committee and a safety committee, looking out for little things we look past in years past. since becoming chairman, i have worked on protection and people and safety as a priority. i hope i have your commitment on this across the department.i am sure i will. while we have required new safety requirements across air, rail, and highway systems, the work has only just begun. the department needs do everything in its power to implement these safety requirements in a timely manner. we are good at passing legislation and they never get implemented. and we think they have been because we passed them that but they have not been. therein lies a huge problem. i am concerned about delays we are seeing on some very important rules and worried about more. i need your help in making sure these new requirements are put into place as soon as possible.

this is all should you be confirmed. on the aviation side, it has been a tough year between the challenges involving the 787 and sequestration impacts. sequestration took a serious hit out of faa's finances. unfortunately, we face the same and intoties next year. the future until we come to our collective senses. all of this has taken attention away from other key efforts, such as modernizing the air traffic control system andwhich is the thing i care most about but talk the least about. because it has been pushed down the road by the situation we are faced with. i expect you to make a renewed effort to focus the agency on implementing new pilot qualification and training requirements. implementing the nextgen air traffic control system is of personal importance to me. for ten years, i have worked to help faa make nextgen a reality.

this system is vital to the future of our air transportation network, and i will continue to make it a priority to make sure -- i promise you that. mayor foxx, as you know you have a big job in front of you. massive. the challenges are many and the solutions are difficult. however, if you are confirmed i want this committee to be a partner in your efforts. that will take communication and transparency from the it will take honesty and frankness from us and i thank you for being here today and look forward to hearing your thoughts.before i turn this over, i should point out that we have two votes at 4:00. we are going to change our rules. i spoke long, i always do. there arelk for -- opening statements and then on the questions, everybody will

have have seven minutes rather than five minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. , welcome. this gives our committee the opportunity to perform one of the most important responsibilities provided to members of the united states senate, give advice to consent on the judicial nominees. today we are going to consider mayor anthony foxx. the department of transportation employs approximately 53,000 full-time employees and has over $72 billion in budget authority. would bemed, you responsible for overseeing this and you will be the primary advisor on all matters relating to transportation. every american is directly affected by our systems. , theding employment

interstate movement, manufacture and purchase and their impact on the overall health of our economy. over 12 million americans are employed in the labor force. that works out to just over nine percent of the entire nonagricultural workforce. the average american family spends 17% of their budget on transportation costs. $1.6 trillion are 10% of the u.s. gdp comprised of transportation goods and services. even a state like south dakota is directly impacted by the decisions made by the secretary of transportation. the regulations produced iv d.o.t. have an impact on the ability of an industry leader in electronics located in south dakota to produce and sell message signs used on freeways to provide instructions and road conditions to motorists.

qt components like the federal radiation -- aviation play an important role in maintaining a robust national highway system to transport goods to market and enable visits to visit mount rushmore and the badlands. or enjoy our world-class pheasant hunting. regulations based on truck more than 20,000 individuals in south dakota employed by the trucking industry. the decisions also shape the role of the federal railroad administration in ensuring our freight rails are saved so that the agricultural goods can make it to market quickly and efficiently. the administration and congress will need to work together to address the challenges we face. i look forward to hearing your testimony and learning more about you and your qualifications to be the next

secretary of transportation. >> thank you very much. we will now have the honor of listening to our hopeful secretary. on. sure that is >> thank you, mr. chairman. and thank you ranking member thune, members of the committee, it is an honor for me to appear before you today as president obama's nominee to be u.s. secretary of transportation. i want to thank senators richard burr and kay hagan for their kind introductions. and i also want to thank my beautiful wife, samara, who is she is behindtoday. me now. my children, hillary and zachary, wanted to be here but they have school obligations that their parents wanted them to meet today.

