President Trump asked Congress on Tuesday to pass a $1 trillion infrastructure spending package that would draw funding from public and private sources.

"To launch our national rebuilding, I will be asking the Congress to approve legislation that produces a $1 trillion investment in the infrastructure of the United States — financed through both public and private capital –- creating millions of new jobs," Trump said in his prepared remarks during his first address to a joint session of Congress.

"This effort will be guided by two core principles: Buy American, and Hire American," Trump added.

The president has long touted infrastructure spending as a way to create jobs and stimulate the economy.

Trump lamented the $6 trillion taxpayers have spent in the Middle East, something he has frequently criticized as a symbol of previous administrations' excesses.

"With this $6 trillion dollars we could have rebuilt our country — twice," Trump said. "And maybe even three times if we had people who had the ability to negotiate."