By John Ubaldi
Contributor, In Homeland Security
In the past few years, the nation witnessed the implosion of inner cities across America. Much of this implosion may be attributed to a lack of education and employment opportunities. However, do Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have the answers to what ails urban America? Are they even discussing the challenges facing American cities?
Arne Duncan, former Secretary of Education in the Obama administration, addressed the need for better educational and economic opportunities in urban America. Duncan is now a Brookings nonresident Senior Fellow and a managing partner with the Emerson Collective, an organization dedicated to education, immigration reform, the environment and other social justice initiatives.
Speaking in his native Chicago during a July 2016 podcast, Duncan mentioned that the problems facing Chicago and similar cities are all related to the lack of educational and economic opportunities among the younger generations and that urban issues cannot be solved by policing alone. He commented, “We can’t arrest our way out of it. We have to create opportunities for young people in communities who have been marginalized for too long.”
Since the recession ended in June 2009, the U.S. has experienced the weakest recovery since the Great Depression. President Obama has the distinction of being the only president in U.S. history to never have more than 3 percent economic growth during his time as president. Incidentally, the last time the U.S. had more than 3 percent growth was back in 2005.
Do Clinton and Trump have the answers to the lack of educational and economic challenges faced by many U.S. cities?
Clinton’s Urban Renewal Plans for Inner Cities
Clinton mentions on her website that she has a comprehensive agenda to invest in America’s cities. She bases this agenda on the premise that local leaders are best equipped to create a better future for their residents — but need the resources and flexibility to get the job done.
Clinton’s focus is on increasing funding on infrastructure to the tune of more than $275 billion. An investment of $25 billion would support entrepreneurship and small business growth in urban cities and $20 billion would be dedicated to investing in youth unemployment.
For people exiting correctional facilities, $5 billion would be spent in in re-entry job programs. There would also be a major investment in housing.
How will a $275 billion increase in infrastructure spending be any different from the more than $800 billion stimulus spending on infrastructure promised by President Obama in 2009? That stimulus spending was supposed to provide “shovel-ready jobs.”
President Obama joked about it at a Jobs Council in 2011.”Shovel-ready was not as…uh…shovel-ready as we expected.” What happened to the $800 billion in infrastructure spending?
Democrats Control Urban America
Clinton’s plan is to invest in U.S. cities, believing that local leaders are better able and equipped to create education and economic equipment for their residents. How would these cities handle the influx of additional spending when the vast majority of American cities are controlled and have been controlled by Democrats for decades?
Many major American cities haven’t had a Republican mayor in decades. Milwaukee hasn’t had a Republican mayor since 1906. Similarly, there has been no Republican mayor in Chicago since 1931 and Detroit since 1961. Even Atlanta hasn’t seen a Republican mayor since Nedom Angier in 1877.
How would this work this time?
Trump’s Law and Order Approach for Urban Cities
With the increasing violence in many American cities, Trump took up the moniker of “law and order.” Trump continually claims that he knows how to revitalize urban America. How would the Trump administration revive the American urban landscape?
Trump often speaks the difficulties of urban life. In an August 2016 speech, Trump highlighted the recent unrest in Milwaukee. He stated:
“Let us look at the situation right here in Milwaukee, a city run by Democrats for decade after decade. Last year, killings in this city increased by 69 percent, plus another 634 victims of non-fatal shootings. 18-29-year-olds accounted for nearly half of the homicide victims. The poverty rate here is nearly double the national average. Almost four in 10 African-American men in Milwaukee between the ages of 25-54 do not have a job. Nearly four in 10 single mother households are living in poverty. 55 public schools in this city have been rated as failing to meet expectations, despite ten thousand dollars in funding per pupil. There is only a 60% graduation rate, and it’s one of the worst public school systems in the country.”
How would a Trump administration fix the sorry state of educational and economic deficiency in many urban American cities?
Trump Lacks Specific Inner-City Renewal Policies
Far too often, Trump speaks in generalities such as “make America great again,” but he provides a very thin public policy pronouncement on the subject. It’s easy to highlight all the problems of urban America, but how exactly would he fix those problems at the federal level?
For example, the revival of educational opportunities per the Republican Party has always been left to local communities, with a heavy preponderance on school vouchers and choice for families. Trump is in favor of maintaining this policy, but how would he get it through a partisan Congress and overcome Democratic opposition?
The Democratic Party establishment is firmly against vouchers and charter schools. How would Trump revive educational opportunities in urban America?
Trump Advocates Education, Immigration, Trade and Tax Reform
At a speech in Milwaukee last month, Trump highlighted his plan for the U.S. and how it would benefit inner cities. He stated, “On education, it is time to have school choice, merit pay for teachers and to end the tenure policies that hurt good teachers and reward bad teachers. We are going to put students and parents first.”
Trump would focus on immigration, which in his opinion has hurt urban America. Trump noted that he would “secure our border, protect our workers, and improve jobs and wages in your community.” He added, “We will only invite people to join our country who share our tolerant values, who support our Constitution and who love all of our people.”
Trump’s trade reforms include renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). He declared that he would stand up to the nefarious way China has dealt with the U.S. with regard to international trade.
Trump also mentioned reforming America’s tax code. He stated, “On taxes, I am going to give a massive tax cut to every worker and small business in this country, bring thousands of new companies and millions of new jobs onto our shores – and make it very difficult for our businesses to leave.”
How would Trump accomplish all of these goals? These reforms have been standard Republican talking points forever.
How would urban America benefit when Democratic mayors solidly control the vast number of American cities? Many of his proposals need local buy-in by city leaders, who are opposed to all of Trump’s proposals.
Both Clinton and Trump leave numerous unanswered questions regarding their policies for reform in urban America. Do they have the answers? Changes that have has been tried before clearly aren’t working in America’s inner cities.