if i have the honor to lead the department, i will bring the perspective of serving as mayor of charlotte, america's 17th largest city. as mayor, i know transportation from the ground up, but i learned the value of quality transportation and hard work even earlier. i was born and raised in charlotte by my mother and my grandparents, who were public school teachers. things were not always easy growing up. many times, there would be a $20 bill on the table, and my family would have to choose between basic necessities and funding a school field trip. somehow, they always made the investment in me and for that i am forever grateful. together, they taught me to take pride in hard work, to take responsibility for my actions, and to understand that education would unlock countless doors. my first job, when i was 12 years old, was at charlotte's

discovery place science museum. to get there, i rode the number 6 bus there after school. the number 6 connected me to a larger world of opportunity, and i truly believe, whether it is a bus route, a road, a train, a plane or a ship, our transportation system, at its best, connects our people to jobs and a better quality of life. when i became mayor in 2009, charlotte was facing an economic downturn and steep revenue declines. i decided to make efficient and innovative transportation investment the centerpiece of charlotte's job creation and economic recovery efforts. these investments included extending the lynx light rail system to the university of north carolina, expanding charlotte-douglas international airport, breaking ground on the charlotte regional intermodal facility, completing our i- 485

beltway, repairing the yadkin bridge, and starting the charlotte streetcar project. today, more than 19 million riders have used the existing light rail line since it opened in 2007, with more than 15,000 riders on an average weekday. passenger traffic at the charlotte douglas airport reached a record high in 2012. and our streetcar is expected to connect people with jobs, schools, and medical facilities thethe heart of my city. truth is we did not accomplish these successes alone. business, the public, and all levels of government worked together to find pragmatic solutions for the transportation challenges we faced while avoiding a "one size fits all" approach. it's the kind of bipartisan approach that i believe made secretary lahood so effective at dot, and a model i will also

follow. if confirmed, i plan to focus on three key areas: ensuring that our transportation system is the safest in the world will be my top priority, as it has been for secretary lahood, the dedicated dot workforce, and this committee. my second focus will be on improving the efficiency and performance of our existing transportation system. cutting edge transportation leaders across the country are finding new ways to boost productivity through better use of technology, data, economic analysis, and private sector innovation, such as public- private partnerships, to bring more private sector capital and innovation -- into the infrastructure market. third, we must build this country's infrastructure to meet the needs of the next generation of americans.

the private sector cannot do this alone, and the federal government has a responsibility to help ensure our global competitiveness, by investing in a robust, multimodal transportation system, a stronger national freight network, and key innovations like nextgen and advanced roadway and rail technology. as a mayor who has delivered projects to my constituents, i know too well that future uncertainty at the federal level makes it difficult to do smart, cost-effective long-term planning and project development. we also need investments and policies that promote opportunity, enhance quality of life, promote environmental sustainability, and reduce dependence on foreign oil. i look forward to working with congress and the broader transportation community to tackle the tough challenges and seize the exciting opportunities we have to innovate, invest and make the american transportation system the best in the world.

to conclude mr. chairman, thank you again for scheduling this hearing. i will be happy to respond to any questions you and the members may have. >> thank you very much. keep myg to try to questions very few because everybody has to be able to ask and we have 13 people here today on the list, which is [indiscernible] this is about transportation .ilos, the stovepipe concept in order to have a 20% transportation system, all of our intermodal work must be done together. that means the king about how to invest limited funding -- thinking about how to invest limited funding. maybe that is just the nature of your accuracy but it is a

bad nature and one which you can undo. he have to address highway, transit issues, separately. us from developing a comprehensive strategy across the board. my question, doesn't it make sense to move beyond the current formulaic funding program toward a more strategic model? and number two, how did programs help you address transportation needs in charlotte? >> thank you for the question. i would say couple of things, i believe that a multimodal approach is necessary to move our country forward. plans in variety of this country but i believe we have to work in a way that helps communities, state and local governments as well as the federal government move the country forward in a robust way.

to accomplish that, i think there are some models that have been done at the federal level that have allowed for multimodal approaches. you mentioned tiger, and in charlotte we have experience with tiger. we used it to help us build extensions to our platforms for our light rail line. the reason why we needed to extend them was because of the point he made about the silo approach. we were not able to build the platforms correctly. tiger helped us get those extended. we also looked at various regionalthat are of significance, which received funding to help prepare one of the worst bridges in north carolina. i think we have to continue thinking in a multimodal fashion. you have my commitment to try to help us reduce and improve and

enhance the infrastructure of this country. supposing --k, let me ask, supposing you're going to be the veterans administrator. thank god you are not, for your sake. for your sake. 220 thousand people work for them. underave spent a lifetime some directors to try to figure out how you take people that large with a common mission and get down into those levels where people have been there 15- 30 years. they say yespaper or no to are the ones they do. and that mentality is killing our government. you can see it in some of the discomfort coming out these days.

