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Understanding 9/11tv Transportation Secretary Testifies on 2025 Budget Request CSPAN May 25, 2024 4:17am-5:56am EDT
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those survivors need help. a whole town was of people leftt homes overnight, and nine months later their lives are still in limbo. i know you know this, mr. secretary, and i want to your attendance, your presence on mauit also your ability to listen to the needs of the survivors. i will make it very simple. the survivorsother communities g with disasters of their own. baltimore is recovering from the tragic collapse of the francis scott key bridge, and as i maryland congressional delegation this rebuild. are going to ge this past weekend, a fig derailt evacuations and highway closure.
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till waiting to find out more about whatd the accident but are thankful nobody was hurt. it is an reminder of how important the investments we make in transportation safety are. in response to the derailment, this committee worked on a bipartisan to improve rail safety by researching in -- by ininmore needs to be done to hod the industry accountable and the administrationesting $26 million to do that. the committee is focused on addressing the shortage of air traffic controllers to maintain safety and reliabilitythe faa'sw air traffic controllers is urgent and necessary. the committee also provided increases in staffing and certification, d the office of aviation safety to add more than 600 new staff to improve the scrutiny of aircraft manufacturs, including, maybe
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especially, boeing. an additional $30 million is being requested for 26 positions , enhanced workforce training, data management, safety reporti. on road safety, i am glada has mandated which will save may lives. moeeo be done. 40,000 lives are lost every year because of roadwayccidents and a growing share are pedestrian and bike deaths. no oneho danger trying to get around in their community. we need real accountability to bett u and regulations are not yet producing safer outcomes. y, we have to look at equity for rural aribal communities. this budget proposal two of them in cost chair for rural and tribal transit programs is a step in the right direction but we need to continue to expand
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access for these committees. equity also means looking at who from our transportation networks. i would like to hear how the administration's proposal to increase taxes on certain the extent to being subsidized by current aviation users. the budget request reflects urgent transportation priorities and these vestments benefit millions for generations to come. i will turn it over to my friend and the vice chair, senator highsmith. sen. hyde-smith: i appreciate that introduction and the working relationship we have. i just want to talk a little bit about where we are and howong the fy 20 24 congress.
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i will note in the senate bill last november with strong bipartisan support, with the help of senator collins@ murray. and senator o doubt. but without the leadership and vision vice chairman collins and chairwoman murray, we may well have saving crs through the end of the fiscal year, which benefits no one and c:eliminates congress's abilityo carry out its most fundamental duties. thank you for being here to testify on the budget request for the department of transportation, which has such a direct impact on so many people in every state. when you appeared before the subcommittee last year, the department was continu with serious safety challenges, such as the failure of th and the
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devastating derailme in ohio. today the department is $(pling with two new emergencies involving boeing and francis scott key bridge. i loo■?k hearing how the department is confronting these obstacles and■ prioritizig the safety of the traveling public. how to address emergency funding needs resulting from the disasters, appropriators must notsight of o provide adequate annualfor crit. the administration's fy 2025 request for the depart totals t roughly $2.6 billion increase above the fy 2024 enacted levels. i am disappointed to see even
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with td increase in overall funding, the request ore cases eliminatesprograms that ar this subcommittee. la ydget request includes $510 million fo consolidated rail infrastructure and safety improvements grant program. this year the funding request has been slashed by more half to just $250 million. additionally, the pandemic underscored the importance ofroe american port s■
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just $80 million. awhile the administration may the infrastructure investment jobs act funding for these prog0]rams as a counter to my concerns, we must recognize that the funding provided in that legislation is not perpetual, not finite and not perpetual. backfilling annual appropriations with the infrastructure inven funding ise and the administration has not laid out a transition plan for funding critical programs in a post infrastructure investment environment. the infrastructure investment jobs■f act offramp strategy is necessary to formulateo meet the needs of all americans, especially those in rural communities, which face transportation challenges.
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without such a strategy, under resourced rural mississippi wout at risk. this subcommittee is commitment to addressing rule needs is by the two hunted $50 million rural bridge bundling program that was established in the fy 2024 built directing resources to sparsely populated areas r much-needed bridge repair and rehabilitation. rural communities often benefit from the raise grant program so i wanted to flag some of my concerns with how the administration is proposing to fund and administer these grants. i appreciate the administration seeks to provide 800 million dollars for the national infrastructure investments, which encompassesgrants, but i o
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distinct programs without clearlyhow much funding will be allocated under each. i am also concerned about the proposal to use the fifa funds to■8 cover the $800 million cost of it i was pleased budget request includes additional funding for the to hire more air traffic controllers to manage the national airspace system and bring on more critical safety staff to help acation reform and oversight efforts. i also support the administration's intention to continue fully funding the essential air service program. essential air service program connects rural communities to broader transportation network and benefits more modest like those found in greenville,
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tupelo, by ensuring safe tvel for customers traveling to and from smaller markets. businesses rarely locate in areas without dependable air services, so supporting rural for future economic development. i believe our funding decision should be informed by fiscal responsibility and made with the american taxpayer in mind. mr. secretary, i look forward to hearing from you and working ■$■htogether to ensure we have e reliable transportation network in the entire world. chair schatz: secretary, please proceed with your testimony. there we go. chair, rag membhighsmith, vice ,
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and members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to discuss president biden's fiscal year 2025 budget request for the department of transportation. thank you as we have delivered safer, stronger transportation across the country. fatalities trending downwards, shipping costs■s■7sue smoothly,nd were the lowest in a decade. although we have more to do, we ot just from the pandemic but from decades and t that privileged corporations instead of protecting people. the budget request of $6.2 billion builds on the progress we have made and enables us to deliver on the challenges and opportunities that remain. f transportation, safety. roads, we have fundery state to promote safety.
