Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) appeared to back the Trump infrastructure plan, including the proposal to privatize air traffic control, during a Tuesday interview on Fox Business.
Asked whether he believed the the air traffic control privatization proposal could work, Massie replied: “I think it’s completely possible, they’ve done it in other countries, they’ve got better air traffic control than we do, it’s certainly more modern in Canada and Australia where they’ve done this.”
The proposal has garnered plaudits from fiscal conservatives, receiving quick support from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).
Massie went on to mention his own bipartisan legislation to allow airports to raise their own revenue instead of asking the federal government for grants, and stated he hopes to get this into the ultimate infrastructure plan.
Massie, a member of the House Transportation Committee, is from a state, Kentucky, which has been particularly affected by poor infrastructure. President Trump is set to visit Kentucky later today where he is expected to unveil more details of his plan, particularly in relation to roads, bridges and waterways. Asked about the visit, the libertarian-minded lawmaker mentioned that while he will not be joining the President due to scheduled House votes, “we have three locks and dams in my congressional district, it’s like a major superhighway, people don’t think about our inland waterways but those were our first superhighways that the Founders had when they showed up, and we’ve been improving them, it’s a constitutional function, it’s a federal function, and so I’m glad to see President Trump talking about it.”
Although some anti-Trump libertarians have been deeply skeptical of the administration’s plan, this is not the first time Massie has expressed support for increased investment in infrastructure, having previously described it as “vital to our country” during an interview with Breitbart News.
