Washington, DC – Tonight, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) released the following statement after President-elect Joe Biden announced the nomination of Pete Buttigieg as Secretary of Transportation:
“Pete Buttigieg is a strong choice to lead the Biden administration’s efforts to ‘Build Back Better’ with infrastructure plans that not only move our country into the modern era, but also generate the economic activity that this country so badly needs right now to pull us out of economic recession.
“As Mayor, Pete was directly engaged with transportation planning at the local level, which included his push to apply Complete Street principles to downtown South Bend in order to make roads safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers alike. That effort attracted economic investment and earned him recognition from the U.S. Department of Transportation. As a presidential candidate, Pete’s infrastructure proposal for the country not only focused on fixing our existing roads and bridges, but also investing in the national passenger rail network, boosting public transportation and investing in rural communities, all while putting an emphasis on 21st century needs such as broadband internet and electric vehicle infrastructure. The bottom line is with a forward-looking leader at DOT, our Nation has an incredible opportunity to create jobs, support U.S. manufacturing, reduce carbon pollution from the transportation sector, and create safer, more efficient infrastructure by investing in transportation. I strongly believe this; it’s why I introduced a transformational bill earlier this year that did all of that and more, earning bipartisan support when it passed the House. I look forward to working with Secretary Buttigieg on our common goal of delivering results for all Americans in communities of all sizes.”
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