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we had seven consecutive quarters deaths on roadways. but this is still a national crisis taking over 40,000 lives every year and we are requesting $72 billion to improve roads and bridges■ with an emphasis on safety and efficiency. are constantly reminded of the importance of transportation safety]u watched as a cargo ship destroyed the francis scott bridge, taking six lives and closing a port.
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■■ñ■we are working with state, s possible. we also got to work with the statee. aviationameric on an alaska airlines■# flight. the faa swiftly grounded 737 max 9 aircraft until each planeas safe to return to the air. the faa is increasing oversight of boeing. the agency is investing in■tured technology of airports. we are requesting $26.8 billion to the faa, which will aclerate the modernization of the system, increase the target to hire 2000 air traffic controllers, and continue improving airports. we are modernizing
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l allow us to increase the number of safety inspectors to 400 and add new staff. we established what most americans assumed was already theo crewmembers on large freight trains. we are taking every step that ct also continuing to call on congress to pass the bipartisan railway safety act, which would provide authority to kpies safe. we are preparing what existed and organi fe groundbreaking ofl line to california, the first true high-speera millions who will ride this train every year, for truck drivers and supply chain's who will benefit, for everyone who will live in a climate
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benefiting from these jobs and i think often of workers like the young veteran i met who reminded me of people i got to knowh in o face the challenges of civilian life. ked about what it was like coming off active duty as a■;■ said, i came across this uni got for the purpose i have prevented me from coming -- becoming a statistic. he is now the first person in his family to own a house. we know what it means to have these kinds of jobs. benefits are multiplied across thousands of projects the country and the millions of jobs they support. ronger supply chains, clear and deliver safer, more affordable ways for every american to get where they want to go. we have made progress and we look forward to working with this committee to continue delivering for every community in this country.
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rtunity to be here. chair schatz: iion. we have significantly i currently there are 157,000 miles of road listed on the national tribal facility inventor 60% are unpaved. 62% of 150,000 miles of roads are unpaved. how successful have tribes bee't awards in comparis tstation? if thenswe as they ought to be, what are we doing about it? sec. buttigieg: likewise i have found it extraordinary how tribes are asked to do with how little in terms of the available to them. we have soughto ma sitable and d access to our competitive grant programs.
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included pleased to note many successfulpp applicants, most ry a protect grant in south dakota that was among the largest in that round. lso recognized that often the same resources that many well-off cities or states or mih is why we have dedicated tribal ture at the d.o.t. fda's tribal transit program $46 million in competitive funding interesting -- we are requesting them to increased of 80% -- we got 80% over the previouauthorization. we alsaffairs helping facilitatr relatiipcandidly there is a lono go to make sure indian country
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and tribal applicants are getting th we will continue working with the anisms we have at the d.o.t. as well as engaging other players■2o ke working together. chair schatz: it is hard to apply and i that's something maybe the department if you are the kind of tribe thatmembers but lots of land mi, you are likely not in a position to assemble a team to do the kind of application that the state department of transportation would be able to do. let's talk about air traffic controllers staffing. thstrike because they e tired. air traffic controller fatigue is not just it's a safety question. has been a leader on this. some of the recommendations are to give folks more rest, and yet
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we are short air traffic controllers. once the problem in hiring? i don't mean tas compliment, buu think like a consultant so i ow y h about this aspect of the problem and i'm t the process of change here. sec. buttigieg: the bottom line is we need more controllers and are enacting -- acting to make that a reality. yófial■d year 2025 would be 2000 new controllers, up om500that pe are trying to accelerate that■xo continue the controller hiring and training surge.mí0@ we are also working to make sure we expand the pipeline. this is part of why the faa is working with colleges and universities.
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to supplement the cape abilities we have with our academy. the bottom line is we have to and will maintain a high standard for what it takes to become a control4jler,also seeie through the system and meet that resources to continue that. chair schatz: we have 43 more seconds, i wouldlikenitsa protections into the five-star rating system. 42 seconds. sec. but i would observe that we need to ben pangattentif vehicles designed notthose who e who are around it. especially knowing the rise in roadway debtse have experienced over recent years has been driven by pedestrian fatalities. this is now being included in the wake nhtsa looks at new
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vehicles, alongside new measures we think wil help. chair schatz: senator hyde-smith. sen. hydsm mr. secretary, i am passionate about the workforce in aviation. i represent a very rural state. so does senator collins. there are so many youngpl don'to aviation. i, my friend that lived in a neighborhohaort, very limited opportunities, but he could ride his bicycle to the chain-link fence to watch airplanes land at the general aviation airport. he becamehe owned a flight instructing school, and became successful, but only because he could ride his i know that kids all across mississippi and could
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drive with careers in aviation t attendants, and air traffic controllers if they were given the opportunity. i do have this passion to reach out to students at a young age ■ó to high school so they can learn about the potential that a career in aviation has to change their lives. a has established grant programs to invest igrants to as and the aviation community. while i appreciate these investments are being made, what more can aviation do to get more children in aviation careers? a program that can bring kids out to smaller airports. ólbut what can faa do to get moe yo strike that cord in them they might not know is there? sec. buttieg that question is
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close to my own heart. the imagery reminds me of my father taking me as a k to look through the chain-link fence at south bend airport the day air fce 1 came to bring president reago seeing that jet was one of the up with posters in my bedroom aviation a different way i might ha imagined. we know sparking that creativity can last a lifetime and the country needs to engage more talent that's out there. we do have programming we believe is meaningful. one is the science, technology, engineering, and math aviation space education program. it goes by stem. knowing of your interest in this issue, iaa has held 11 events so far in mississippi just this fiscal year through that program.
