and won t be able to compete with other world powers, we need a partner in the white house and in washington, d.c. to help us move not just american cities but all americans forward. you touched on two things that are near and dear to me in terms of infrastructure, a lot of rhetoric but we ve not really seen the commitment towards infrastructure. that is badly needed in cities and other rural areas around this country, we re literally have places that are falling apart and are in disrepair. and when you talk about we ve got a plan for the future, one of the things that even in national action network my civil rights group we re dealing with is technology the digital divide because we re not getting our young people prepared for the economy that will happen in their lifetime. sometimes when we say to future, people think we re talking about buy and buy when the morning come, we re talking about what s eminent and and what we re not
preparing our communities for. you re right, i appreciate the national action network and work you ve been doing in helping raise the issue of the technological opportunities before us. 75% of all american insfra structure being built by cities and states across the country, we re talking about significant, maybe $5 trillion need, every billion dollars we spend puts 15,000 people to work. you think about men and women who have been dislocated from the american economic system since before they finish puberty because of bad decisions they ve made, the ability to put so many back to work and solve so many challenges facing our community but not just that infrastruct e infrastructure, the 21st century infrastructure, build out small cell networks that allow us to have driverless cars and broadband and at the same time not just having broadband be u bik us to but closing the
president or his senior staff at the white house? i have the opportunity to meet with the president elect trump back in september of 2016 and met again earlier this year to discuss infrastructure and other great and missed opportunity opportunity for america. it s not the engagement should be, we have so many opportunities for us reverend sharpton. the opportunity to put millions of americans back to work building and rebuilding almost $5 trillion of american infrastructure, we re watching the world change dramatically, automation and future of work is very different. 65% of the kids in kindergarten right now will grow up and work in jobs that don t even exist right now. what does that mean? that means if we don t innovate and don t work together to create ladders of opportunity for everyone to live up to their god given potential, then america won t be as competitive
initial $1.5 trillion in the deficit, you can t spend federal dollars. without spending federal dollars, let s be clear about it, any infrastructure bill passed is a joke. it will do nothing to repair the woeful state of the infrastructure. in particular for the d.r.e.a.m.ers, i ll quote, the democrats have been told and fully understand there can be no daca without the desperately needed wall at the southern border and an end to the horrible chain migration and ridiculous lottery system of immigration, et cetera. we must protect our country at all costs. i recall from that new york times piece from about a week ago now on a meeting about immigration that reportedly took place in the oval office in june, how the president feels about this issue of the d.r.e.a.m.ers. quote from that quickly. during the transition his aides drafted an executive order to end the program known as deferred action for childhood
tribes. we need leaders who know america is made up of neighborhoods, nas neighborhoods. we need leaders that will stand up for core values, equal treatment. the former vice president talking about the need for mayors and gov dmoernors to do . do you see that happening? also former mayor. of course. yeah, i do. what s happening, washington is devolving more of responsibilities to states and municipaliti municipalities, but that means the states and municipalities have to be the bad guys and raise taxes. you ve seen it in infrastruct e infrastructure, 26 states, the reddest of the red have increased gas taxes but that s not enough to repair the american infrastructure. it s important. we democrats make a mistake if