tosevelt used to reach down the midpoint of an agency and he would call people up. call people that had been there 20 or 30 years and say, what are you doing? what is in your way? what is wrong? how do you take something like the department of transportation, which is already a silo, and try to get it working together? couple of things, you might be surprised that local government can be silo, two. i can tell you from my experience i have worked very ,ard to break down some of them even across governmental minds. and sure of it we have a board and county commission -- in charlotte we have a board and county commission. we have broken down some barriers. having said that, i do think

you have some successes to draw upon. tiger has required the department teams to work across modes to figure out how to invest in the most impactful projects across the country. and i think that is an opportunity we could continue to extend into other opportunities. i am also where we have an opportunity to continue this conversation and to look at a performance measurement used in -- using data and hard information to figure out which projects will be most impactful. i will also say that at the local level and the state level, many of our governments and states are already thinking across modes and have plans that draw on this idea you mentioned. we should listen to them. they have good ideas for how to extend our network and make us competitive.

>> i have a minute and 30 seconds left. nextgen is important because without it, our airports will be clogged. the faa does not have the money to build it. if we don't, we will not have the money to do almost anything. gen, doesthink of next it excite you? had we come up with a way to fund it? it is an areahat in which there is broad support, including mine, by the way, to help not only get it will on schedule but even to accelerate it. i think one of the things we have an opportunity to do is

engage the stakeholders, the folks that stand to benefit, any conversation about how we get there. the good news is we are seeing the fruits already. pieces of it have been deployed. there are others around the country already starting to happen. it is an exciting opportunity to use technology to make our airspace safer, more efficient, to save money, and to improve the travel experience for many passengers. >> thank you. senator. >> thank you. , the oversight is a serious responsibility of all members of this committee. timelypledge to give responses to requests for information to all members of this committee? >> thank you for the question. if confirmed would be

to be as open and transparent as possible and to do my very best at all times to be responsive to this committee and members of this congress. point out like to there are several outstanding letters i sent along with the that chairman to the faa remain unanswered. they are items that need to be answered before i can support your nomination. thatt wanted to make sure in terms of the responsiveness, the department, that we would get your response in terms of your intentions. >> yes. in thee was an issue last few months, the way the federal aviation administration handled spending reductions as

the result of budgets. the dot and the faa had a year to plan but the poor planning resulted in disruptions in staffing and delays for passengers. the budget control act is the law of the land and and leslie grand bargain comes together, many of us agree leaders should be prepared to for the contingencies of budget caps. is, what experiences have equipped you to plan toward delivering safe and efficient air traffic control services? i will say couple of things. as a mayor, i serve in a capacity in which we have to balance budgets and work within what is there. i have a lot of experience in doing that. when i took the oath of office, our revenues were $200 million less than what they had been the

year before. we had to work within them. we did not raise taxes. we had to work within the resources. and we found some innovative ways to do it. we were able to negotiate a plan and reduce the range of pickups and recycling projects. we outsourced our recycling which allowed us to increase recycling 30% and save $40 million over 10 years. i have experience at working within the means to get there. i hope thisoint, congress, and i will be a a broaderan achieve answer to our bullet -- budget challenges in a comprehensive way. i know there are some ideas around congress and i think that is a conversation that needs to be had. if we are left with the sequester, it would be my goal

to do an effective job of working within the administration and working with .ongress to having no surprises that is what i will try to do. >> shifting modes, as secretary what role do you see yourself playing in the reauthorization process when it comes to the highway bill echo -- highway bill? i am wondering what your thoughts are with respect to that particular process. to be an active artistic print in the discussions about reauthorization -- active the discussions about reauthorization. it is a two year bill. it achieves many things that i think are important such as