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re ways in partnership with you and the committee to make sure we reach moreaptitude and may already hae the passion but not the exposure oredge that they could thrive in these careers. sec. buttigieg: know much of that is on us as states, but i know we will need help from the faa and take a lot of folks in the aviation world to make this a reality. as i continue to work on the program, love to have u.s. dot and the faa invved to amplify the american government's role in aviation and opportunities r more young people. i appreciate your wiingntotalkin mississippi, mr. secretary, the extremeht conditions that mississippians experienced in the summer and fl 2023 left behind almost 13 million dead
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trees across thethe drought seve softwood, and lead to major outbreaks of southern pine beetles that are wreaking havoc on our timber landowners. many of these trees stand along right of ways maintained by the state department you see them everywhere. it is something like i have never seen. but dying treeshroughout the pine belt region and the entire state have fallen onposing safed forcing mississippi dot to expand limited highway maintenance resources on the cleanup. we have the obvious risk of the traveling public, that i understand these activities may emergency relief program, in
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part because they are still thes an emergency and mississippi arg u.s. d.o.t. programs and mississippi d.o.t. can i get your commitment to support tease critical safety efforts? sec. buttigieg: committed to work to fine eligibility and programs where this pply including discretionary gra ask. sen. hyde-smith: i truly appreciate that. chair schatz: senator coons.nk . thank you very much for your leadership of the department■ i this differ and important time. you have led investments in our critical transportation infrastructure over every mode of transportation and in my view we
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have to contie d.o.t. programs. i think it was a accomplishment there subcommittee and full committee got strong bipartisan for d-hud out of the senate after a long and differ process avoiding a continuing relu to p and jobs and quality of life is somethingíi all of us and i look forward to working ranking. in delaware since the last time $50 million in the port of whic positive path because we the agic accident the francis a doubling of ship traffic to■$ we are halfway through building a safety@■t defensive perimeter arson the delaware memorial bridge which began more than a year ago through a build grant
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$234 million to $90 mechanical project but this is a very old bridge and there's a huge amount ofpraffic that gasp to philadelphia and they are halfway through builsvd accident. so thank you for yourinvestment. we received modest grafo expansion at the wilmington airport one of ameri small ing tkphrergs airports but strengthen willing commercial service something we didn't and 5[k for climate resilient bridge in an area that floods out many teams in my life time. two quick amtrak funding is important to many of us without it i wouldn't be able to commute home. 40%r ship is in the northeast corridor. this year get back to
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pre-pandemic levels or exceed and an investment was made in trying to get the sta repair moving in a positive way and congress needs to made with bipartisan bill. the president's request increases funding by $100 million. i inte to send a letter endorsing amtrak's bug request of $1.2 billion and the president's is $1.6illion and amtrak's in the northeastecausel role of ongoing investment. to you the critical role that the partnershi in terms of sustaining the northeast corridor makes. i would be interested in your response to what you see as the needed level of investments to keep amtrak expanding nationally. bright line is going to connect las vegas and
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agree these are great jobs t we need to continue to invest in the backbone of amtrak. sec. buttigieg: thank you and i completely agree it is so important to support amtrak's praises on the northeast corridor the most heavily used panic rail corridor in the united stment we are proposing reflects both the return to ridership and interest in amt and fact that costs have grown. in addition, overall including the northeast corridor you mentioned $2.5 billion in the president'dg in addition tot and we are still in the middle or■j part of the journey of making up for the in when it comes to amtrak's
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capital needs. i'm encouraged to s ridership return. the last figures i saw returning fiscal 2023 tole 7% appear 97%, is back and we have to prepare for the future. sen. thank you for visiting the amtrak manchester shopbs. they have employed many people in delaware. i'm interested in the mechanical apprentice program a anything i can do to help you in sustaining the skilled workforce ■without which we can't have th passenger ralph the future. i commend you for launching that and look forward to working with you on chair schatz: senator collins. sen. collins: thank you very much mr. chairman and vice chair
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hide-smith. welcome secretary buttigieg. i want to talk about the collap of e francis scott key bridge. because it brought to life some serious potential vulnerabilities of other bridge regulations( use of barriers to protect pillars. it is my understanding that as far bk as the 1970's the national transportation board recommended studying existing bridges had■7 inadequa structural pier protection. so, to have a better understanding of how many other bridges there are out there that could be subjected to the same sort of
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collapse. what has your department been in the l baltimore pw and do you have a comprehensive list? sec. buttigieg: thank you. we are very focused on this. as youis for decades particular after a similarlyophic bridge in franklin 80 in florida which gave rhe ashto standards which federal regulations pay attention to. they require bridge construction projects consider the need of design ofq% pier protection. i want to preface anything by acknowledging the ntsb celebrates independently from#cs and for independently assessing the causes of this in it is too soon to know whether any bridge■ design currently
