▶ 0:22:276F of House Rule 11, clause 2HF. The chairman may postpone further proceedings today on any question of approving any measures or matter or adopting an amendment on which a recorded vote of the yays and nays is ordered. I ask unanimous consent that the chairman be authorized to declare a recess at any time during today's meeting without objection. That is so ordered. All legislative and amendment texts have been distributed electronically and paper copies are also available here in the hearing room.
▶ 0:22:54Today the committee is considering an amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print title 10 the committee on transportation infrastructure containing legislative proposals to comply with the reconciliation instructions in section 2001 and house concurrent resolution 14 on the budget for fiscal year 2025. And I'd ask unanimous consent for the committee to use an amendment roster for any items under consideration by the committee.
▶ 0:23:20Without objection, that is so ordered. Let's see. All right.
▶ 0:23:38Our item for consideration today is committee print title 10 the committee on transportation infrastructure spot here containing legislative proposals to comply with the reconciliation instructions in section 2001 in house concurrent resolution 14 on the budget for fiscal year 2025. I now call up the committee print for consideration. Without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed with and the committee print is now considered as read and open for amendment at any point. I recognize myself to offer an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
▶ 0:24:08Please designate the amendment. An amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Graves of Missouri. Without objection, the amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered read and shall be considered as the base text for the purposes of further amendment. And I recognize myself real quick for uh for a statement. We're here today to provide uh recommendations to reduce the deficit by no less than 10 billion over the next 10 years as part of the budget reconciliation process for fiscal year 2025.
▶ 0:24:38This committee is prepared to meet its instruction and deliver on the president's America first agenda by combining critical investments in border security um our national defense and needed modernization of America's air traffic control system with cuts to wasteful spending and other deficit reducing measures. For more than 20 years, the Coast Guard has received less than half of the needed capital investments challenging their ability to secure our maritime border.
▶ 0:25:05Just last fiscal year, the Coast Guard was responsible for nearly 3/4 of the maritime interdiction across federal agencies, seizing hundreds of thousands of pounds of il illicit drugs worth an estimated 3.2 billion dollars.
▶ 0:25:20In order to aid the Coast Guard and its maritime border and national security efforts, we will provide nearly 22 billion to recapitalize Coastg Guard assets, including the acquisition of cutters, um, aircraft, ice breakers, while also funding the construction of the facilities needed to support these new assets.
▶ 0:25:38With more than half of total funding going towards maritime assets, we are also aligning with the president's recent executive order to strengthen America's ship building On another important topic, following the tragic aviation accidents in recent months, this committee has heard directly from stakeholders in the administration about the need to act immediately to improve the safety and reliability of our nation's aviation system.
▶ 0:26:03A recent government accountability report found that more than threequarters of Federal Aviation Administration systems were either unsustainable or potentially unsustainable. AFA faces serious operational and financial challenges due to its aging infrastructure and workforce shortage.
▶ 0:26:21In response, the committee will provide 12.5 billion down payment for air traffic control modernization efforts to allow the administration to immediately get to work replacing critical telecommunications infrastructure and radar systems to invest in runway safety and airport surveillance uh projects, replace air traffic control towers and traycons, and fund air traffic controller recruitment, retention, and training.
▶ 0:26:46The committee will offset these needed investments in part by rescending proposals that support wasteful style spending. Finally, we address the highway trust fund shortfall in a very meaningful way for the first time in more than 30 years. The Congressional Budget Office predicts projects a $142 billion cumulative shortfall in the highway fund over the five-year period following expir the expiration of the current authorization.
▶ 0:27:14So simply put, the system for funding our federal surface transportation program is broken. By leveraging states existing registration systems, the committee print implements a $200 annual fee on electric vehicles and a $100 annual fee on hybrid vehicles and deposits all collections into the highway trust fund. For far too long, EVs have operated on our nation's roads without paying into the system, which is primarily funded by federal taxes on gasoline and diesel.
▶ 0:27:44So, plain and simple, this is a fairness issue, and it's time these roadway users pay their share for the use of the road. The major provisions contained in this bill, they address issues that the committee has been hearing about for years and are broadly supported by members on both sides and the committee's major stakeholders, both business and labor. and we all want to invest in our Coast Guard. We all want to rebuild our air traffic control system and finally address the broken highway trust fund.
▶ 0:28:11We have held countless hearings on all of these topics both recently and frankly for years. And now members have the opportunity to actually act on all of these issues and I'd urge the members to support this historic legislation. I now represent or recognize ranking member Larson for the statement. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
▶ 0:28:28Um heads up on this Reconciliation is inher inherently partisan process and today's markup uh frankly is a departure from the regular work of this committee because we have a lot of work to do together in this Congress to support the Coast Guard, improve air traffic control, write the next water resources development act bill to shore up investments in surface transportation and we're going to have an opportunity to do all of that over the next year and a half and we will do all of that.
