mr. colvin you are recognized. mr. colvin: thank you for the opportunity to testify on the topic of our national highway system and national infrastructure. ttd represents millions of workers across the transportation sector and there is no part of our highways that if they don't work on, from the workers manufacturing american steel to those using it to build bridges and those preparing the ground and laying foundation for our highways, skilled professionals inspecting and maintaining. the workers aren't only delivering on the promise of the 2021 infrastructure law on generational investment but they are doing1 it while training the next generation of workers to meet the demand for the next generation of skilled labor. for decades ttd has advocated for generational investments to bring our infrastructure to the 21st century. for us it was not about spending money for its own sake. it was not about creating union jobs for the sake of creating union jobs, though we are happy to have them. it is about hearing the voices o

mr. colvin. your testimony underscored the impressive addition of 10,000 new transit workers over the past year, a remarkable recovery from the challenges faced during the height of the covid-19 pandemic. how can congressnhce and expand training programs in the upcoming reauthorization to equip transit workers with the skills necessary to operate and maintain advancing transit technologies safely? mr. colvin: well, we simply need more investment in training. i think traditionally transit has been well below in terms of total payroll invested into training, well below averages in any other industry. i think we're starting to see a change in that now, but what we did make significant investments in workforce training for new technologies, electrification, there's not sort of an across-the-board national strategy when it comes to investing in our transit workforce, and i think that needs to change. rep. nadler: thank you, mr. colvin. i yield back. chair rouzer: mr. stauber. rep. stauber: thank you v

mr. colvin you are recognized. mr. colvin: thank you for the opportunity to testify on the topic of our national highway system and national infrastructure. ttd represents millions of workers across the transportation sector and there is no part of our highways that if they don't work on, from the workers manufacturing american steel to those using it to build bridges and those preparing the ground and laying foundation for our highways, skilled professionals inspecting and maintaining. the workers aren't only delivering on the promise of the 2021 infrastructure law on generational investment but they are doing1 it while training the next generation of workers to meet the demand for the next generation of skilled labor. for decades ttd has advocated for generational investments to bring our infrastructure to the 21st century. for us it was not about spending money for its own sake. it was not about creating union jobs for the sake of creating union jobs, though we are happy to have them. it is about hearing the voices o

mr. colvin. at the end of the day these transportation projects boil down to workers on the ground. the ability to have qualified workers that want to be in the profession, highly skilled and highly trained for the jobs that we need. can you just explain to us a little bit of the importance of prioritizing those work force development programs to ensure we have that highly qualified work force and also a little bit on, we know that wages consistently fail to rise with inflation. and the struggles that's presenting as it relates to that work force. >> i'll start with the second one, we hear a lot about so-called work force shortages. i think really the challenge there, it's not a work force shortage, it's a shortage of employers willing to pay livable wages to their workers and afford them quality of life and work that people are attracted to. i think that's a problem in the trucking industry. i think it undermines that more when congress goes after hours of service rules in states trying to do th

colvin. i yield back. chair rouzer: mr. stauber. rep. stauber: thank you very much, mr. chair. i do want to speak to the comments of my good friend larsen made earlier. the american people rejected the policies of the last administration in november. it is absolutely the trump administration's prerogative to review the policies and programs of the last administration to ensure taxpayer dollars are being used effectively and responsibly. projects like roads, bridges, and airports will certainly align with these principles. but when we talk about $7.4 billion of american taxpayer money going to build charging stations with the buy american provisions removed, and 11 have been built in the last three years, that's what this administration will be reviewing. we do need to stop wasting money on many ineffective projects and reinvest in hard infrastructure >> we will return to this hearing after vice president vance swears in sean duffy. the senate confirmed mr. duffy yesterday, 77-22. >> mr. duffy and his beautiful family, all nine kids. i joke they are doing their best to solve the