Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Republicans

11/09/2021

Photos from Rep. Michelle Steel's post

11/07/2021

The ongoing global supply chain crisis is impacting our day-to-day life. Whenever you arbitrarily shut down the economy you are going to have major supply chain disruptions. The major labor shortage is making it that much worse.

The concerns expressed during the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Republicans supply chain roundtable with leading industry stakeholders prove why Congress should prioritize ending the supply chain crisis. Instead, President Biden and Congressional Democrats' arbitrary mandates & labor shortage policies are making the situation worse.

10/08/2021

GOP demands Biden stop 'bullying' airlines with vaccine mandate, says taxpayers 'saved' industry

.Ranking Member Sam Graves and Aviation Subcommittee Ranking Member Garret Graves are urging Biden to drop "coercive and unlawful vaccination schemes" pressuring U.S. air carriers to require their employees to be vaccinated by Dec. 8, or else be fired.

"While we share your goal of ending the COVID-19 pandemic, we object to the unilateral imposition of COVID-19 vaccine mandates on air carriers and other private companies by your Administration. We urge you to drop these coercive and unlawful vaccination schemes and work with Congress and private industry on public health measures to end the pandemic without threatening to end the livelihoods of hardworking Americans"

Top GOP House lawmakers on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee called on President Biden Thursday to reverse his COVID-19 mandates and warned it could have adverse effects on the airline industry.

08/24/2021

Graves Leads Republican Effort on Infrastructure Bill at Rules Committee 8.23.21

WATCH: Today Senior T&I Member Garret Graves criticized Speaker Pelosi for holding infrastructure hostage to advance her $3.5T socialist spending spree full of partisan, Green New Deal priorities. If she succeeds, we’re looking at spending $7T in 9 months on top of $6T spent in 2020.

06/23/2021

ICYMI: Today Congressman Daniel Webster led an Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee hearing with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell on the agency's priorities for the upcoming fiscal year and beyond.

Priority issues, such as streamlining the recovery process, investing more in mitigation and resiliency, and reducing red tape for those in need of assistance were discussed, as we aim to improve FEMA's efforts on behalf of disaster victims throughout the country.

Watch Subcommittee Ranking Member Webster's full opening statement below.

06/17/2021

House Approves Republican Bills to Prevent FEMA Clawbacks of Disaster Aid, Expedite Airport Improvements, and Enhance Aviation Safety | Transportation Committee Republicans

This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a number of key bills introduced by T&I Committee Republicans to ensure innocent disaster victims won’t have their assistance clawed back by the federal government when it makes an error, encourage the early completion of airport capacity projects, and enhance aviation safety information provided to pilots.

The U.S. House of Representatives today approved bills introduced by Committee Republicans that will ensure innocent disaster victims won’t have their assistance clawed back by the federal government when it makes an error, encourage the early completion of airport capacity projects, and enhance a...

06/16/2021

Rep. Garret Graves Opens Spaceflight Hearing

As the space transportation industry advances, we must prioritize:
-ensuring safety
-leveraging private sector expertise
-promoting efficiency of the FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation
-integrating commercial space launches into the NAS

Today Congressman Garret Graves led an Aviation Subcommittee hearing to examine the FAA's role in the future of spaceflight:

"What used to be a science project is now a thriving transportation industry that transports passengers and hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of cargo to, from, and within outer space."

Watch his full opening statement below.

06/10/2021

Day One Recap of the Majority’s My Way or the Highway Bill 2.0 & Wastewater Infrastructure Bill Markup | Transportation Committee Republicans

ICYMI: The Committee has moved into day two of the markup of the Majority's partisan "My Way or the Highway" Bill 2.0 and the partisan wastewater infrastructure bill. So far, the Majority's partisan wastewater infrastructure bill has passed, while all Republican amendments to support bipartisanship were voted down. And as we move toward a vote on the highway bill, key Republican amendments have already been rejected by the Majority. See the full day one recap below.

The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure completed day one of an ongoing markup of two one-sided infrastructure bills that could have been addressed in a bipartisan manner had the Majority been willing to do so.