▶ 0:28:57Um, but this committee doesn't exist in a vacuum and the product that we produce today will go into what I think is a fiscally irresponsible package that provides a gut punch to hardworking families. The larger Republican reconciliation package will add more than $15 trillion in new debt, gives away $7 trillion in deficit finance tax cuts to the wealthy, and slashes access to health care and food assistance for families. So given that, I think we're going to have to vote no on the bill before us.
▶ 0:29:27Today's legislation is in part a response to investments that Democrats prioritize or that some of which are objectionable to our colleagues. What are what have been these investments? Historic levels of funding for all means of travel, cleaner energy, supply chain improvements, water infrastructure, stronger and healthier communities. These funds ma these funds made investments in public goods designed to benefit everyone, not just a few. And we want to keep these investments going.
▶ 0:29:53That's why I'm deeply concerned that the budget blowout will cut this committee off at the knees as we try to address our bipartisan priorities this Congress. Next September, $200 billion in investments end, including all guaranteed investment in passenger and freight rail, bridge investments, airport grants, transit rail and bus grants, clean water state revolving fund grants, major project grants, and port improvement grants.
▶ 0:30:19The budget resolution that underlies this reconciliation bill does not continue these investments beyond 2026, fiscal year 2026. In addition, the highway trust fund hole over the next 5 years is over $140 billion and funding for air traffic control in today's bill is a down payment on a much more expensive problem. Communities in every state and county rely on the investments this committee provides. We should take pride in that. These investments require significant budgetary resources.
▶ 0:30:48Unfortunately, this particular resolution will provide little comfort that resources will materialize for transportation, water infrastructure, or disaster preparedness and response. My colleagues and I will be offering amendments, and we'll delve into the specifics during the amendment debate on our priorities. I'll note that the cuts contained in the bill are unnecessary to comply with these Senate reconciliation instructions, which are different, and they are included solely to target bipartisan programs our colleagues don't agree with.
▶ 0:31:14In particular, the recision of neighborhood access grants claws back 80 grants that have already been awarded to in many districts, including to 41 districts represented by Republican colleagues. Our constituents have spent time and resources applying for these grants and are relying on the anticipated funds in their budgets. Cutting this funding is a direct attack on many of our constituents. And not to make it about me, but in particular, there's a recision of GSA funding directly taking $68 million away from two land ports of entry projects.
▶ 0:31:44um at the border crossings between my state and British Columbia. So um we all are going to have our views on this uh budget resolution on the reconciliation package. Um we will have a debate on many of these things.
▶ 0:31:58Um, and I want to conclude by saying that I've in the past called this committee an island of partnership in a sea of partisanship and I still stand with that and stand behind that and we have plenty of opportunities to continue to live up to that uh over the next year and a half. We've got a lot of work to do and I hope that we can continue that work together on our shared goals. With that, I yield back. Mr. Rouseer. Thank you. Uh, Mr.
▶ 0:32:26Chairman, um there's no question this is a historic markup, important and a very important step as we work to put America first and reduce the budget deficit. This package contains crucial investments for our Coast Guard and our air traffic control system. And I want to commend you, Mr. Chairman, for all your work as well as Chairman Eel and Chairman Nails for their leadership on those issues.
▶ 0:32:49As chairman of the highways and transit subcommittee, I want to highlight the main provision driving our commi committee's ability to make these investments while reducing the deficit by more than 10 billion, and that's by bringing electric vehicles into the fold. Today's legislation ensures all vehicle types pay into the highway trust fund. While most Americans pay for roadway maintenance and construction each time they fill up their gas tank, electric vehicle owners have paid nothing.
▶ 0:33:15In fact, under the Biden administration's Green New Deal, the federal government paid EV purchasers $7,500 while they drive on our roads essentially for free. Today's blueprint captures those vehicles in the user pays model, which serves as the foundation of our transportation system and ensures all vehicles traveling on our nation's highways pay their fair share.
▶ 0:33:38This legislation assesses a $250 annual registration fee on electric vehicles and a $100 fee on hybrid vehicles, depositing those proceeds into the highway trust fund, a structure similar, I might add, to what nearly 40 states have today. These fees will provide the first new revenue streams for the highway trust fund in more than 30 years.
▶ 0:34:00This is a first step in restructuring how we fund our federal surface transportation programs and ensures a more sustainable approach to address the trust funds underlying issues. So this is a unique moment for this committee to seize an opportunity that has has eluded Congress for decades, the chance to start repairing our broken highway trust fund. So again, Mr. Chairman, I thank you for your leadership. I urge all members to support this package. I yield back, Mr.
▶ 0:34:32Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Unfortunately, today I am speaking out against this partisan bill, which is not keeping within the tradition of our committee. This bill would raise new taxes on the American people in order to provide trillions of dollars in tax breaks for billionaires. Frankly, it's a ripoff of American working families.
