Jim Burnley was quoted in NBC News on February 9, 2018, about President Trump's infrastructure plan and the proposed budget increase, including the infrastructure plan that was later negotiated to be included in the budget. The White House infrastructure plan's core concept relies primarily on "public-private" partnerships to repair America's ailing airports, roads, and bridges.
Commenting on the public-private partnership plan for the proposed infrastructure legislation, Mr. Burnley said a public-private partnership plan could be successful if it’s structured through loan programs that prioritize the neediest projects, an already proven model for success. "It's easy to be cynical about something like this," where the federal government isn’t just directly funding infrastructure, Burnley said. But "it's a starting point for the congressional debate," he said.