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known could have withstand a dire 248 million pounds that went into but bridges have increasingly been designed with dolphin fenders or islands around their supports to mitigate the impact of a potential colli even as nt continues their work we will be able to continue our■ dialogue with ashto on the strd and while there's not an uninventory i think we need to assess where the most critical points are where we would investment in resilience of the legacy infrastructure we have. were as we have invested in ili
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bridges through the investment sen. collins: i want to thank the department for working closely with the maritime chad by to --preach a funding agreement for their pier infrastructure improvements. the maritime recently were far anticipated. kind of construction project as we see the impact of escalating co of materials, specialized labor and other unnation narrow pressures. we continue to provideient fund the federal c requirements. but i'mr commitment to continue working with the:naine academy
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and my staff it ensure that the shore side infrastructure improvement can accommodate the new training vessels for which themittee has appropriated funds and that will very shortly -- they are under construction now and will out. sec. buttigieg: we are excited about the newthey have their own infrastructure needs and we have our commitment to work with your office and the academy. sen. collins: finally as a general comment i want to express my concern about the budget cutting funding for pame funding from the landmark bill. when we wrote was to be supplemental and it was not to
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be used to substitute for■m the funding for these programs in the prident'■s budget. but it seems like for the second what is hang. and it -- this is finite funding and it willto help our country catch up on a lot of delayed maintenance and to the infrastructure to expand broad band,■, lots of purposes. it was not intended to be a substitute for the regular■ñ fu. thank you, mr. chairman. >> chair schatz: senator durbin. d years ago i that banned smoking on ■nairps. i was sensitive to the environment in the airplanes, safety of it,clrí■ú%. public he the like and thought the flying
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experience wldif speaking was removed and it was. i would like tosue about the qu experience in the airplanes toda after you are in your seat and are under way there's an number that comes a airplanes not just critical and frequent flier credible farmland force feeding a goose the information is jammed on flight attendants pass out applications for branded credit cards and stand at the door. it heavy sell, a hard sell. you a why are are they spending this time doing it. i think yno answer because page airlines make more moan of
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your pocket than their av out t card compani airplanes. so the question is, who polices the ranks with these frequent fly programs? there's expectation and investment by millions of you e administration an■erd. can you tell us more? sec. buttigieg: y. banking regulate for we are an airline regulator and as toes business lanes get blurred we are recognizing our responsibility to protect packages may come into play. we share your concerns about the right of passengers who count on these or told about these rewards programs. d.o.t. has launched a review of determine if there are any
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unfair and deaccept active practices and will tack enforcement action including analyzing consumer complaints and meeting with always who are considering soliciting further information. another thgon having noted the boundaries of our lane we arecfpb recognizing concern. away plan venient a short hearing on may 9 withesents, la consumer advocates to talk aut s consumers are experiencing with so credit card reward programs. sen. durbin: i haveunderstandi jurisdiction but there is so important to across america the we have troubling reports that devaluin harder for consumers to achieve promised rewards. at certain times the cost ofpur
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times the points at redemption. ther policing the ranks of these airline cdi there benefit. i have a minute and a half and i would be remiss if i didn't mention location, locatn,glad y statement on rail service with . being understand my interest in that. i hope we can find a way to make an investment that will dramatically change performance of railroads across the united states depen on efficiency and chicago. we have had some horror stories and we want them behind us. what is your thinking on buttig there is enormous investment to yield improvements and we know how important that is to your region. we welcome furthercretionary grant applications that would be
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helpful and i know or pernnel have been ungauging with teams from the region to discuss this. sen. durbin:thank you. chair schatz: senator kennedy. help you will here the -- hear the pleadings from our chair to help the peoplehmaui. we have been through that in louisiana. frankly i'm disappointed that the administration hasn't done more. i'm in the laying that at your maui right now need hope. and without a place it live there'sçg in hope. how you are babies doing? sec. buttigieg: they have
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figured out how of their beds which planes at the control when weethy and happy. se they will be teenagers before you know it. you llnk that aliens have come down and abducted your beautiful kids and replaced them with terrorists but he will get through ask -- i know you sound like a broken record -- the national center of excellence for a subject i know you are familiar with.q■■ we are trying to get this bill -- it is frustrating of course. it is not altogether your fault. some days it seems like it tax longer than medical school it get something donehere. but i would like
