President Trump continues to court construction unions, telling the North America’s Building Trades Unions annual legislative conference that he wants to rebuild infrastructure, streamline project permitting and reduce undocumented labor. Many of the estimated 2,500 attendees at the Washington, D.C., meeting welcomed Trump’s April 4 speech but wanted assurances the administration will leave intact Davis-Bacon Act prevailing-wage protections.
Trump said, “I have spent my life working side by side with American builders, and now you have a builder as your president.” He drew an ovation when he reiterated his push for a $1-trillion infrastructure program. “I’m calling on all Americans—Democrat, Republican and Independent—to take part in the great rebuilding of our country,” he said. Trump promised to speed up the project-approval process “so that long-delayed projects can finally move ahead.”