Press Releases

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves’ statement on remaining focused on key Committee priorities following his announced plan to retire from Congress at the end of this session:

“For 26 years, I have had the privilege of serving in Congress, culminating in becoming the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and passing some of the most significant legislation in our nation’s history.  The responsibility entrusted to me is not something I have ever taken for granted. Not for a single day.

“Although I have announced that this will be my last term serving as the Representative from the Sixth District of Missouri, we’ve still got a lot of work to do at the Committee. I was honored by my colleagues with a waiver to serve one more term this Congress as T&I Chairman, and I intend to finish strong.

“Before the end of this year, the Committee must complete a vital surface transportation reauthorization bill to fund America’s roads, bridges, highway safety, transit, and rail transportation systems – a surface bill that will be the most important of its kind in decades.

“The Committee is working on the next Water Resources Development Act to improve our ports, harbors, inland waterways, flood protection, and other water resources infrastructure.  We have bills to reauthorize pipeline safety programs, to modernize Clean Water Act permitting processes to cut red tape in the building of infrastructure projects, and to provide the most significant reforms to FEMA since Hurricane Katrina.

“And just this week, our committee unanimously approved the ALERT Act to address all 50 safety recommendations from the NTSB following their investigation of the tragic aviation accident in our nation’s capital.

“I will remain fully focused on getting these bills and other important legislation over the finish line.  Serving as Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where Members of Congress can and have so often worked together to get things done for all of America, has been a tremendous honor that will drive me until my last day in Congress.”