Ranking Member Larsen Statement from Hearing on Oversight of the U.S. Department of Transportation
Washington, D.C.—The following are opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, from Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Rick Larsen (D-WA) during today’s hearing titled, “Oversight of the Department of Transportation’s Policies and Programs and Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request.”
Video of Ranking Member Larsen’s opening statement is here.
More information on the hearing can be found here.
Ranking Member Larsen:
Thank you, Chairman Graves, for holding this hearing.
And welcome back, Mr. Secretary, to answer questions and give us an update on DOT’s progress, as well as your budget. We are a large Committee. We appreciate your time.
Today, we will hear how federal funds, provided by Congress and distributed by DOT, are building cleaner, greener, safer and more accessible transportation systems.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides record funding for these infrastructure projects. States, local governments, Tribes, transit agencies, railroads, airports, ports, travelers and workers all benefit from this investment.
Thanks to the BIL, 57,000 projects are underway in every Congressional district across the country.
The pace of grantmaking has been impressive. DOT has announced $318 billion in grants since enactment of the BIL. The list is in the staff memo, so I won’t go through it all, but there are a lot of dollars out there right now being spent creating jobs.
We are less than three years through a five-year bill, which means there is much more to come.
Just this week, the Department announced over $1.8 billion in Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants for 148 projects across the country.
In my district, these funds will enable the Port of Bellingham to modernize its shipping terminal and the Tulalip Tribes to improve roadway safety on and near the reservation.
This week DOT also announced the availability of the remainder of the BIL culvert grant program funds, which my home state of Washington will be watching with interest.
Federal investment in Washington State and across the country means jobs—jobs with good wages, benefits, and working conditions.
The impacts are clear. In 2023, the highway construction industry added 2,800 jobs per month—the highest rate of job creation since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking this data.
Congress directed investments in the BIL to reduce carbon pollution and improve safety and equity outcomes on our transportation systems, as well.
I applaud DOT’s efforts to implement these BIL provisions, to measure and reduce carbon pollution from transportation sources, and to improve highway safety.
Yet transportation emissions continue to rise, and an epidemic of fatalities and injuries continues to plague our nation’s roads. Addressing these priorities will continue to be a high priority for Committee Democrats as we look forward to the surface reauthorization next Congress.
On the FAA, as the Chair noted, we passed a bill with a strong, bipartisan vote in the House and in the Senate.
This Committee also led the way to enact the robust bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024.
This legislation does a variety of things including boosting airport project funding, advancing our leadership in aviation safety and aerospace innovation and diversifying the aviation workforce. The provisions are now in the hands of the DOT, and of course the FAA, and we are eager to see the FAA turn these words into benefits for communities and aviation workers.
Finally, I want to commend my fellow Committee Members, including Rep. Emilia Sykes and Rep. Chris Deluzio, who have led the charge to improve rail safety.
Rail incidents and accidents continue to occur around the country, endangering people and communities. In 2023, there were approximately 1,500 train accidents.
Just two days ago, the NTSB released its findings from the Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine and confirmed the urgent need to address rail safety.
I urge the Committee to take long overdue action on rail safety so that passengers and communities with rail in their backyards have a level of safety oversight and protection afforded to other modes of transportation.
We’re going to hear a lot about many topics today, Mr. Secretary, and we look forward to your answers. With that, I’ll turn it back over to the Chair, and we can get started on your testimony and Member questions. I yield back.
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