In Address to Public Transit Conference, Chair DeFazio Thanks Transit Workers for Their Service Amid COVID-19, Previews Elements of Upcoming Surface Transportation Bill
DeFazio to transit agencies: “Together, we have an opportunity to reform and rebuild our transportation system for the future”
Washington, D.C. — On Tuesday, May 18, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) addressed the American Public Transportation Association’s Legislative Conference and Virtual Fly-In. APTA represents all modes of public transportation, including bus, paratransit, light rail, commuter rail, subways, and waterborne service, along with intercity and high-speed passenger rail.
Key excerpts from Chair DeFazio’s address:
On the sacrifice of frontline transit workers: “…we’ve seen incredible sacrifices from our transit workers. Hundreds lost their lives in the line of duty. Hundreds of thousands have risked their personal safety to transport essential workers and connect residents with doctors’ appointments and access to the vaccine. That’s why at the start of this year my Committee passed the American Rescue Plan, which included over $30 billion in investment for transit. Unlike traditional federal funding, these funds were almost entirely targeted for operating costs, keeping workers on the job, and keeping transit service running.”
On the forthcoming surface transportation reauthorization bill: “We significantly increase investments in our highways, bridges, transit systems and railways to start addressing the massive maintenance backlog, which includes a $100 billion backlog in transit state of good repair needs. Our bill includes a more than 50 percent increase in year one for our urban and rural formula programs, along with our program for transit for seniors and those with disabilities. We reverse past funding cuts for our bus and bus facilities program, and add new provisions to address state of good repair challenges and incentivize transit agencies towards more frequent service. We support the shift to cleaner forms of transportation with dramatic increases in zero-emission bus (ZEB) funding, and new guidelines to help transit agencies lay the groundwork to shift their fleets to cleaner fuels. H.R. 2 as passed by the House last year included a nearly 600 percent increase in ZEB funding. Given the president’s strong push for electrification in the American Jobs Plan, I support doing even more this year.”
On creating good-paying jobs: “…every investment in the bill is backed by strong Buy America requirements, labor protections, and new investments in worker training and safety. It’s not enough to transform our transportation system—we need to ensure that our investments create good-paying jobs, revitalize American manufacturing, and help us compete in the clean energy economy.”
Why Congress must act: “These are bold reforms—but they’re urgently needed. We recently heard that call echoed by members of the business community at a hearing I chaired. Our witnesses included FedEx, a truck stop operator, rolling stock manufacturers, and engineering firms—and we heard repeated calls for real action on climate, on equity, on job training for the new economy. And President Biden has already proven himself to be a strong partner on infrastructure, and has echoed the need for real investment and reforms through his American Jobs Plan. Similar to the INVEST in America Act, the president’s proposal calls for scaled up investments in our infrastructure, significant support for transit and cleaner mobility, a focus on good-paying jobs, and a commitment to solving pressing challenges including climate change and environmental justice.”
Chair DeFazio’s full remarks, as prepared for delivery:
Thank you to APTA for having me today, and to all of you for taking time to participate in today’s legislative conference.
It’s no secret that the last year has been incredibly hard for transit agencies, riders, and workers alike. According to APTA’s data, last year’s decrease in transit ridership averaged between 65 and 80 percent—wiping out a significant source of revenue and forcing you to rethink how you provided service.
I know many transit agencies temporarily stopped collecting fares, even against the backdrop of these revenue declines—not because you didn’t need the money, but because you knew that creating more social distance could help save lives.
At the same time, transit agencies faced new costs to provide PPE to workers and passengers, and to disinfect their systems. And we’ve seen incredible sacrifices from our transit workers. Hundreds lost their lives in the line of duty. Hundreds of thousands have risked their personal safety to transport essential workers and connect residents with doctors’ appointments and access to the vaccine.
That’s why at the start of this year my committee passed the American Rescue Plan, which included over $30 billion in investment for transit. Unlike traditional federal funding, these funds were almost entirely targeted for operating costs, keeping workers on the job, and keeping transit service running.
APTA and its members played an essential role in documenting the needs of transit agencies and making the case to Congress for this relief funding.
With the passage of the American Rescue Plan, we provided a lifeline for our transit agencies, workers, and riders for the near term. But we need to do more than just preserve the status quo.
