September 17, 2021
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) announced the subcommittee will hold a hearing titled, "Disruption in the Skies: The Surge in Air Rage and its Effects on Workers, Airlines, and Airports." The hearing will examine the alarming increase in disruptive and unruly airline passengers, the causes, the effect on passenger and crew safety, and the enforcement of U.S. laws prohibiting… Continue Reading
September 15, 2021
The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, led by Chair Peter DeFazio (D-OR), today advanced legislation in a vote of 37-29 to invest nearly $60 billion to make America's infrastructure more sustainable, resilient, and equitable, and to reduce carbon pollution from the transportation sector-the number one source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.
"From tackling climate change, to addressing racial and environmental injustices, to building back better after the COVI… Continue Reading
September 14, 2021
The following are opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, from Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) during today's committee markup to consider the committee's portion of the Build Back Better Act. Video of DeFazio's opening statement is here. More information on the markup can be found here.
Chair DeFazio:
Today, we are here to deliver for the American people.
We are here to Build Back Better with critical investments to ensure that our tr… Continue Reading
July 21, 2021
In a commentary published in Fortune earlier this month, Ike Brannon and Michael F. Gorman took great liberties in trying to debunk my concerns with precision scheduled railroading (PSR). Please allow me to set the record straight.
I have served on the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for 34 years, crafting public policy through seven different presidential administrations, both Democratic and Republican. Freight transportation is critical to our economy. The ability to… Continue Reading
June 02, 2021
As chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I have a responsibility to ensure that actions Congress and the federal government take regarding our transportation networks contribute to, and do not detract from, public safety. That's why I oppose the Federal Communications Commission's decision to repurpose more than half of the 5.9 GHz radio frequency band, also known as the Safety Band.
Since 1999, the 5.9 GHz band has been reserved for dedicated short-range communications t… Continue Reading
May 14, 2021
It's no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to tough times for transit agencies, riders, and workers. Not only have transit agencies nationwide seen a 65 percent drop in ridership; at the same time, many have incurred new costs associated with providing personal protective equipment, or PPE, to workers and passengers in order to keep their systems safe, and some temporarily stopped collecting fares altogether to encourage social distancing to save lives.
Despite these unprecedented challe… Continue Reading
