Trump is known to watch,” Bloomberg reports. “It’s the cornerstone of a ‘Mission Not Accomplished’ campaign urging Washington to make upgrading public works a priority.”

By running ads on programs Trump is known to watch obsessively, manufacturers are making their message to Trump personal.

Trump promised during the 2016 campaign that his administration would spend lavishly on road construction, bridge repairs, and other infrastructure programs.

This kind of spending would stimulate the U.S. economy — and it’s badly needed. The American Society of Civil Engineers has estimated that planned spending on U.S. infrastructure over the next decade is $2 trillion short of what is needed.

“When you go out there and you campaign and you say you’re going to make a difference by infrastructure investment, we want to hold people accountable,” said Dennis Slater, president of the association that represents more than 950 companies.

Infrastructure spending bills are typically seen as non-controversial and often enjoy bipartisan support — but not Trump’s. His proposal calls for a sharp reduction in government funding for public transportation.

And even that terrible idea has gone nowhere in Congress — like so much of Trump’s legislative agenda. Instead of working on passing laws, the White House remains mired in constant scandal. And there’s virtually no chance that a bill to pay for road repairs will be advanced prior to November’s midterm elections.

That means key infrastructure programs are stalling, jobs aren’t being created, and the U.S. economy is losing out.

Large equipment manufacturers like Caterpillar are becoming just the latest sector of big business to realize that Trump’s campaign promises aren’t worth anything.

Even worse, Trump’s policies — or in this case, his lack of policies — are doing real harm to U.S. companies’ bottom lines.

For instance, Rust Belt manufacturers are bracing for big losses as a result of Trump’s reckless trade war.

Michigan-based Whirlpool last month blamed Trump’s tariffs for the company’s weak second-quarter earnings. Wisconsin-based Harley-Davidson announced it expects to sustain about $50 million in increased costs this year because of Trump’s trade war.

And the entire U.S. auto industry is bracing for Trump’s plan to hit imported automobiles with major tariffs. “Trump’s trade war could devastate Detroit,” NBC News recently noted.

Clearly, Trump is just bad for business.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.