Transit agencies are facing an uncertain landscape—changes in commuting patterns, the increase in remote work, the ongoing economic and societal changes due to the pandemic.
That’s why in addition to COVID relief, I’ve authored the INVEST in America Act—a transformational long-term surface transportation bill.
America is facing serious challenges—crumbling infrastructure, the threat of climate change, inequality and racial injustice, a rising China that threatens our domestic workforce and manufacturing. We can’t solve these problems by doing the status quo—Eisenhower 7.0.
The INVEST in America Act takes a new approach. We significantly increase investments in our highways, bridges, transit systems and railways to start addressing the massive maintenance backlog, which includes a $100 billion backlog in transit state of good repair needs.
Our bill includes a more than 50 percent increase in year one for our urban and rural formula programs, along with our program for transit for seniors and those with disabilities.
We reverse past funding cuts for our bus and bus facilities program, and add new provisions to address state of good repair challenges and incentivize transit agencies towards more frequent service.
We support the shift to cleaner forms of transportation with dramatic increases in zero-emission bus (ZEB) funding, and new guidelines to help transit agencies lay the groundwork to shift their fleets to cleaner fuels. H.R. 2 as passed by the House last year included a nearly 600 percent increase in ZEB funding. Given the president’s strong push for electrification in the American Jobs Plan, I support doing even more this year.
The bill invests in transit-supportive communities, helping to build walkable neighborhoods with thriving local businesses. It creates a new pilot program to build transit-friendly streets and help make our bus service faster and more reliable.
And the bill makes critical changes to support equity in transportation. We reform our formula distribution to support low-income and underserved neighborhoods, and launch a reduced-fare pilot program to give more people access to affordable transportation.
We also reform the Capital Investment Grant program to improve transparency and move projects through the pipeline more quickly. Many of you spent four years dealing with an administration that slow-walked projects, created mountains of red tape, and all but ground the program to a halt.
Our bill restores the intended 80 percent federal share for all CIG projects, and removes language allowing DOT to incentivize lower cost shares. It raises the cap for Small Starts to $400 million, allowing for more projects to qualify for a streamlined review process. We also create a publicly accessible CIG dashboard, and require the Secretary to provide clearer information to applicants at key stages of the approval process.
But the reforms in our bill aren’t limited to the transit title. The bill creates the first-ever carbon pollution reduction program to reduce the toll our transportation system has on the environment, which will support highway, transit, and rail projects alike.
And every investment in the bill is backed by strong Buy America requirements, labor protections, and new investments in worker training and safety. It’s not enough to transform our transportation system—we need to ensure that our investments create good-paying jobs, revitalize American manufacturing, and help us compete in the clean energy economy.
These are bold reforms—but they’re urgently needed. We recently heard that call echoed by members of the business community at a hearing I chaired. Our witnesses included FedEx, a truck stop operator, rolling stock manufacturers, and engineering firms—and we heard repeated calls for real action on climate, on equity, on job training for the new economy.
And President Biden has already proven himself to be a strong partner on infrastructure, and has echoed the need for real investment and reforms through his American Jobs Plan. Similar to the INVEST in America Act, the president’s proposal calls for scaled up investments in our infrastructure, significant support for transit and cleaner mobility, a focus on good-paying jobs, and a commitment to solving pressing challenges including climate change and environmental justice.
I look forward to working with the president to deliver on these proposals. And we’re relying on APTA’s continued support as we work to advance these goals.
I encourage all of you to be in touch regularly with your Members of Congress. It’s critical that they hear about the importance of transit to their constituents and their districts.
You all have stories to tell from the last year—about how you re-did your service to get workers to the hospitals during COVID surges. About how you’re giving free rides to vaccine sites. About how federal assistance helped you keep workers on the job and keep your communities moving, whether you live in an urban, suburban, or rural area.
We can’t afford to let transit become another partisan issue—we need to keep telling the story of why it’s a central part of our transportation system.
Together, we have an opportunity to reform and rebuild our transportation system for the future. To improve safety, equity, and access for all Americans. To confront the existential threat of climate change and leave a better world for future generations. I look forward to working with all of you to act on this opportunity. Thank you.
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