Press Releases
Huffman, DeFazio Announce Essential Air Service Agreement for Crescent City
September 11, 2020San Rafael, CA - Today, Representatives Jared Huffman (CA-02) and Peter DeFazio (OR-04), Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, shared the announcement that the U.S. Department of Transportation has approved the application submitted by the Border Coast Regional Airport Authority on behalf of the community of Crescent City, California, for the continuation of service provided under the current Alternate Essential Air Service grant to Contour Airlines. "As is often the … Continue Reading
In Letter to National Archives Watchdog, Chairs DeFazio and Napolitano Request Investigation into Destruction of Records by the Trump EPA
September 09, 2020DeFazio and Napolitano to National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) OIG: "We are concerned that EPA's destruction of documents and records may leave Americans in the dark about the quality of their waterways and environment" Washington, D.C. - Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA)-which has jurisdiction over several U.S. Environmental … Continue Reading
Chair Lipinski Opening Remarks from Hearing on Amtrak’s Response to COVID-19
September 09, 2020Washington, D.C. - The following are opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, from Chair of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) during today's hearing titled: "Amtrak's Response to COVID-19." Chair Lipinski: Good morning. I want to welcome everyone to today's Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee's hearing on Amtrak's response to COVID-19. As you can see, we are doing a hybrid hearing today with most members and … Continue Reading
DeFazio, Lipinski and Wexton Call Out Amtrak for Attempting to Send Work Overseas
September 08, 2020The current Request for Proposal for eCommerce and Mobile Development would allow certain work to be offshored Members of Congress express outrage over RFP: "While Amtrak's employees have always been vital to the company's success, recent months have shown just how essential these workers are to keeping our country moving forward" Washington, DC - Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Chair of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, … Continue Reading
Chairs DeFazio and Lipinski Announce Subcommittee Hearing on Amtrak’s Response to COVID-19
September 04, 2020Washington, DC- Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) announced the Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled, "Amtrak's Response to COVID-19." Members will appear by videoconference or in person in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building. Additional details, including witness lists, can be found here once available. The hearing will be … Continue Reading
Chairs DeFazio and Lipinski Statements on Amtrak Announcing Furloughs of Over 2,000 Workers Due to COVID-19 Crisis
September 02, 2020Washington, DC - Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) issued the following statements in response to the news that Amtrak will furlough over 2,000 workers due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as part of its Fiscal Year 2021 Workforce Plan: "This week, another 2,000 workers learned that they will be losing their jobs due to the effects of … Continue Reading
Huffman, DeFazio Urge EPA Administrator to Protect Bristol Bay from Pebble Mine
September 01, 2020San Rafael, CA - Yesterday, Representatives Jared Huffman (CA-02), Chair of the Natural Resources Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee and member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Peter DeFazio (OR-04), Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, led a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler urging him to use his authority to veto the flawed Final Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Pebble Mine on the … Continue Reading
Chairwoman Titus Demands Answers from Trump Administration Over its Attempt to Dictate Architectural Style of Federal Buildings and Courthouses in Communities Across the U.S.
