--- title: Can Washington Fix Infrastructure? description: Speaker of the House Paul Ryan warned the House Freedom Caucus if they obstruct, the President might start dealing with Democrats. canonical: https://time.com/4718089/can-washington-fix-infrastructure/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-03-30T16:47:45.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T08:26:35.366Z article:section: Politics og:title: Can Washington Fix Infrastructure? og:description: Speaker of the House Paul Ryan warned the House Freedom Caucus if they obstruct, the President might start dealing with Democrats. og:url: https://time.com/4718089/can-washington-fix-infrastructure/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Morning Must Reads og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Can Washington Fix Infrastructure? twitter:description: Speaker of the House Paul Ryan warned the House Freedom Caucus if they obstruct, the President might start dealing with Democrats. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Can Washington Fix Infrastructure? > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=4f0db873-4159-4ffb-aafb-ddcad5ebaed0&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Hillary Clinton Says She's Back at San Francisco Conference [Watch (HLS stream): Hillary Clinton Says She's Back at San Francisco Conference](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/h1lYpuCi.m3u8) (2:04)  _Published 2017-03-29. Speaking at a conference for professional businesswomen in San Francisco on Tuesday, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that she is back._ by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Mar 30, 2017 4:47 PM UTC by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Mar 30, 2017 4:47 PM UTC Speaker of the House Paul Ryan issued a threat to the House Freedom Caucus in an interview that aired Thursday, warning that if they continue to obstruct President Trump’s agenda he is liable to start cutting deals with Democrats. It’s a remarkable statement from the GOP leader, indicating he doubts the ideological commitment of the Republican President and that he has reached the limit of negotiating with the conservative wing of his conference. Ryan’s interview was followed by a tweet from Trump Thursday morning: “The Freedom Caucus will hurt the entire Republican agenda if they don’t get on the team, & fast. We must fight them, & Dems, in 2018!” It remains to be seen just how serious Trump is about sticking it to the lawmakers who blocked the GOP’s most serious attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare, including whether he would support more moderate primary challengers or travel to their districts to turn up the pressure. With health care disappearing in the rear-view mirror, Republicans are turning to tax reform and making good on Trump’s promise to promote $1 trillion in new infrastructure spending. The latter agenda item is the subject of TIME’s cover this week: [“Dear Washington, we need to rebuild. Can you get your act together?”](http://time.com/magazine/) We take you inside the White House, where the Administration’s plans differ from Trump’s public comments suggesting he is ready to “prime the pump.” Instead of massive fiscal stimulus—which would pick up Democratic votes—Trump is playing in a more conservative lane, focused on rolling back or streamlining regulations. Officials argue that simply by shortening the project approval timelines they can clear the way for “trillions” in private spending on infrastructure. Call it the latest front in the White House’s war on the “administrative state.” The Senate Intelligence Committee is becoming the credible venue for investigation of Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election. The five big decisions facing Republicans in Congress. And the growing U.S. involvement in the Middle East under the Trump Administration. _Here are your must reads:_ **Must Reads** [Inside the White House’s Infrastructure Plan ](http://time.com/4717629/trump-infrastructure-plan-details/)It’s less bipartisan than it seems \[TIME\] [5 Big Decisions Republicans in Congress Have to Make Soon ](http://time.com/4717114/congress-republican-agenda/?xid=homepage)TIME’s Sam Frizell on the coming crises [What Will it Take to Rebuild America? ](http://time.com/4718008/what-it-will-take-to-rebuild-america/)TIME’s David Von Drehle on the need for infrastructure investment [Senate Intelligence Committee Leaders Promise to Cooperate on Russia Probe ](http://time.com/4717781/senate-intelligence-committee-russia-probe/)Senate positions itself as more credible than the House \[Associated Press\] [U.S. War Footprint Grows in Middle East, With No Endgame in Sight ](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/29/world/middleeast/us-war-footprint-grows-in-middle-east.html)Under Trump, expansion continues, but strategy is unclear \[New York Times\] **Sound Off** “What I worry about … is if we don’t do this, then he’ll just go work with Democrats to try to change Obamacare — and that’s hardly a conservative thing,” — Speaker of the House Paul Ryan on President Trump “We have come a long way in our country when the speaker of one party urges a president NOT to work with the other party to solve a problem.” — Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) in a Thursday morning tweet **Bits and Bites** [China’s President Xi Jinping Plans to Meet President Trump in Mar-a-Lago](http://time.com/4717985/china-xi-jinping-trump-mar-a-lago/?xid=homepage) \[Associated Press\] [Ivanka Trump, Shifting Plans, Will Become a Federal Employee](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/29/us/politics/ivanka-trump-federal-employee-white-house.html) \[New York Times\] [North Carolina Republicans Announce Deal to End ‘Bathroom Bill’ Standoff](http://time.com/4717881/north-carolina-hb2-bathroom-bill/?xid=homepage) \[Associated Press\] [President Trump: What’s Melania’s Secret to High Approval Ratings?](http://time.com/4718270/donald-trump-melania-approval-rating/) \[TIME\] [American Infrastructure: Big Ideas From Visionary Thinkers](http://time.com/4717811/american-infrastructure-big-ideas-from-visionary-thinkers/) \[TIME\] [Gov. Terry McAuliffe on 2020: ‘Go big or go home’](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/gov-terry-mcauliffe-2020-big-home/story?id=46453292) \[ABC\] [Energy Department climate office bans use of phrase ‘climate change’](http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/energy-department-climate-change-phrases-banned-236655) \[Politico\] [Who is Julia Hahn? The unlikely rise of Steve Bannon’s right-hand woman.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/who-is-julia-hahn-the-unlikely-rise-of-steve-bannons-right-hand-woman/2017/03/29/c242504c-125e-11e7-ada0-1489b735b3a3%5Fstory.html?utm%5Fterm=.8b6fd9b1fe54) \[Washington Post\] ## Transcript I am here today to urge us not to grow tired. Not to be discouraged and disappointed. Not to throw up our hands because change isn't happening fast enough. Or to even take a pass because we think we've done our part. We need more women at any table, on any conference call. Or email chain where decisions are made. And, a big part of that is encouraging more women to run for office, and pushing the private sector to do a lot better than it currently is. Obviously, the outcome of the election wasn't... The one I hoped for, worked for but I will never stop speaking out for common sense benefits that will allow moms and dads to stay on the job. Where some see a dark vision of carnage, I see a light shining on creativity and opportunity. [ APPLAUSE ] [ APPLAUSE ] Now, we saw that in real time the day after the inauguration, when millions of women and men from all walks of life march for women's equality, visibility and inclusion. With Congress of administration Tried to jam through a bill that would have kicked 24 million people off their health insurance, defunded Planned Parenthood, jeopardized access to affordable birth control, deprived people with disabilities and the elderly in nursing homes of essential care They were met with a wave of resistance. We need to persist, to approach future challenges with the passion we've seen these last few months and then to bring that to the voting booth in 2018. To tell yourself, to tell your friends, and your colleagues No matter how you vote, show up and vote for goodness sakes! Be there! 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