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where we are? congress haspoken explicitly, we want this project built, we have appropriated money, supposed to be in louisiana. the people in louisiana and universities there have gotten together and want to put, as do i, at the want to mcneace how do done? >> that is certainly the path we are on. iing your staff with your engagement of fins that we are on the path it advance. one thing i would note is we have taken to heart your obat the facility that is there now at
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for that lng center of excellence. we need to make sure we follow the procurement process and from the center and we are working with you on that. but certainly recognize that importance and potential of this it could bring making sure we have the safestndly responsible lng■■ processes. sen. kennedy: so it is going to be is that right?sec. buttigieg: yes. sen. kennedy: and ilike carlos. >> we directed them to fine sites in like charles and part of that is the existing academic center being able to benefit from that co-location. so pending the propositions, th the direction we are heading. sen. kennedy: and you are
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working with become knees state university and other univers universities? sec. buttigieg: yes. i would like your e minute opinion on something.oeing not just from a commercial pepect national security perspective. i would like your thoughts on that. sec. buttigieg: well, the importance of boeingmic terms and strategist terms can't beve given the role they play in american aerospace, and not just regional economy but the u. economy. i take care to focus on the safety dimension above all else and certainly the f.a.a.'s t can only strictly be about safety. but i also believe that getting the safety picture rate making sure at the address their
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ssues and any cultural issues in terms of prioriiing quality will to the strategic importance withat larf a role. sen. kennedy: we are not just comping against airbus but other countries. i appreciate your candor on that. thank you, mr. chairman. chair schatz: senator reed. sen. reed: thank you. thank you hospitaly. i'm simultaneously chairing the armed service the -- services committee. we are aware of the collapse of baltimore which was a horrendous impact on that city and aware supporting our colleagues we
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can to get it up and running. but something similar with the imaginenects t sides of the metropolitan area had to coasted, at least t lan. as a result, you have seen it our business community, our traffic,@@■z our commuting wher young people mean going to scolge a hospital appointment has been does appears that the replaceme of the bridge about $360 million is way beyond our federal alloc. i would ask for your help to ge least make us eligiblfor that and your help would be apprected. sec. buttigieg: i'm very
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conscious of the importance of this bridge after walking invit and sitting with the mayor of east providence and understanding the impact of the communities. administration will 10 actively working with the rde to provide support we can. that isnc in traffic management and operations it deal with the disruption and secondly involvement in supporting rhode island d.o.t. developing the r.f.p. for the replacement structure which was issued april 29. wail we have not been able to determine that there would be eligibility e.r. program as it stands, we doeeormula fun discretionary funding can be helpful here and we are working with r.i. d.o.t. to identify
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opportunities there and want to be a resource any way it help the communities get back to normal and get that bridge into the state it needs to be. sen. reed: letyá coming to rhode island and director administration. we appreciate very much your personal it might require a legislative language it get land on the list so we will work to try to do that. within other aspect of is transit, fiscal cliff of the pandemic era flexible funning expired, that was helping them■x■y the crisis. then rider ship levels have not returned to the pre-pandemic levels. how iing to help these public transit agencies to finaial? sec. buttigieg: we 10 to be
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concerned about this beginning inl year 2025 several large urban areas are expected it operating short fall and systems it decline would empair ourly are direct jobs in play but the latest data on usage shows even in 2022 with the diminished post-covid levels there were seio trips on public transit. that is why the budget props from federal highways to be used for operating expenses.operational, additional flexibility will be helpful to transit agencies as they develop lge plans and as we see rider slip although it is not back to pre-covid partners we see an increasing returw if
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reliability and frequency can b continued use and revenue that comes with sen. kennedy: thank you. transit is ways low income families get it workl so anything we do would be and thank you for your distinguished service. >> nice to be here. march 2 we send a letter to you regarding the nhtsa advanced impaired driving prfrpbgs technology rulemaking. safety oe in the mountainous roads of my state in st v priority for me as i'm sure it is for you. i'm eager it see these promising technologies starting with2026.
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i think so commentser comments have been robust and i hope it is a top priority for nhtsa as thentsb notah over a decade lined and adding to add backlash. how are young these c compeing comments and could it delay the final sec. buttigieg: thank you to your attention. we estimate about a tiered of all fatalities are related impaired driver which is why nhtsa has been working to kpwhraoeu with the rule ming providing in the infrastructure law. the comments were robust to put
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pest specificity to 18,000 comms so nhtsa is reviewing those. balance all the different concerns in play. but do a way that meets our safetyssion. tell continue to work through those comments and everyntion a prrulemaking. we need it make sure we understand how the technologies be put in play knowing it is one thing to have technology or prototype and another to mandate it. >> being on time in i have not received a;hll grapplig with the comments but that is our aim. >> i will sound like store canada because i'm a broken record on by issues.