▶ 0:34:57Today's proposal is a piece of a larger package of proposed program cuts and added fees to support billionaires and make everyday Americans foot the bill. As other committees begin to write their instructions for reconciliation, we know that they are proposing over $1 trillion in cuts, including $880 billion from Medicaid and $230 billion from SNAP in order to partially pay for trillions of dollars
▶ 0:35:27in tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. These tax breaks would not go to help everyday Americans. Instead, they would go to the richest 1% as was the case in the Trump 1.0 administration. In essence, this reconciliation process would help cut Medicaid funding and take food assistance from women, the disabled and hungry children to pay for tax breaks for again billionaires.
▶ 0:35:56Apart from that, it also increases the deficit and the national debt to the tune of $4 trillion. Let me say that again. It increases our deficit and national debt to $4 trillion. What happened to fiscal responsibility? Or is it selective responsibility? There are 80 million people in this country that rely on med medicaid, otherwise known as medical in my home state of California.
▶ 0:36:27Over a third of my constituents rely on medical healthcare. As inflation continues to grow and threats of tariffs and trade wars persist, the cost of necessities like groceries, child care, and housing will continue to increase, putting a greater financial burden on families. I cannot in good conscience support today's legislation because it is a betrayal to American working middleclass families.
▶ 0:36:56It is my hope that we can come together to advance legislation that would put money in the pockets of all Americans, not just the very wealthy. Support American innovation and create good paying jobs to grow our economy. Mr. Chairman, I yield back. Uh Mr. Nails. Thank you, Chairman Graves.
▶ 0:37:18Uh, arise in support of the committee print, which provides 12.5 billion in critical funding for air traffic control staffing modernization. Do I need to remind you all on January 29th, 2025, a US Blackhawk helicopter collided with an American Eagle flight 5342 inbound from Witchah, Kansas, your state, my friend, as it was on a glide path to landing at Washington Reagan National Airport.
▶ 0:37:45All 67 souls on board both aircrafts were lost and we continue to pray for their families and the loved ones. And while we wait for the NTSB to complete their investigation, this and other recent aviation accidents highlight several critical problems. Many in the aviation community have been sounding the alarm for decades on the need to modernize our ATC system, increase the hiring of controllers, and provide stable and predictable funding streams for the FAA.
▶ 0:38:14Just last year, the GAO published a report noting the urgent need to modernize our aging ATC systems and found this what they found. 51 of the AY's 138 ATC systems were unsustainable. 54 of the agencies 138 AT systems were potentially unsustainable.
▶ 0:38:35So, out of those 105 systems identified as unsustainable or potentially unsustainable, 58 of them, 58 have critical operational impacts on the safety and efficiency of our national airspace. Now, you may be shocked to hear those numbers, but there's more. According to the FAA, 27 years is the average age of a terminal radar approach control facility. 40 years is the average age of an air traffic control tower.
▶ 0:39:05The majority of our radar systems are also approaching 40 years old. Furthermore, the FAA currently operates an obsolete copper wire telecommunication system and that's several decades old. In fact, the FAA currently pays over 100 million a month, not a year, folks. A month in obsolescence fees to telecom providers to maintain the system. That should make the taxpayers want to puke when they hear that.
▶ 0:39:36I'll say it again. It's a 100 million a month. To make matters worse, we are also facing a significant shortage and certified air traffic controllers. over 3,800 of them, to be clear, which further inhibits FAA's ability to handle over increasing airpace capacity. For a country that considers itself the gold standard of aviation safety, these numbers are unacceptable, and we must do better. While it's easy to heap blame at the feet of the FAA and their project management, it is, folks. It's certainly not blameless.
▶ 0:40:07We also have to look at our own shortfalls. With a finite capital budget and unsustainable unstable funding, the agency is forced into the impossible predicament of having to dedicate vast amounts of money on simply sustaining old and outdated systems with very little left over for capital improvement projects. Furthermore, it is admittedly a technical challenge to modernize a robust system with little to no interruption because it runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365.
▶ 0:40:36also transporting 2.9 million passengers daily. I am thrilled that President Trump and Secretary Duffy have made it abundantly clear, abundantly clear to the American people that Congress must prioritize crucial investments in our ATC system and provided us with a call to action. That's what we're doing today. It's a call to action to address these critical needs. I commend this committee.
▶ 0:41:00I commend the chairman for responding with a muchneeded down payment to overall our outdated and failing ATC system and ensure robust air traffic controller staffing and training. With that, sir, I yield back. Mr. Nadlin, thank you Mr. Chairman. This markup is just one small slice of a much larger, deeply dangerous reconciliation bill.
▶ 0:41:27But even this narrow portion tells you everything you need to know about Republican priorities. Let's start with just one example, the neighborhood access and equity grant program. This is one of the few federal programs specifically designed to repair the damage done by decades of discriminatory infrastructure policy when highways were deliberately routed through black and brown neighborhoods and tore those communities apart.
▶ 0:41:52These grants fund real shovelready projects that reconnect people to jobs, schools, healthcare, and each other. And here's what is especially gling. Half of this grant funding is headed to states that voted for Donald Trump, rural areas, and small towns that have been left behind for generations and stand to benefit the most from these investments. So why are Republicans attacking it?