looking at performance measures. but we need a longer-term surface to transportation bill. we need an answer to the sustainability of our funding sources. those are questions i want to be an advocate with the administration and congress. ,> with regard to this issue there seems to be more projects than there is funding. as mayor how you have on about setting priorities when it comes to determining which projects get funded. has had a history of working carefully with state and federal partners to get projects done. there are situations where there is a state road and you need help to build one to get it completed or expanded. we have had success making the

case for that using partnerships within the city and in some of the rural areas. we have of budgeting, had to make some tough choices. been talking about a significant capital program but that program is smaller than the need in the city. we are working very hard, working to make our priorities but here is how i would look at it. which priorities are going to be the most helpful in helping us use some of our mobility challenges connecting people to jobs in the global marketplace and leverage what is there. in charlotte we try to leverage housing, in other developments that are near our transportation systems.

there are other considerations in place is not as urban as charlotte and we want to be sensitive to that. ,> a final question, tell me 50 3000 people staff? a lot of people need to be able to build trust. we have had some recent examples where the trust is broken down. tell me about how you would build that trust and credibility, not only with the people under you could also with the american people. >> one of the most important things is to be present. one of the things i have learned is that you can't stay in the bubble of your office. you have to go out and see what is happening on the ground and you have to talk to people in the department and in communities where projects are happening. that is how you build a

connection and trust. with each member i have had wonderful interactions with all of you and i happen to feel there is agreement on this committee that infrastructure is an important goal for this country. >> thank you, mr. chairman. there are no votes before. we can relax a little bit. senator. , mr. chairman, and congratulations, mayor fox and my thanks to you into your your family for your willingness to serve. my state has just been through a major transportation crisis, an incident that certainly speaks to the need for investment.

but in all rail forms of transportation and especially rail because i think this incident could have been -- could have caused more injuries and done even greater damage. it was less severe than it might have been. that is due to the investment that was made in the most advanced, the more advanced type of railroad cars on the metro- north line, which prevented more injuries. fortunately there have been no fatalities. in ourk of investment tracks and other equipment has left them without important quality and safety upgrades.

i would like a commitment from you that you will prioritize investments in infrastructure and safety measures for all of our railroad lines but especially in the northeast corridor. >> thank you and let me say the tragic collision in bridgeport is one that all of us feel and it speaks to the issue of maintaining a good state of repair with our existing infrastructure. you have my commitment to keep safety as the number one orority, whether it is rail any other mode of transportation. as we look to reauthorization of legislation going forward, i look forward to working with you. think what that accident shows is that our rail lines are deteriorated and outdated and decrepit in many sections of the

corridor. would you agree? >> i think we have some general challenges and they think rail is one of them. i know of some tracks that are 100 years old and have not been repaired in the past. in my view, this can be a teaching moment. i hope you will be one of the teachers. i hope you will take your message as a powerful spokesman on the road. i want to make you an offer then maybe you can refuse but i hope down. you make one of your first trip to visit us in connecticut, you come with me to the site of that collision. >> i would look forward to it. be more specific, you have made the offer and i am grateful that you will work with me that i would ask you to work with our entire delegation in developing a consensus around

the northeast corridor rail financing plan. not only toates connecticut but the collection of states that depend on this artery. back in artery that is operation but for a time, because of the bridgeport accident, was choked and strangled in the ability to move people and freight and other e sent chills along that northeast corridor. i am hoping you will work with our delegation and representatives in our region. >> i will. somet me also ask about of the advances in technology and science having to do with transport that we can implement. on the aware of advances

technology that would prevent that? >> let me say this, i am aware that the federal rail administration has inspect ears .n the ground today the national transportation safety board will conduct an investigation into the cause of the commission. as the process moves forward, we need to react to the problems that are identified. i do not want to presuppose to know the exact answer to what caused it. reveal we haveo some critical needs in the country. >> i agree with you we should not be prejudging the results of that. they were on the scene within hours. an investigator was there that night.