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we put that in the iija and one key component two kerry goal the environmental review process. i'm told they have been in march we received a list of the federal highway projects currently under way. there are eight on that list. o eight. of these section are llhis and are expected to have an extension or delay ithture. two remaining projects have notices of intent issued in february and scheduled not posted on the almost all of them have missed or are expecting to miss thegoa. i find this very the point of this is it manufacture projects not get mo projects done if you can do it in a timely ou making staff available it brief my staff on
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the calendars facing each and doing to address these? sec. buttigieg: yes, we wou toe. nobody is support impati done - >> what do you attribute the delay to? sec. buttigieg: each project has its ownf= characteristics but w can only certify that permitting is met if a lot of it is back and forth with the state but i directed our team to accept a moral if side by side -- >> meant for states but all federal agencies to be cooperatin to win federal decision. what accountability are youor e engineers,d wildlife? why that is part of why we have the inagency partnerships on implementing the bill and that reflected that every scheduled posted on the
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dashboard for e.i.s. initiated since the fiscal responsibility act ior complia the statute. we have some e.i.s.'s that were initiated as early as a decade ago so these have gone through a lot before we even arrived at this. but when it companies to something we can do for example the put forward that made it possible for us to adopt exclusion working with d.o.e. so if sething didn't go into that more elaborate process. that can help us on the front end. >> are you using that provision? sec. buttigieg: yes, i believet >> can we have follow-up on that? >> sec. buttigieg: yes. >> i do have another question oneements they are not getting out the door, they are delayeds well and i'm frustrated but i will submit that for the chair schatz: before i move to senator murphy.
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some of our staff participate in that brie everything. for murphy. sen. murphy: first let me note an emergency situation in connecticut that you i think have been briefed on this morning. there was a that erupted on interstate 95 the fairfield avenue overpass in norwalk. 95 is closed downed a pay be for days depending on how fast we are able to make that bridge structurally sound and understand the een fuel leakage. early8,500 gallons it looked and we have t safe.nities and water shed are i know pufrt out a statement on there but i want to get your
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commitment that youil working throughout the day personally and through carr we assess the damage we get crews out there and get the highwayed a overpass open as safe commuters and residents. sec. buttigieg: absolutely. i spoke to the governor this morning and the federal highway do everything to get back to s normal. reminded how important a smooth and normal i-95 can be. >> is stamford connecticut the bridgeport the average is $29,000, simply not enough to
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get by in a state with a relatively higco living lake connecticut. there are a multiplicity of prior priority distance from new york city which is the driving it is so maddening that bridgeport is only 70 miles from new york but still requires an hour and 40 men's train ride to get to the city. there is to ra i 2024 that should be the case. the great news is through the infrastructure act we are finally delivering some serious moneto allow us to do the bridge repairs track an engine upgrades to be able to get 140 down to maybe down to 125 inext 10 years. but as you know and senator coons already asked about amtrak
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funding, once big chunk of bipartisan minute roundsbe scra concerning it look at the part continuing to be underfunded advices have where they were in 2022 or 2023 and i want to that you it make sure thatho get bac last 10 years and hopefully far beyond so we don't have th -- t interruption in momentum for the projects that to help a community like bridgeport dollars expire? >>■x■ t and i certainly agree people experience d terms minutes and we know we can do somethingy the back log in terms of repair and
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northeast corridor. that is what we are going we th role. the drawer 250 million requested is on top of the advanced proposition for total of about $1.2 billion. buthe fiscal responsibility act has required us to make challenging choices add up. the only person more n i taught i would be the postdent and you c counts on this administration to improving travel times and reliability on the northeast corridor and any corridor in the u.s. sen. american,. what we hoped it see is states would commitments. connecticut has done thrafpl th matching the federal investment with significant state 25 minut containing in travel time on the
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new haven to new york which would continue rm grow new haven more critical for her income communities. grateful for your recognition thathave a plan to get the accounts back up to the proper deep r keep that momentum going. chair schatz: hogan.■r >> t being with us. one thing we've pushed to develop is unmanned aviation. and in the reauthorization bill aware working on and hopefully will senate an september it the house next week where again it will hopefully b currentho expires may 10. one is testing for sites the.
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one provides being establish two more u.a.s.and we modified that language because there was a requirement you establish more test sites an ones we have now one of our sta incredible job and i think we need to be careful we are not just adding test sites todd it is sites so we put in there away changed that along to play establish up it two more so we establish is we're getting what we are not -- what we need. tell me how yo intend it approach that. sec. buttigieg: first of all, we are very the value added by test site you have described. our total budget request for u.a.s.s $149 million and a big part is critical research on a
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appear applications and also the mana operations of the center of there are seven f.a.a. designated test sites and the objective is to provide that kind of verification of safety for the different kinds of u.s. applications that are going to have to be te whatever congress prescribes in terms of flexibility and h site or ceiling, f.a. will wo with you and existing test sites to optimwh sen. hoeven: i'm sure we will have reporlage that goes to that very point. that sounds like the right kind of working. another example is restrictions that it÷ supporten manned aircraft. for folks in this 20 years test