▶ 0:42:16because instead of delivering for their own constituents, they're trying to scrape together offsets to fund their extreme, unpopular tax cuts for billionaires. And they're doing it by targeting the very programs their communities rely on, Medicaid, SNAP, and other lifelines working families depend on to survive.
▶ 0:42:35In fact, by passing a budget resolution instructing $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid and billions more to SNAP, Republicans are proposing the most devastating assault on the health and well-being of American families in modern history. And let's be very clear. In March, the CBO confirmed what we have known all along.
▶ 0:42:56The only way Republicans can cut at least $880 billion within the Energy and Commerce Committee's jurisdiction is by making deep harmful cuts to Medicaid. Additionally, we know that cutting waste, fraud, and abuse will not get you anywhere near anywhere in the same universe as $880 billion. The consequences of these Medicaid cuts would be catastrophic. Medicaid alone covers one in five Americans, nearly 72 million people.
▶ 0:43:25In New York, it protects nearly 5 and a half million residents, including 44% of all children, half of all births, and twothirds of our nursing home residents. For tens of millions of Americans, Medicaid isn't just a line in a budget. It's how they survive. It's how they manage cancer treatment, vaccinate their children, or afford a wheelchair for an aging parent.
▶ 0:43:48A new analysis from the Center for American Progress estimates that if Republicans succeed in slashing Medicaid's federal match rate, more than 34,000 people could die each year. Their likely proposal to impose punitive work requirements, which have consistently failed, would result in another 15,000 unnecessary deaths annually. And behind these numbers are real lives. Patricia, 83 years old, lives in poverty in New York and relies on Medicaid just to get her doctor.
▶ 0:44:17She told us, "I have no transportation other than help for Medicaid. I also live on only my social security and snap. If I lose this precious help, I will be homeless and surely die." That's the real cost of these cuts. Nearly $9.3 billion in Medicaid payments go to New York hospitals each year, including billions in support for safety net care. Half of New York's community health centers revenue comes from Medicaid.
▶ 0:44:44If this bill passes, doors will close, jobs will vanish, and entire communities, especially in rural areas, will lose access to care altogether. It's been reported that states like South Dakota, Missouri, and Oklahoma, will face even more severe consequences from these cuts. And perhaps most absurdly, even after all these brutal cuts, this reconciliation bill will still add over $3 trillion to the national deficit over the next decade. Why?
▶ 0:45:11Because the tax giveaways for the ultra wealthy cost more than the services they're gutting to justify them. My Republican colleagues aren't even reducing the deficit. They're exploding it. So my message to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle is simple. Reject these cruel cuts. Refuse to take food and healthcare away from the people who elected you. Each of you has the power to stop this.
▶ 0:45:32And let's be honest, hitching your wagon to a president with the lowest 100day approval rating in 70 years is not just morally indefensible, it's politically reckless. Your constituents are watching and so is history. I yield back. Mr. Riselle, thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for your leadership. I'm proud to support the reconciliation bill before us, which represents the largest investment in the Coast Guard's 234 year history.
▶ 0:46:03Under your leadership, Mr. Chairman, we have truly made historic investments. For too long, the Coast Guard has suffered from underinvestment, leaving the service with aging planes and cutters that are increasingly unreliable and shoride infrastructure that is literally crumbling. Earlier this year, a 45-year-old Coast Guard cutter developed a hole in its hull due to excessive corrosion, which caused water to rush into the vessel compartments.
▶ 0:46:30During the same time, the service has been forced to lay up helicopters because they've reached too many flight hours. Our nation's one functioning heavy ice breaker is lucky if it can get to the end from its mission to break ice. and young men and women who are training to join the Coast Guard drill at indoor facilities that would make any high school embarrassed. Our men and women deserve better. We ask much of the men and women of the Coast Guard who complete heroic feats every day.
▶ 0:47:01If we are to ask them to target drug runners and human smugglers, project sovereignty in the Arctic, and carry out the Coast Guard's other responsibilities, we need to equip them with the proper resources to carry out their mission. We are at a breaking point and these investments can't come soon enough. The measure before us today provides more than 22 billion in investment to new cutters, aircraft, and shoride infrastructure that will support the Coast Guard's maritime border security and national security missions.
▶ 0:47:32The funding will build out our nation's icebreaker fleet, complete the first two stages of offshore patrol cutter program, and procure additional fast response cutters, fixedwing aircraft, and helicopters. The funding will also help the service build out its fleet of air and surface autonomous systems to traffic to target traffickers and better surveil the maritime border. We also make substantial investments in the Coast Guard's shoreside infrastructure.
▶ 0:48:00These investments will renovate facilities at the Coast Guard's enlisted training center and build out new hangers, home ports, and maintenance facilities for service fleets of cutters and aircraft. Most importantly, these badly needed investments to help rebuild our Coast Guard will come with significant oversight.