05/24/2021

Ranking Members Sam Graves & Garret Graves Statement on Belarus Diversion of Ryanair Flight | Transportation Committee Republicans

ICYMI: T&I Ranking Member Sam Graves and Aviation Subcommittee Ranking Member Congressman Garret Graves urged the President to direct the FAA to immediately explore all avenues to protect U.S. citizens following diversion of Ryanair flight FR4978 by the government of Belarus:

“While a full and thorough investigation will shed more light, the information we do have suggests that this incident is nothing less than a state-sponsored hijacking of a civilian airliner in order to arrest a political critic. At this point, it seems clear that Belarusian airspace is not safe for American citizens or any who oppose the human rights violations of the current regime, which endangered the lives of every person on flight FR4978. Since Belarus is a signatory of the Chicago Convention, we support calls for the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization to meet as soon as possible to review the incident.

“We are also calling on the Biden Administration to take more immediate action while investigations are ongoing. In order to protect the American and global traveling public, we urge the President to direct the Federal Aviation Administration to immediately explore all avenues to protect U.S. citizens. We also call for the Administration to coordinate with our international allies and partners to ensure the safety of their citizens as well.

“It is our understanding that there are 350-400 flights over Belarus every day. Yesterday, Belarus demonstrated a complete disregard for the safety of these flights and the passengers on board. We must send a clear message to Belarus and the world that such an egregious breach of international law will not be tolerated by the United States.”

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO) and Subcommittee on Aviation Ranking Member Garret Graves (R-LA) joint statement regarding the May 23, 2021, diversion of Ryanair flight FR4978, that included American citizens, by the government of Belarus:

05/19/2021

Ranking Member Graves Introduces GOP Transportation Bill

ICYMI: House Republicans want to tackle real infrastructure needs with real solutions through partnership, not partisanship. Today Ranking Member Sam Graves introduced STARTER Act 2.0 – a 5-year, $400B surface transportation bill laying our proposals out on paper:

“I strongly believe that the path to improving America’s infrastructure is through partnership – not partisanship. Republicans want to work together on bipartisan infrastructure solutions, but in order to reach that goal, key principles must be addressed in this process. The STARTER Act 2.0 puts forward our Republican principles; provides historic levels of funding for our roads, bridges, and other surface transportation infrastructure; and ensures that we invest those funds wisely and efficiently.

“Our bill focuses on the core infrastructure that helps move people and goods through our communities every single day, cuts red tape that holds up project construction, and gets resources into the hands of our states and locals with as few strings attached as possible. As the process for considering legislation on infrastructure moves forward, I am eager to see these proposals become part of a robust bipartisan effort – just as the President continues to call for.”

Learn more about what STARTER Act 2.0 does to provide real solutions to improve the nation's infrastructure in the video below.

05/13/2021

ICYMI: Today Congressman Michael Guest led an Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee hearing to examine post-COVID federal real estate issues with private sector witnesses.

"As we saw before COVID, office space usage and design were already changing -- away from the need for individualized offices towards more open floor plans and shared spaces. These savings not only reduced costs for the taxpayer, but also freed up more resources for agencies to invest in their core missions. Since COVID, teleworking increased exponentially across government."
...
"As we examine the future of federal office space, it is important for us to consider private sector trends; whether those trends make sense in the federal real estate context; and what issues and questions we should be addressing or asking."

Watch his full opening statement below or read it here: https://republicans-transportation.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=405398

05/13/2021

Today by Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member Rep. David Rouzer teamed up with T&I Ranking Member Sam Graves and Congressman Don Young to introduce a bill to help states and local communities – including small and rural communities – address their wastewater infrastructure needs.

“In many communities in my district and around the Nation, water and wastewater infrastructure is long past its design life and in need of urgent repair, replacement, and upgrading. This is especially the case for many of our small and rural communities. I’m proud to introduce this bill, which will provide struggling communities with the resources and flexibility necessary to address their growing needs as well as establish greater resiliency and sustainability of the Nation’s wastewater infrastructure,” Rouzer said.

Learn more about the Wastewater Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2021 here: https://republicans-transportation.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=405395

Today by Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member Rep. David Rouzer teamed up with T&I Ranking Member Sam Graves and Congressman Don Young to introduce a bill to help states and local communities – including small and rural communities – address their wastewater infrastructure needs.