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manned aircraft so you ve to have flexibility in these -- it is one thing to prescribe stuff you know nothing about, work wi. across.what i'm trying to we first established our u. a.s. center in 2005 so that is almost 20 years ago. the party. just we want to make sure you rely on the expertise sec. buttigieg: and the f. afplt .a. administrator whitaker we are pleased he is in that. he necessary that so your strong support for his efforts are appreciated. the univty north dakota we have a pilot trainingly have a more than 100 aircraft. right now everybody has to go to
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oklahoma city to be an air traffic controller and f there a about the income. there's ator whittaker has underten traffic collegiate training initiative to allow schools with the expertise lake university of north dakota to take these individuals al point where technique take test and -- take relove the bottle income. i want to ask for yt a time we traffic ctrollers an through put of hiring we know that means being imaginative about force multipliers to add to the capacity whaa. academy and our academy is an extraordinary is something we are very played of. they are doing a great program add through colleges and
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universities that have deep ■ expertise in this area and appreciate university of north dakota's interest in participing. to be clear as you acknowledged graduates still need to pass■3■r track scientist s. program. we won'ten kraes standards but this provides another avenue to do that much th opened april 1 we will keep tell open on a rolling basis and f.a.a. has already been able to get guidance onoç criteria and cour work but we'll need to continue with these institutions to deliver on the promise of that idea. sen. hoeven: associate administrator for airports has been helping us with the fargo airport. it is a fantastic last that st maybe three. i would ask for yourefforts. she is been rights on target so i ask fe
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received a grants on correlating hi 85 which the tpwhoel is to run from mexico to canada and for tkwrar -- i ask forrt on t. sec. buttigieg: yes. chair schatz: it is a little rare we civil servant is called out by name and in such a positive way si love it. -- is i love it. be van hollen i want to speak for the committee to say whatever you need aware hear. hollin. sen.■ç van hollen: i know we ar working on perjure want to thank you and president biden for your immediate and continued support for the city of baltimore and state of land e awful tragedy, the collapse of
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the key bridge. were there that you called folks at 3:00 too wa being this time and time just d important wordsut delivering realelp and results. that is true of you and the president of the unit thank you for that. heard news that we had recovered a fifth body, six individuals lost their lives in that collapse. and, as you know our priority has been it support their families and we continue that. the other priority and you have spoken it this eloquently, is opening the port of baltimore fully. thank you for all of your efforts there. the arm corps of engineers has done amazing wor already cleare
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that allows 80% of the port's business to be ho of it month to clear the 50-foot channel and resume all operations at the part of baltimore. as you said and the camera that had national implications. that is why we appreciate the fact that the president has said from day one we will, the federal mar the bridge and support 100% of the cost recovered from lawsuits for wrongdoing will be recouped by federalñ4 taxyers. i want to thank you and the president for working quickly to make sure maryland entered the emergency relief program which covers 90% of the cost, also he
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immediate funds ■+it deal with traffic mitigation. but as you knowecause we worked with you and the administration, senator carden and i delegation on a bipartisan basis have introduced sl the president's pledge to providefu this disaster. i nt understanding is it your full suppo for that legislation. >> thank you, yes. as you know the president committed in person and in public to makingthat the federal government fully supports the costs of rebuilding. that means 100%. we welcome your leadership and that maryland delegation in working to get the statutory authority that would be these to take us from 90% to 100%. sen. van hollen: i want to touch
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on that other issues but before that i want to say to the chairman the hope of the maryland delegation is, diet the passageislation as soon as possible. if it isf.a.a. bill, it has to be the tphebgs matter business and including some much have worked on. so, another issue that is immediately before us with respect it the f.a.a. are these five additional slots that some members are pushed for, for d.c.a. i want you to reaffirm what you stated you visited d.c.a. you understand that one hardest wor the national air on it say we concerned about the pressure that could from toe those additional slots.
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are you still ned? >> yes we have it prioritize safety in every decision that is made if there is kind of condition where the tower is overburdened, the only alternative to allowing an unsafe condition which the will likelihood of dela. sen. van hollenap that. safety has to be paramount. the bill is focus on would be ue a bill designed to safety that kproe pieces safety at d.c.a. if i could in crowing i want to tank secretary for all the work in rebuilding after the bridge collapse and your work as we look to the future of baltimore city■h
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with the red line as well as our reconnecting communities in west baltimoreeason the reconnecting communities an bill it deal with the highway to to where which divided a black communityi4 in west baltimore. you have been there, you have seen itover so we lookur contin on that. sec. buttigieg: like which is. thank chair schatz: senator manchin. sen. manchin: thank you for being here an always contacting, corresponding and getting back with us on different nc i appreciate your attention from your office and yourself especially.+ the biden administration provided $7.5 billion network of chargers but that is not accurate. why because i any away wrote the bill the way
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we■x did. your department is responsible nor allocating 2.5 t program to put publi■yy acible refueling infrastructure long asking fated corridors while carjacking is eligible for this it is not the only technology that there is. we are very clear in the bill about that. propane and natural gas fueling are why i included year 2024 transportation appropriation that dire and ful each eligible technology and not to restrict it to ■áe.v. carjacking trur. unfortunately of the 47 awardsp all but four 43 of them have --.