▶ 0:48:20To be clear, the Coast Guard's procurement results to date have not inspired confidence, but I am cautiously optimistic that the tide is turning and I am committed to working with the service to ensure this money is spent wisely and responsibly. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and I yield back, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Scare Mindy. Thank you, uh, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for your leadership on these many issues.
▶ 0:48:47I suspect that what we're doing today in many ways is um not where you would want us to go. But nonetheless, uh we all in one way or another are good soldiers. Um over the past 100 days, Donald Trump has achieved only one thing, higher costs for working families. He has achieved this while endangering our environment, cutting programs that keep our communities safe, and now he wants to make the wealthiest Americans even richer.
▶ 0:49:17Let's be clear, Trump's actions are hurting Americans. It's horrifying to watch members in Congress applauding Trump's illegal, unconstitutional, and unhinged actions while they know full good and well it's not where we need to go. And that is in fact devastating our country. Instead of working towards a common sense solution, bipartisan solutions as this committee typically does, we're voting to push forward Trump's legislative agenda.
▶ 0:49:48A scheme that will slash critical government services and give tax breaks to Trump's billionaire friends like Elon Musk. The instruction manual that the Republican colleagues today will pass is going to mean cuts to Medicaid services of which 254,696 people in my district depend upon.
▶ 0:50:10It means that the figure that 7,897 students in my district who rely on Pell Grants to afford their education, it's going to be threatened. It means that a 100,000 people in my district who count on SNAP will go hungry. Republicans are taking our country further away from the values that have sustained our democracy for over two centuries. My Democratic colleagues on this committee and I have a different vision.
▶ 0:50:41We're fighting every single day to provide opportunities for working Americans to succeed and to make sure that the ultra wealthy pay their fair share. We're fighting for a country where American middle class families aren't forced to live paycheck to paycheck while Jeff Bezel buys his third yacht.
▶ 0:51:03America has four more years with Trump, and we must fight every single day to protect Americans, the rule of law, and our democracy. We're in a historic, dangerous, and significant time, and it's long past time that we all start acting like it's important and carry out our responsibilities. I yield Mr. Boss. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr.
▶ 0:51:33Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee, I'd like to take my this time to express my support of section 100002 in the ANS. This provision would expand post 911 GI Bill eligibility benefits to include Coast Guard select reserveist. Currently, the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force reser are all eligible for chapter 33 post 911 GI Bill benefits under certain orders.
▶ 0:52:01reservists can use these post 911 GI bills for uh traditional education, work studies, apprenticeships, on job training and much more. This provision would level the playing field and increase the kinds of orders Coast Guard's reser can be on to receive the GI bill. And I appreciate the leadership and support of this provision from the transportation infrastructure committee as well as as it chairman.
▶ 0:52:26Uh this this change is common sense addition to the Trump administration's mission to make VA work for service members and veterans alike. And I urge all of my colleagues to support the bill. And with that, I back. Mr. Johnson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member Larson. This markup just isn't about uh simply numbers on a page. It's about real people.
▶ 0:52:55It's about seniors in our districts who've paid into Social Security their whole lives, the kids who rely on Medicaid for doctor visits, and the working families who struggle to keep their heads above water. Donald Trump got elected on the promise that he would cut the cost of living for everyday Americans on day one.
▶ 0:53:15Today, almost 100 days in, we are being force-fed a spending bill that is nothing less than an assault on working families, seniors, and our most vulnerable neighbors. MAGA Republicans are set to pass a spending bill that prioritizes tax breaks and privileges for the ultra rich like co-president Elon Musk and other billionaire donors who filled VIP seats at his lavish While most of his own supporters, working
▶ 0:53:45Americans who believed his promises about making their lives easier, safer, and less expensive were literally left standing outside shivering in the cold. This budget plan would cut the very programs that keep working people's heads above water.
▶ 0:54:04MAGA plans to cut trillions from social security, Medicaid, Medicare, veterans benefits, and basic services that help put food on people's tables and keep a roof over their head. And they are inflicting this pain on working people just so that they could give an even more uh greater tax break to the wealthy. Let's call it what it is. Not fiscal responsibility, but a raw deal.
▶ 0:54:35It makes billionaires more wealthy while telling everyday Americans to do with less. That's not fair. It's not right. And it sure doesn't reflect the values of the people that I represent. And that's why I'm going to be voting against this uh legislation on uh when when the time comes. And with that, I yield back. M. Davids.
▶ 0:55:01Thank you uh thank you chairman and uh and to all my colleagues for being here today. In recent months we have seen the chaos uh and simply put exhausted. This is not how the federal government should work. The dysfunction isn't just noise. It's hitting people where it hurts. Prices at the grocery store and the gas pump are climbing. Families are watching their hard-earned retirement disappear.
▶ 0:55:32And while canons are working really hard to stay afloat, President Trump and his allies are pushing massive tax giveaways for billionaires instead of offering real help to the folks who need it the most. So, let's level set on what we've seen in this first 100 days of President Trump's second term. He has fired dedicated federal employees who keep our government running.