i met with the board member that was assigned to this responsibility along with an able team the next morning. we don't want to prejudge what the results will show but i hope that it will be done more quickly than the projections are right now. they are talking about a year before results and recommendations are available. i think it should be expedited. i know it is an independent board, to assure we know what the results are because right now we're focusing on the track. we are not sure whether it was the cause or the result. anything you can do would be appreciated. commitment to get a quick investigation done. and in the less than a minute i have, i would like to ask for your support for our air whichllers and towers,

we have said are vital to air safety and jobs in those areas served by the airport and secretary lahood has reaffirmed his commitment. >> i want to thank you for your help with some of the legislation that was passed recently to avoid further conversation about closures for the time being. i look forward to working with you going forward. >> thank you for your commitment and thank youice to your wife and children as well. >> thank you, senator. i am embarrassed because according to order of arrival, twoe senators are the next and i expect to have a revolt on the republican side.

people throwing things at me. >> i concur. [laughter] >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. this is probably one of the most present hearings today. done yourve clearly homework. thank you for your good work. i enjoyed our meeting and after you visit connecticut i hope you will come to minnesota and see our beautiful twin city. i can't promise the twins will win but we would love to have you there. i think you would also say -- see our light rail system up and running and a lot of highways that need work. i was just visiting with people in minnesota where the highway is the bottleneck in a certain area. to nine adjacent

tenants and is considered one of the fastest-growing corridors in the u.s. , they did anssues amazing job getting the bill done. there is more to be done. i introduced the rebuild america jobs act which would have divided erect infrastructure investments. some of the work we saw needed to be done after the bridge collapsed in the middle of the mississippi river six blocks from my house on a beautiful summer day. when the ailing highway, a bridge and should fall down in the middle of america but it did. this money is similar to what the president has put forward in his recent budget. a similar one was in creed -- included in the senate budget. how would you partner to move forward on some of these ideas? what do you think of a public

private infrastructure? what do you suggest we do to get the funding we need to get goods to market? >> thank you for the question, senator. when a bridge collapses in -- the, and the types pain experienced by a community when that happens, it is inexcusable. have challenges figuring out a long-term path. and for that reason, we should be looking in the box and out- of-the-box to help us get the infrastructure built. i happen to think the idea of an infrastructure bank is a good idea. it is not a complete solution to every problem we have but it is another way we can get progress made on our infrastructure,

repair and new projects. madecretary lahood distracted driving a priority. and i think some strides have been made but it is still a major problem when you look at the statistics. cause of driving deaths of teenagers. do you intend to keep this a focus? >> let me say that one of his legacies will be the push on distracted driving. take that into the dna of the department of transportation and i do not think you have anything to worry about in terms of that issue continuing to be one that will be a focus. i am aware that 10% of our roadway fatalities are tied to distracted driving. if we can eliminate that, we will save lives. >> you are going to be with

things like snowmobiles. worked hard with several of my colleagues to ensure the trails program was maintained. this program is very important in my state and other states. it derives its funding from taxes a by off-highway vehicle users when they fill up their machines. will you work to ensure this valuable program continues to meet the needs of all trail users that come -- users? >> for sure. more about it. one of the few industries to enjoy exemption from antitrust laws, i know that chairman rockefeller has been working on surface trap -- surface reforms.

i support the work he has been doing. the other way is to get rid of the exemption. this came through the judiciary committee on a bipartisan vote. are you aware of the concerns about the high prices many shippers are paying back up -- are paying? .> i am aware of the issue it is one i would like to drill down more and study a little more and hear from some of the stakeholders. i am definitely aware of the issue. 63 railed to have carriers and now we have 4, which happens to be the exact number on the monopoly board. we think there needs to be worked on. we need to continue to work to improve the general aviation safety. one of the most promising initiatives involves rewriting regulations for smaller airplanes. it will enable better safety technology to be addressed

issues like loss of control, the number one cause of of accident. i am interest -- introduced a new bill to push this effort forward. i hope you will look into this bill and we would love to have your support. >> i look forward to looking into it. >> very good. thank you. if we have anymore questions questions on air traffic controller and towers, an issue for so many of us, to make sure they are maintained and a think it is great to a mayor in this role. sense ofayors have a knowing what is going on and we need that in a transportation secretary. i was remembering the former mayor of minneapolis. he told me the story he got a phone call from a constituent who said the trash was not picked up in his neighborhood. the mayor said i will give you

