On December 22, 2022, Rick Larsen was elected by the Democratic caucus to serve as Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure for the 118th Congress. Larsen has served on the Committee since arriving in the House in 2001. The Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, the largest Committee in Congress by membership, has broad jurisdiction over the U.S. Department of Transportation—including our nation's highways, public transit, railroads, airports, pipelines, and seaports—the U.S. Coast Guard, Amtrak, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the General Services Administration, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Economic Development Administration, and other agencies.
As the Democratic leader of the committee, Ranking Member Larsen, who represents Washington’s Second Congressional District, is focused on investing in infrastructure to create jobs, drive long-term economic growth and build a cleaner, greener, safer and more accessible transportation network. He is committed to helping his constituents and those of his colleagues to capitalize on the once-in-a-generation investments included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Ranking Member Larsen will continue to fight for robust investments in infrastructure that has its foundation in the 1950s—roads, bridges, transit, ports, ferries, waterways—as well is in innovative infrastructure that will enable communities to grow and thrive into the 2050s and beyond— bike and pedestrian infrastructure, broadband internet, electric vehicle chargers, climate-resilient structures. He supports improvements to passenger and freight rail and will push for strong pipeline safety standards. He is committed to protecting water resources and critical habitats for recreation and tourism, as well as to uphold Tribal treaty rights. And he is focused on helping communities to become more resilient and recover quickly from natural disasters.
As the top Democrat on the Aviation Subcommittee from 2013 to 2022, Larsen fostered innovation and growth to modernize and sustain the aviation sector. The Pacific Northwest is the aerospace capital of the world, and his efforts have helped create jobs and strengthen the economy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he helped pass the successful Payroll Support Program to preserve hundreds of thousands of aviation jobs and worked across the aisle to help sustain the aerospace supply chain.
Larsen also helped oversee the longest investigation the committee conducted to date to ensure accountability and transparency in the aviation certification process, and most importantly, the safety of the traveling public. His work helped reform and strengthen the Federal Aviation Administration’s aircraft certification process with the passage of the Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act. Ranking Member Larsen is committed to ensuring aviation safety, fostering innovation in the U.S. airspace, enhancing U.S. competitiveness in the global market and improving the air travel experience for all passengers.
Larsen was born and raised in Arlington, Washington. Rick and his wife, Tiia, live in Everett, Washington, and are the proud parents of two sons, Robert and Per.
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