▶ 0:55:56He has instituted reckless tariffs that could cause household h that could cost households up to $3,800 a year. He's worked to limit access to essential reproductive health care like birth control. He's trying to cut Medicaid for 61,000 people in Kansas alone. And he's openly defying court orders putting the foundation of our democracy at risk. I have always said that I will work with anyone, Republican or Democrat, when it's good for canons.
▶ 0:56:24And while it might seem difficult right now, I do know and believe that there is still room for common ground. But this partisan budget plan that we're talking about today, it's not just reckless, it's cruel. It's a direct attack on the people that we are here to serve. It's a direct attack on people that we are here to serve. It would cut Medicaid for tens of millions of Americans. It would rip food away from children, seniors, and veterans.
▶ 0:56:51It guts programs that meet basic needs just to hand over even more tax breaks to billionaires. Republicans keep saying that they won't cut Medicaid, what we call canned care back home. But listen to what Emily, a mom from Prairie Village, Kansas, recently wrote in the Kansas City Star. She said, and I quote, "The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has confirmed that their budget proposal can't be achieved without slashing Medicaid and Medicare benefits." End quote.
▶ 0:57:20She went on to call it heartbreaking and terrifying. And she's right. Just last week, Congressman Clever and I hosted a town hall with folks across the Kansas City metro area. What we heard over and over was that people are tired of the chaos. They're tired of policies that make their lives harder while the ultra wealthy get more handouts. Look, I know that we can improve government efficiency. We can reduce waste, fraud, and abuse.
▶ 0:57:48But what we shouldn't do is rush through chaotic policies that are going to raise costs for hardworking canons and Americans. What we've seen from this administration and in this budget is not strategic. It's reckless. And I'm focused on bringing back stability. I urge my Republican colleagues to join me in listening to folks back home. Please listen to families like Emily's. Let's work together to protect their health care, their bank accounts, their retirement savings, and their futures. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. and I yield back.
▶ 0:58:19Mr. Carson, thank you, Mr. Chairman. I really wish that today's provisions were the result of the kind of bipartisan collaboration our committee is known for. Unfortunately, we didn't even see the bill text until yesterday. Instead of crafting good language that moves us forward to improve the quality of and reliability of our infrastructure, this bill goes backwards. The bill actually takes back funding from the inflation reduction act.
▶ 0:58:49It rescends grants to develop new infrastructure supporting sustainable aviation fuel and low emissions aviation technology. The bill takes back up to $3.1 billion for the neighborhood access and equity grant program, environmental review implementation funds, and lowcarbon transportation materials grants.
▶ 0:59:11It also takes back 1.7 billion in inflation reduction act funds for GSA to maintain and improve the federal buildings housing the services that our constituents rely on. Buried in the details of today's bill are brand new taxes on fuel efficient vehicles. $200 on electric vehicles and 100 for hybrid vehicles starting immediately. But interestingly, high emission combustion vehicles have a much smaller tax of just $20.
▶ 0:59:40But that doesn't start until 2030. This is just the wrong direction. Trying to raise revenue by taking us back to dirty, smoggy infrastructure to pay for big tax cuts for folks like Elon Musk. It's not right. So, I urge my colleagues to vote no on this bill. And I yield back. Chairman, Mr. Garcia. Thank you. Uh, Mr.
▶ 1:00:05Chairman, this reconciliation bill that we're about to mark up is part of a shameful process that congressional Republicans are using to rubber stamp the horror that Trump has unleashed over the past 100 days. all this, all his cruel, brazen, ineffective, and authoritarian policy, which is proving deeply unpopular with the American people to give tax breaks to billionaires and corporations.
▶ 1:00:36So, let's first back up and consider how things are going. 100 days into the Trump administration, Trump has tanked the economy, evaporating Americans retirement savings overnight. even been he's been attempting to defund or gut entire sections of the federal government programs that help people out with food assistance, early childhood education, and most recently community violence prevention.
▶ 1:01:04And of course, he's pressing the entire government apparatus from law enforcement to the IRS and even the postal service into service of his mass detention and deportation agenda. In in this committee's jurisdiction alone, Trump's administration circulated a memo with the bizarre instructions to give preference to communities with high birth rates and when awarding federal grants.
▶ 1:01:32He baselessly and offensively blamed DEI in air traffic control for a devastating mid-air collision. All while he assembled an army of incompetent and unqualified administration officials like Pete Hexf and Christy Nome. It's been interesting to note the extraordinary wealth of his cabinet and nominees.
▶ 1:01:55The collective net worth of the Trump top adviserss and appointees is estimated to exceed $400 billion. The world's richest man, Elon Musk, enjoys unparalleled access and his company stand to benefit handsomely. Which all this brings back to my first point, the reconciliation process.
▶ 1:02:19How are my Republican colleagues responding to the combination of cost cutting cost of living crisis now exacerbated by Trump's economic policies with mass firings, deep cuts to government services, and constitutional violations, by advancing tax cuts for billionaires and corporations.