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i would like skwhraurpb that you understand the bill and if you are trying to correct tha or looking at the inequality of how thstgoing. >> thank you. i can assure you in reviewing applications t always taking care it make sure it conforms ■hto those that cre eligibles for the chargers. i think the bulk of the successful grant applications have been e bulk of private sector ies turn fall for hit duty vehicles has been on lk vehicle charging. but any program from the to c.f.i. that has an inclusive definitihe eligible but not the only thing that is that faithfully and judge every application based on merits and conformity it statute. sen. if you would
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consider in rural areas where you might have calendars from the great electrical gas and laer trucks are looking a the hydrogen for long haul they have ability and very clean but we are having a hard advtise g to be honest the administration is little lackluster on how we make hydrogen and things of this sort but as far as the heavy trains, pla trucks. and fueling stations in■z remot areas, point, wyoming, the west and lake we haventainous areas electric doesn't do it. so if you could consider the■e■ dealing with on turn at all sours tremendously. also i would like to -- i know you have been helpful on corridor h and corridor h through west virginia president johnson is part of listen s1965
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trying it check sense 1965. we are getting close, almost there, you have been great. weeed your commitment to finish this thing. i hope it is radar screen and i know you have some tremendous sta west virginia ve well standing behind you that understands and lives in that part of the state thatderstands need that and i-■?81 cnection would be unbelievable. >> we are very mindfulf we wil it work on that with resource eligibilities we've. sen. ticket agents. you helped us in west virginia the new river train and expand the rail service that keeps the state cooked ittion were the ag thankful grant of$500,000
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toward amtrak we wod not have kept these system. what we've right now is the ta runs to the eastern panhandle and cain runs from new york city to chicago both transversingouthern part of our state. the scout reserve has been blessed by thi more.line and we've paid upgrades it hapndle the passengers in a more friendly atmosphere. with tha the stake helders in west virginia we're working it restore a■i seven-day a week service on the critical transportation you would look i would be grateful because it. i don't know how much you know about that but
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an uptick on train traffic? >> there's more excitement in that. my boss is all about it and aw everything we can differ resteroid service appear reliability. sen. manchin,. how is the high speed working.■ california and nevada. >> that. at the aim to have that train in service■- by 2028. it with mark the first high speed revenue onai service -- sen.■+ mancini: i looked at that and thought that one train has a chance it be raw neutral, raw making. d u see■6 any first it can pay for itself we we've the investment made? investing in c side but within rain you see private player they be in the strd raw that is
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one that seams well suite sen. manchin: so aware in the of it? why it we made a capital side o operate it.tz: senator sinema. g for being hear. in arizona we feel the before impacts of the bipartisan infrastructure lawed a billion.nts of over included $4.7 billion improve roads, bridges, ports of entry and airpor. airports have received over $263 million enhance wants and improved when i wrote the pwarsz infrastructure law working toward prince lake completing
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widing of efrpbgs 10 it moves tens of millions of people. thanks it the award by the pwarsz infrastructure law an exnd three lane i-10 through the indian mmunity ll be a reality. arizonans are excited for this partnership in implementing all ascts of the bill. you said in your testimony that safety is d.o.t. primary mission. you contacted me last friday it derailed lguage the arizona and new mexico board with gas two of them cgh there coasted interstate 40 inial directions pause service on the chief and prompted a two radius. aware eager it gets more information. details have been hard to come bythbake
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information like the fire duration or how figured out concernsment can yo investigation including how the cost of the derailment will be determineded a how will the department people are informed as it srls. sec. buttigieg: thank you. as you noted, this incident had or attention from day one. we were in touch at that time and we have been monitoring? it since. in this case the investigation was affected by f.r.a. personnel will limited site access which willning and first instance we will on securing the site containing the fire a managing the evacuation before the investigative dimension can take prioritiment my understanding is s involved but in observer status. i will confirm that with your office it make sure that
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information is still current. il lead the investigation but they mayy a rule since l.p.g. feels■■ invol the f.r.a. administrator was there monday and we'll continue required to support the community tginal evacuation effected 50 individuals but that is lifted follow up and get you any other information regularing that this remains an active investigation. sen. sinema: it was on favre so nation landment mye was informed about a lack of tribal so the d.o.t.'s arrest notice of proposed provides rails it provide information to mail radius does that intend
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if not do you have plans it clarthnal relevance? >> i would expect so. i will look into that. at or level was on the phone with the navajo nation president promptlye railroad missed any responsibilities for it i would want it know and i can tell our assistant secretary for tribal affairs a site visit and i will make and i will make sure that is on his agenda. >> border infrastructure is critical to arizona and the country. the douglas commercial port of entry will need significant roadway, utility, infrastructure investment to fulfill inspection obligations and reac■b■ ■'heindustrial poter the surrounding area. prioritize investment to strengthen the economy and the movement ofoo through border regions?
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secretary buttigiegborderucturer our economic future and deserves to rate highly in infrastructure plans and funding. that is one reason why■b i think many projects for border infrastu have performed well in our discretionary grant sible through the bipartisan infrastructure law. this includes the raised grant to the port of entry in el pas from fiscal year 2022, a gra grt that benefited community along the border and the inn grant for texas. we are looking at extraordinarily -- extraordinary projected growth of freight crossingt a time where there has been heightened attention ever since clover the -- covid as to the
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fluidity of our supply chain. it will continue to be priority. as we see more and more apicions come in, porter-related applications will compete very effectively. >> with your indulgence, a final question. we were happy to a commitment from d.o.t.support ce interstate 11 corridor project. you know how important that is to the stawhat is the departmeno or development of the i 11? >> this is ahave discussed many times given high demand and growth taking place along the■ó -- corridor. g at the national picture find any af comparable population and profit growth that has not had some kind of direct interstate connection. at the tier one eis got its record of decision in novemberis
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and a stage is taking place, particularly on the nevada side. we welcome the opportunity to but i understand both nevada and arizona sites are committing to through any issues or obstacles that come up together. >> thank you. >> secretary, thank you for coming today. the hearing rord wi r until thuo allow members to submit addition qthe hearing is now ad.
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