Hearing

I have been encouraged by the President’s focus on infrastructure since before the election; through his inauguration, when I believe he became the first president in our history to mention the word “infrastructure” in his inaugural address; and over the past year through his statements of support for increasing investment in America’s infrastructure.

His interest, his background as a builder, and his leadership on this issue will be crucial to building a 21^st century infrastructure for America.

I look forward to working with you, Secretary Chao, as we move forward this year.  Some of the Administration’s infrastructure proposals are much-needed.  I have questions about some of the other proposals, and how they’ll work.

For example, I want to commend you for the work you and the DOT have done in speeding up projects.  The last two highway bills Congress passed included streamlining reforms, and you have worked to put those reforms into action.  There is more to do to fully enact the MAP-21 and FAST Act reforms, but we’ve come a long way since you came on board.

Still, it takes too long to move projects forward, and I want to work with you to streamline the process further.

As I’ve said many times before, an infrastructure plan must be bipartisan if it’s going to pass Congress.  I plan to work with Ranking Member DeFazio and my colleagues to develop a plan that attracts bipartisan support, and can pass the Senate.  To do that, we have to be realistic about our needs, and how we can address them in a fiscally responsible way.

Fixing the Highway Trust Fund for the future and modernizing how we fund infrastructure in this country must be part of our solution.

I look forward to continuing working with you, the White House, and my colleagues in Congress on a bipartisan infrastructure plan.