▶ 1:02:42House Republicans are proposing a bill that adds trillions to the national debt and defunds basic government programs relied on by people in every single congressional district across the country. Their bill also increases funding for the military and for Trump's immigration policies, which have resulted in a loss of civil liberties to all Americans.
▶ 1:03:06Trump is shipping immigrants and even US citizens off to a mega prison in El Salvador, which will indefinitely detain people so long as American taxpayers keep footing the bill. That's not what my community needs or wants. My district is at a literal crossroads of transportation and infrastructure, airports, freight rail hubs, and highways. We've got it all.
▶ 1:03:33I represent people who work in rail yards and on airport runways. What they need is a certainty that our public transit system can get them to their job. What they need is relief from the high cost of rent. What they need is access to highquality neighborhood schools. The bill before us addresses none of that. This reconciliation process is a betrayal of their needs.
▶ 1:04:00It's a transparent bid to line the pockets of Trump's billionaire friends at the expense of working people across the country. And I'll be proud to oppose it. I yield back. Mr. Miss Strickland. Thank you, Chairman.
▶ 1:04:21Today, we are considering a bill that cuts $50 billion from job creating programs established under the Inflation Reduction Act, including the Neighborhood Access and Equity Grant Program. In 2024, the city of Tacoma that I represent secured a $1.3 million planning grant to study how crossings on Interstate 5, a major highway that includes a 6 and a half mile transportation barrier that bisects the city, can be made safer for motorists, cyclists,
▶ 1:04:52and pedestrians. I'm unsure if my colleagues on the other side of the aisle intended to resend funds that help reduce road fatalities and make our streets safer or if the word equity is so triggering because you think inclusion is a bad word. But the outcome is the same. Our localities will have fewer opportunities to face higher costs to pursue projects that create good paying jobs, strengthen our local economies, and improve regional and local transportation efficiency.
▶ 1:05:23community mobility and safety in our districts. But I want to acknowledge that there are glimmers of positivity in this bill, including almost 15 billion dollars to invest in the Coast Guard's cutter fleet to optimize operations, enhance maritime security, and open new economic opportunities, as well as $3.25 25 billion to rehabilitate crumbling shoreside infrastructure and $75 million to address underinvestments in autonomous maritime systems and key provisions to support the US
▶ 1:05:53ship building industry. I also applaud the nearly $15 billion investment in our air traffic control system, including $2.6 6 billion for ATC tower and terminal radar approach upgrades to aging facilities. Nearly $5 billion for improvements to telecom infrastructure and a billion dollars for controller recruitment hiring and training. And this is why I strongly support ranking member Larsson's amendment to support the Coast Guard and our air traffic controllers.
▶ 1:06:23But I want to pull the lens back to where we are today and why we're here. This is part of a larger legislative plan that House Republicans are putting together to pay for massive tax cuts for a short list of the most wealthy people in this country. And make no mistake, when House Republicans talk about offsets to fund President Trump's agenda, they're talking about the tens of millions of working Americans they're offloading these costs onto.
▶ 1:06:50And again, we're talking about people who are lowincome, middle inome, and yes, upper middle class folks will all pay this price. When we talk about payfors, they mean America's most vulnerable children, grandchildren, and seniors who ultimately pay the price for Trump's unserious and harmful policies. In my district alone, they're talking about 65,000 children who depend on Medicaid. They're talking about the 400,000 households in my state that receive SNAP for food.
▶ 1:07:21And they're talking about more than half of Washington state's aging parents and grandparents in nursing homes right now who will lose healthc care cover coverage if this House Republican agenda becomes law. And here's the bottom line. They don't care if you get hurt. They don't care if you lose your job and can't pay your bills. And they certainly don't care if you're safe or healthy. We know that the random and slap dash cuts that Elon Musk and Doge are making across agencies show a couple of things.
▶ 1:07:49Number one, they know very little about the agencies that they're slashing. They put veterans out of work, pulled the plug on Alzheimer's research, and cut off access to critical cancer screening for women. We were promised lower costs. Yet, nothing that President Trump has put forth has brought down grocery bills or other everyday expensive. In fact, Trump's policies are proving to do the opposite.
▶ 1:08:12What's also interesting, too, is the stunned silence of my colleagues across the aisle who don't speak up about this. As my colleagues and I discuss and debate policy provisions in this document, let's not forget again, this is part of a bigger picture. The bigger picture of chaos, cruelty, dismantling the middle class, and hurting families, children, and seniors. I yield back my time, Mr. Chair.
▶ 1:08:52Thank you, Mr. Chair, and appreciate you giving me an opportunity. Uh, I am always looking for chances to brag about my district and to advocate for my community and those who are in need. and I will be offering several amendments today in order to improve the lives of the people of Ohio's 13th Congressional District. But it is unfortunate that it must be done in this partisan process of the budget reconciliation.