the number of public works and you can call him today on a sunday. the constituent said i know him that i don't want to bother him on a sunday. i think you will be, we think many of us believe secretary lahood did an amazing job in working with immunities and thats, understanding front ability that he accomplished even more if you understand what people need and understand the concerns about connecticut. i hope you will bring that forward from your work is a mere. thank you. a mckayve achieved gorbachev moment. we are breaking the order of arrival sanctity. senator cowan has yielded his place to senator scott.

>> from one member of the senatorial black caucus to another. [laughter] [applause] i thought iowan, was senator cowan. thank you very much, sir. [laughter] i am glad you knew the difference. this is good. >> i am glad we are here together so we can put an end to the rumor there is only one of us. >> this probably is perhaps the most amazing confirmation process i have seen so far in my short term in the senate. so often i hear pointed questions with pointed responses and a lot of deliberation about nothing.

today i have heard kind comments and a lot of deliberation about nothing. let's get to a couple of important issues. the to have you with us. good you took the time to meet with me a couple of days ago and as the mayor of a city, i have an affinity for folks who served locally. i know you probably recognize most of us who have served have on an opportunity to serve the local highway transportation committees and organizations. is impressive.t a couple of questions that come to the national level, one that has to deal with the process some states are going through as it relates to tolling interstates. tollingperspective, interstate 95 would be a disaster. i think it would transfer routes

to secondary roads that may not be as safe and i think because they are not as safe, it will actually raise concerns as it relates to transportation on those roads. my question is what is your position on the plan as it relates to tolling interstate 95 and what would be your approach? thank you for the question, senator. in my work as a mayor, it has a place but it is like when we're talking earlier about infrastructure. we are not going to toll our way to prosperity is a country. it is a tool that can be used to add capacity, and to pay for that capacity privately. at i do not think it is

complete solution to how we deal with our surface transportation issues. neighbord say as your to the south, the tolling impact has been harmful from our perspective. we know you take a serious look at the core door as it relates to the process. the second question comes from area of the tiger grants. they have been touted as a success, providing resources. some concerns be as to how the awards are made. how do you plan to ensure these projects will be selected on a transparent system? the question.or i am hopeful we have some funds tigerhe road for future grant opportunities. having said that, you have my commitment to be fair and thesparent about how

department would work on those issues. tiger is a challenging thing to evaluate and i would like to take some time to look at the study and have more conversation about it. , as the you are doing chair mentioned, looking across get thed trying to highest impact out of the various projects, there is bound to be controversy about which rejects or more meritorious. projects are more meritorious. i think it has helped local communities and states prioritize and tried to figure out which projects will be the most impactful. >> i would say a merit based system would be welcome versus what appears to be a district- specific funding formula.

invoked atto be times. my final question, that will perhaps be celebrated, to reserve and give back the balance of my time, which i want you to pay attention as we have seven minutes instead of five minutes. towers cannot of be overstated. they are a major part of the economic engine. i think we have done a good job of making sure that happens. i would encourage you to continue. this notion of aviation fees. the idea pops up and down very often. the administration had it in their budget. congress has rejected it repeatedly. would finde that you it within your approach to being secretary you would find

alternative solutions as opposed to having a user fee, which would be challenging in the aviation footprint. >> thank you. toill say that my approach this role would be the same approach i have is mayor, i want to hear from all stakeholders on various questions that involve industry. meandoes not always agreement but it means i want to get to a point where i can say the talking points on a variety of positions. that is what i would endeavor to do in my role. >> i will yield my 68 seconds to the senator for massachusetts. my friend from south carolina, mr. mayor, greeting and congratulations. good to see you again. your lovely wife and your beautiful children and welcome to washington, dc

if confirmed, i am confident you will be, as i hope you will be, you will serve this country well as the head of d.o.t.. it is clear from our conversation in your capacity as mayor and minas chief of staff -- mine as chief of staff you understand the importance of transportation.

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