Four months after Boston Mayor Marty Walsh teased a "road trip" to Washington with the governor, the mayor and Gov. Charlie Baker are headed to D.C. next week to pressure Congress and the Trump administration to invest in housing, transportation and the environment.
The trip comes during Infrastructure Week, a national event centered in D.C. and intended to highlight the importance of rebuilding the country's infrastructure to promote job growth, security and quality of life.
Baker and Walsh will start their day Wednesday in Boston as Green Ribbon Commission meeting with business and civic leaders in the city to discuss strategies for fighting the climate change, before heading south for meetings in the afternoon with Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, House Transportation Infrastructure Committee Chairman Rep. Peter DeFazio and the ranking Republican on that committee, Rep. Sam Graves of Missouri.
DeFazio, a Democrat, represents Eugene, Oregon, but is originally from Baker's hometown of Needham and graduated from Tufts University.
On Thursday, Walsh and Baker will participate in a morning panel discussion hosted by Mike Allen of Axios about the opportunities and challenges surrounding transportation infrastructure and how cities and states are confronting the issue.
That afternoon the due will also meet with Delaware Sen. Tom Carper, a Democrat and ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, followed by a sit down with the Massachusetts Congressional delegation.
The trip comes after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles Shumer recently met with President Trump to revive discussions about possibly working together on a $2 trillion infrastructure package.
