Joy-Ann Reid slams Donald Trump over his harmful and corrupt new “infrastructure” plan

| 6:54 pm EDT June 3, 2017
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Donald Trump promised he would roll out an infrastructure plan, but instead he’s merely announced today that he’s going to privatize air traffic control and sell off America’s roads and bridges to private for-profit companies. That didn’t sit well with MSNBC host Joy-Ann Reid, who pointed out the myriad ways in which it’s a bad idea and a corrupt one.

Reid laid into Trump’s privatization plan in a series of tweets, which we’ve strung together here. “Now Trump wants to privatize air traffic control and sell off our roads, bridges and airports to private companies,” she began, linking to this article announcing the news. “And recall what he said in Saudi Arabia: that the royals there were looking to make US infrastructure investments. Get ready for Saudi roads and bridges and airports owned and operated for a profit by Trump’s overseas pals and tolls and jacked up fees paid to Saudi princes!”

She continues: “I definitely will cut way back on flying if they privatize air traffic control. Who would vet the private companies controlling air safety? Once Trump lifts sanctions, could Russia buy in? No thanks, Donald. I’ll take the train. And once private companies own the airports will they hire private security contractors instead of TSA? Like say, Erik Prince’s mercenaries? The opportunities for graft are literally endless. As Sarah Kendzior has said, he’s stripping America for parts.”

“Will there be any prohibition on the Kushners buying up roads, bridges and airports? How about the Trump boys, or anonymous foreign LLCs? What Trump seems to be proposing is a graft bonanza allowing private companies, perhaps some foreign, to sell us access to our own roads. By the way this is happening already, with states putting toll highways up for sale since the Bush II years. But it sounds like Trump wants to take a bad Republican idea and accelerate it, to include our air safety infrastructure and airports too. This is madness, and you’ve got to wonder what won’t he sell? Our national parks? Our rail lines? Anything. Ugh.” You can read Joy-Ann Reid’s full thread on the matter here. Her MSNBC show airs on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to noon.