August 26, 2020Washington, DC - Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management Dina Titus (D-NV) is demanding answers from the head of the General Services Administration (GSA) about newly-released criteria for construction, which call for two new courthouses-in Florida and Alabama-to be built in the "classic architectural style." While the style may be appropriate in these two instances, GSA's newly-stated criteria signal that the Trump administration is … Continue Reading
Chairs DeFazio and Maloney Request Formal Review of U.S. Coast Guard Certified Materials After Lewd Mnemonic Device Comes to Light
August 26, 2020Washington, D.C. - Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) sent a letter to the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Admiral Karl L. Schultz, calling for a formal review of USCG certified training materials after the Chairs learned of an offensive mnemonic device circulating in such material. DeFazio and Maloney wrote: "Within the USCG … Continue Reading
Chair DeFazio Statement on U.S. Army Corps Requesting Additional Review of Pebble Mine Project
August 25, 2020Washington, D.C. - Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) issued the following statement after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sent a letter to the Pebble Limited Partnership requesting additional mitigation measures regarding the Pebble Mine project in Bristol Bay, Alaska within 90 days: "As I've said all along, the Pebble Mine project should never have been allowed to move forward. The proposed mine site, in Alaska's Bristol Bay … Continue Reading
Chairs DeFazio and Napolitano Press EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler Over Rollback of Coal Ash Safeguards
August 18, 2020The recently finalized rule by the Trump EPA would slash protections on the disposal of coal ash from power plants, endangering groundwater and the health of U.S. communities Washington, D.C. - Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA) sent a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) criticizing EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler - a … Continue Reading
Committee Chairs DeFazio and Smith Lead 68 Members of Congress in Pressing President Trump on National Guard and FEMA Cost-Sharing Requirements
August 14, 2020Washington, DC - Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the House Committee on Armed Services Adam Smith (D-WA) led 68 Members of Congress in pressing President Trump to immediately waive National Guard and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) cost-sharing requirements for all states and territories amid the national COVID-19 pandemic response. State, local, territorial and tribal governments' budgets have been hammered … Continue Reading
Chairs DeFazio and Larsen Statements on Results of 2019 FAA Employee Survey on Safety Culture
August 07, 2020Washington, D.C. - Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Rick Larsen (D-WA) released the following statements after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) fulfilled their request for a copy of a 2019 survey of FAA employees about the agency's safety culture. DeFazio and Larsen requested the survey last month as part of the Committee's ongoing investigation into the Boeing 737 MAX … Continue Reading
Carper, DeFazio, Grijalva Lead Bicameral Letter to White House Demanding Release of Public Records About Projects The Administration Will Fast-Track, Undermining Bedrock Environmental Protections, Under The Guise of Economic Relief
August 06, 2020WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Ranking Member Tom Carper (D-Del.), House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), and House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) led 54 of their Congressional colleagues in urging the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to release public records about the Trump Administration's implementation of the president's executive order … Continue Reading
Chairs DeFazio and Thompson Introduce Legislation to Rein in Federal Protection Statute that Trump Administration is Using as Cover for Civil Rights Abuses in Portland, Oregon
July 31, 2020Washington, DC - Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), and Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced the "Prevent Federal Law Enforcement Abuse in the Protection of Federal Property Act," legislation to strengthen and clarify 40 U.S. Code § 1315, the statute the Trump administration is abusing in order to … Continue Reading
Chairs DeFazio and Larsen Lead 18 Members of Congress on New Legislation Requiring Passengers to Wear Masks on Airplanes and in Airports
July 30, 2020Washington, D.C. - Even though COVID-19 infections continue to surge across the U.S., the Trump administration refuses to issue commonsense requirements to mitigate the spread of the disease, including in air travel. So today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Aviation Rick Larsen (D-WA) led 18 Members of Congress in the introduction of the Healthy Flights Act of 2020, which will provide a set of uniform … Continue Reading
Committees Launch Investigation Into Waste and Abuse in Treasury’s Payroll Support Program
July 29, 2020Washington, D.C. (July 29, 2020) - Today, Rep. James E. Clyburn, Chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, Rep. Peter DeFazio, Chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Rep. Maxine Waters, Chairwoman of the Committee on Financial Services, launched an investigation into the disbursement of federal funds from the Payroll Support Program to aviation contractors that recently laid off thousands of workers. In a letter to the Treasury Department, the … Continue Reading
Chair DeFazio Applauds Passage of “Sami’s Law,” Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Ride-Share Safety
July 29, 2020Washington, D.C. - Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) managed debate as the U.S. House of Representatives considered Sami's Law (H.R. 4686). This legislation, sponsored by Representatives Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Thomas Suozzi (D-NY), would require transportation network companies (TNCs) such as Uber and Lyft to establish and implement a system allowing passengers to verify the driver they have been matched with when using the company's … Continue Reading
U.S. House of Representatives Passes Bipartisan Water Resources Development Act of 2020
July 29, 2020Washington, D.C. - Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO), Chair of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA), and Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-AR) applauded House passage of the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (WRDA). WRDA 2020 provides authority for … Continue Reading
Chair Titus Opening Remarks from Hearing on Experiences of Vulnerable Populations During Disasters
July 28, 2020Washington, D.C. - The following are opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, from Chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Dina Titus (D-NV) during today's hearing titled: "Experiences of Vulnerable Populations During Disaster." Chair Titus: Before we get started today, I want to recognize the loss of our friend and colleague, Congressman John Lewis. Congressman Lewis dedicated his life in service to this nation and to the goal of a … Continue Reading