To maximize US job creation in the short term, there must be whole-scale US infrastructure investments made.
But also, it should be done in a way that optimizes upfront CBO scoring to the US Government, over the long run.
So, how do you do that? There are many smart ways to do this. Let me present four ideas.
First, on the front end, you lay out wise user fees that will apply to as many US infrastructure investments as you can. Thus, in upfront CBO scoring, an estimate must be made of the future user fees that the US Government will receive, which will reduce the overall long-term net cash outflow from the US infrastructure investment.
Second, if you make US infrastructure investments that are designed to reduce future energy costs, an estimate of these future energy cost savings should be factored into the upfront CBO scoring of the infrastructure project.
Third, I think for all US infrastructure investments, there should be upfront minimum percentage requirements of the total job cost that must be for labor costs. This minimum labor cost percentage should wisely vary by type of infrastructure project.
By having these upfront minimum labor cost percentage requirements, the upfront CBO scoring should include the additional US federal income taxes and US payroll taxes, both of which the US Government will be receiving, related to the minimum labor cost requirements of the US infrastructure projects.
And fourth, if the US Government, perhaps through the use of an Infrastructure Bank, provides wisely designed, highly incentivized financing for Infrastructure projects performed by outside entities, like State and Local Governments, and Non-Profit Hospitals and other Non-Profit Organizations, the interest to be collected by the US Government from the financing of the infrastructure project will result in upfront substantially positive CBO scoring to the US Government.
