Washington

California's high-speed train has become one of the nation's most politicized infrastructure projects.

Political change in Washington and the looming budget battle is raising anxiety in state legislatures.

The legislation sends unobligated dollars from the TIFIA program to the popular Surface Transportation Block Grant.

Experts are already predicting where the spending cuts will happen including the status of the tax exemption for municipal bonds.

Economic forecasts include the possibility of higher inflation and slower growth that could stall future cuts to the federal fund rates.

A job opening at the Office of State and Local Finance at the U.S. Treasury offers the chance for input from the muni community.

Technicals could "break down" if there is a potential decline in risk assets or rising unemployment, particularly in white-collar jobs, said Jeff Timlin, a managing partner at Sage Advisory.

Economists gaming out the possibilities for tax policy in the Trump administration believe the bond market will dictate budget cuts and spending increases.

Muni investors hope "any move toward higher yields is steady, even dignified, such that it doesn't catalyze an outflow cycle that would countervail year-to-date total returns just before we close out the year," said Vikram Rai, head of municipal strategy at Wells Fargo.

Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., also said implementation of the data standards law may be tricky with the change of administrations.