“In many communities in my district and around the Nation, water and wastewater infrastructure is long past its design life and in need of urgent repair, replacement, and upgrading. This is especially the case for many of our small and rural communities. I’m proud to introduce this bill, which will provide struggling communities with the resources and flexibility necessary to address their growing needs as well as establish greater resiliency and sustainability of the Nation’s wastewater infrastructure,” Rouzer said.

Learn more about the Wastewater Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2021 here: https://republicans-transportation.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=405395

05/12/2021

Republicans welcome the chance to work with Democrats on a bipartisan infrastructure bill

Today Ranking Member Sam Graves penned an Op-Ed in The Hill about his plan to introduce new surface legislation in the coming days. This bill will contain Republican ideas he’s asking the Majority to consider for a truly bipartisan infrastructure package.

"In the interest of finding that common ground, I will soon introduce a highway bill that sets forth Republican priorities that must be meaningfully addressed in order to have a bipartisan package in the House."

Read more about what's in his upcoming bill below.

I hope that my counterparts in the majority will work in good faith with Republicans to address our priorities for a highway bill, so we can find a compromise that both sides can support, like we have on many other infrastructure proposals.

05/07/2021

Chairs DeFazio and Carbajal Join Ranking Member Sam Graves on Bipartisan Legislation to Bolster Resiliency of Nation’s Ports | Transportation Committee Republicans

Today Ranking Member Sam Graves teamed up with Chair
Peter DeFazio and Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee Chair Salud Carbajal to introduce bipartisan legislation that boosts investment in small coastal and inland ports, while ensuring our ports are more resilient.

“Projects that focus on improving the efficiency and resiliency of our transportation network make a lot of sense and can help maximize the value of every available dollar for infrastructure investment,” Ranking Member Graves said.

“This bill shows a bipartisan commitment to investing in port infrastructure that not only improves supply chain efficiency, but also improves resilience to floods and extreme weather events. With more frequent flooding along the Missouri River, my constituents and the communities in my district understand the importance of building more resilient infrastructure. In addition, the bill sets aside one-quarter of the grant funds for small coastal and inland river ports – the kinds of facilities that are crucial parts of the supply chain but often lack the resources to finance their infrastructure improvements.”

Today, Chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO), and Chair of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Salud Carbajal (D-CA) introduced legislation to help ensure our nation...

05/06/2021

Rep. Crawford Opening Statement at Rail Innovation Hearing

ICYMI: Today Rep. Rick Crawford led a Rail, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee hearing on the state of high-speed rail and other emerging technologies in our U.S. passenger rail networks.

"We must ensure that any federal policies and funding are balanced with a realistic analysis of the needs, consumer demand, and best use of taxpayer dollars."

"While the California High Speed Rail project shows the failures of poor planning, there are promising opportunities for the federal government to foster new rail technologies that are fiscally responsible and respond to the needs of consumers."

Watch his full opening statement below.

04/28/2021

Rep. Weber Opening Statement at EDA Reauthorization Hearing

Today Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee Ranking Member Congressman Daniel Webster led a hearing on reauthorization, where T&I Republicans examined ways the Economic Development Administration can help ensure distressed communities’ 21st century needs are met – including access to broadband.

"While EDA can and does fund some broadband projects, we must ensure any unnecessary hurdles are addressed so we can help more Americans get connected."

04/28/2021

Graves Statement from Hearing on Innovation in the U.S. Aerospace Industry | Transportation Committee Republicans

As aerospace increasingly involves more drones, introduces electric aircraft, brings back civil supersonic aircraft, and expands commercial space transportation vehicle usage, the U.S. aims to lead the world.

See Aviation Ranking Member Congressman Garret Graves' opening statement from yesterday's hearing on the future of he aerospace industry below.

Opening remarks, as prepared, of Subcommittee on Aviation Ranking Member Garret Graves (R-LA) from today’s hearing entitled, “The Leading Edge: Innovation in U.S. Aerospace”: Mr. Chairman, About two years ago back in 2019, we had a hearing that you had scheduled called “Aviation 2050” wher...