President Donald Trump called for increased infrastructure spending following a deadly Amtrak train derailment Monday morning near Seattle.
Amtrak Cascades Train 501 was traveling between Seattle and Portland, Oregon, when it derailed around 7:45 a.m. Monday on an Interstate 5 overpass near DuPont, Washington. At least three people died and more than 70 others were injured.
“The train accident that just occurred in DuPont, WA shows more than ever why our soon to be submitted infrastructure plan must be approved quickly,” Trump said Monday morning in a tweet. “Seven trillion dollars spent in the Middle East while our roads, bridges, tunnels, railways (and more) crumble! Not for long!”
Trump is expected to release a framework for increased infrastructure spending in January, relying on a mix of federal, local and private spending.
The tweet was one of three messages sent Monday by Trump about the train derailment.
“My thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved in the train accident in DuPont, Washington,” Trump wrote in a subsequent tweet. “Thank you to all of our wonderful First Responders who are on the scene. We are currently monitoring here at the White House.”
Officials continue to investigate the cause of Monday’s derailment.
The Associated Press and the Cox Media Group National Content Desk contributed to this report.
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