Press Releases

With the 116^th Congress officially underway, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO) today announced key senior Republican staff appointments for the Committee.

Paul Sass is the Republican Staff Director of the Committee.  Paul joins the Committee staff after serving the last four years as Rep. Graves’ Chief of Staff in his congressional office, where he managed the Congressman’s operations in his Missouri district and in Washington, D.C.  Paul has at some point held virtually every other position in the Graves office as well, including Legislative Director, since first joining the Congressman’s office in 2002.

This will mark Paul’s second committee leadership role in the House.  In 2008, he worked for the House Small Business Committee as its Deputy Staff Director, during Rep. Graves’ term as that committee’s Ranking Member.  As Deputy Staff Director, Paul managed the daily operations of the Committee, including setting its hearing agenda and working directly with Members and Congressional Leadership on many legislative directives. 

“Paul is an experienced, effective, and proven team leader, and I am confident that he and the entire Republican Committee staff team will serve as great assets for the Republican Members as we get to work with our colleagues on the Hill and in the Administration to fix our Nation’s infrastructure,” said Ranking Member Graves.

Jack Ruddy will serve as the Deputy Staff Director for the Committee’s Republican staff.  Jack has served as Legislative Director in Ranking Member Graves’ congressional office since 2013, managing Rep. Graves’ legislative staff and agenda for the last five years – including during the development and enactment of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.  Jack first joined Ranking Member Graves’ office as Legislative Assistant in 2011.

Fred Miller will serve as General Counsel for the Republican staff.   Fred served the last two years in the same position for the Republican majority during the 115^th Congress.  He also served as the Staff Director of the Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee from 2015 to 2016, after first joining the Railroads Subcommittee staff in 2011 as Counsel.  Fred has worked on a variety of the Committee’s oversight and legislative efforts involving surface transportation; aviation; water resources development; disaster program reform; Amtrak, passenger rail, and freight rail transportation; pipeline safety; and hazardous materials regulation.  He is a former attorney-advisor of both the Surface Transportation Board and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

Justin Harclerode will serve as the Republican Communications Director.  Justin has over 20 years of communications experience on the Committee, having previously served as Communications Director and Communications Advisor for former Chairman Bill Shuster and former Chairman and Ranking Member John L. Mica.  He also served in the Committee’s press office during the chairmanships of Rep. Don Young and Rep. Bud Shuster.