WASHINGTON (AP) – Senate Democrats say they’ll offer a proposal to spend $1 trillion on transportation and other infrastructure projects over 10 years in an attempt to engage President Donald Trump on an issue where they hope to find common ground.

Illinois Democrat Dick Durbin told “The Big John Howell Show” on WLS that rebuilding the nation’s roads, bridges, and tunnels, is good for the economy.    “I think that there’s bipartisan support for infrastructure.   There should be.  It’s the one thing government does which we believe can keep a business, attract a business, create some good-paying jobs.   The question we get down to always is how will we pay for it and whether or not we can find the resources to invest.”

To pay for infrastructure improvements, Durbin suggests raising the federal gas tax.   “I think most Americans believe that the federal gas tax they’re currently paying, invested back in the highways is the right thing to do.   If it reduces congestion the drive time on the Kennedy or the Dan Ryan or the Eisenhower in the morning, it makes life a lot more pleasant for commuters and it means that businesses have a better opportunity to expand and create good-paying jobs.”

Democrats plan to offer the proposal at a news conference Tuesday. Details provided to The Associated Press include a $200 million “vital infrastructure fund” to pay for projects of national significance.

An example of the types of projects that could be eligible for financing from the fund is the Gateway Program to repair and replace aging rail lines and tunnels between New York and New Jersey.

Republican leaders are unlikely to embrace the plan. They’ve said previously that they’re waiting for Trump to offer his own proposal.    But given Trump’s past support for infrastructure spending, Democrats are hoping to drive a wedge between the new President and Republicans on the issue.

@ 2017 WLS-AM News