▶ 1:09:18When Republicans plans for reconciliation were revealed earlier this year, it became clear that this Congress is not interested in working together to address the needs being felt in my district and across the other and across the country. And I particularly chose this committee because I wanted to be on a committee where I could work with folks all across this country, no matter what side of the political spectrum, in order to deliver meaningful results to Northeast Ohio and all of the country.
▶ 1:09:50But instead of working to improve the crumbling roads and bridges all throughout our neighborhoods, the majority on this committee instead cut funding to support environmental reviews for transportation projects, forcing state and local governments to suspend projects until they acquire the necessary funds.
▶ 1:10:06Instead of increasing the safety of our roads and neighborhoods, the majority is seeking to cut funding that included $28 million for Ohio to reconnect neighborhoods separated by highways and under other infrastructure, including a project in my district to reconnect the city of Akran. What is happening in other committees is even worse. The Energy and Commerce Committee has been tasked with cutting almost a trillion dollar in spending, $880 billion to be exact.
▶ 1:10:32And while we will not see exactly how these cuts will be made until next week, with cuts of this magnitude, several things are certain. Medicaid will see cuts. In Ohio's 13th Congressional District, Medicaid covers more than 200,000 people, including more than 83,000 children and nearly 18,000 seniors who are now at risk of losing their health care.
▶ 1:10:54They're at risk of losing their health care not because they did anything wrong, but because the Republican majority wants to pay for tax cuts for massive corporations and billionaires. The 32,000 Ohioans in my district who receive coverage under the Affordable Care Act will also see their average premium go up by $720 per year, a 42% increase. Many families would face even steeper consequences.
▶ 1:11:19To put this in perspective, a 60-year-old couple with a household income of $85,000, which is pretty high in our community, would see their health insurance increase by $12,590 per year, a 174 increase in premiums. So, we're on this committee to talk about transportation, but what good is transportation if infants don't make it to their first birthday?
▶ 1:11:45If mothers die in childbirth, if people who are struggling with addiction can't get the help they need, how are what difference does it make? The 99,000 Ohioans in the 13th Congressional District who rely upon Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, will also suffer.
▶ 1:12:07We are leaving people hungry, without medical care, without the ability to work and provide for themselves and their families. Mr. Chair, I did not come to Congress to take money out of people's pockets and food out of children's mouths. And it is deeply disturbing to see this is the direction for the 119th Congress. When I hear from my constituents, they ask me to help them lower cost. They want to live their American dream in Ohio's 13th Congressional District.
▶ 1:12:35But we are not doing that by kicking them off of Medicaid, keeping them hungry, putting forth reckless trade policies, and making us a target from foes all across the world. Mr. Chair, I hope that we can get back to bipartisanship on this committee.
▶ 1:12:57I hope that we can get back to working on behalf of all of our constituents and not just for unelected billionaires and those who make the most money because I'm here to represent Ohio's 13th congressional district in the heartland of the United States of America. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I yield back. Uh, Hillary M. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 1:13:21I am always so grateful to sit on a committee like this that works in such a collegial bipartisan way. We have made real progress together. Progress that we should be proud of. Progress that has connected our communities, creating good uh created good paying jobs, and helped make our infrastructure stronger, safer, more stable, and resilient. But today, unfortunately, is different.
▶ 1:13:46At the behest of Donald Trump, as part of his new economic plan for America, we are being asked to slash 10 billion in transportation and infrastructure spending. Not to invest in our people, not to fortify our bridges, not to shore up our cargo fleets, not to make sure air travel is as safe as can be, not to dredge our harbors on time, but to slash funding at a time when so much more is needed.
▶ 1:14:17And why? So that Republicans can bankroll tax breaks for their billionaire buddies. We can invest in the infrastructure we need in America and we can pay for it. We just can't also give out tax breaks to billionaires. We should say no. This is not an economic plan that's good for America. This president's economic vision is not one that is good for America. And you don't have to take my word for it.
▶ 1:14:48Just this morning, as the first quarter GDP reports have been released, we've seen the American economy shrink as we barrel towards a recession. This is bad for Americans and the American economy. Let me be clear. I stand on fiscal responsibility. I do believe in ending wasteful spending. Fraud should be rooted out from every corner of our budget to maximize accountability with taxpayer dollars.
▶ 1:15:17But there is nothing fiscally responsible about this budget. Undercutting our critical infrastructure and shortch changing our dedicated men and women in the Coast Guard, that's not waste. That's not fraudulent. Supporting these individuals in this infrastructure is what the taxpayers want and it's what America needs.
▶ 1:15:38We have an incredible opportunity in this committee to do something remarkable for America, to come together in a bipartisan way and pass a fiscally responsible budget that puts working American families first, that supports smart, long-term investments. I will be offering many amendments today to that end that support our Coast Guard, that protects our Great Lakes, and so much more.
▶ 1:16:06As many of my colleagues has have remarked, the cuts don't stop here. The efforts to undercut our investment in America goes far beyond this committee and far beyond transportation and infrastructure. But it does directly undermine the very progress that we have worked so hard to make together. These cuts that target waste, the these cuts, they don't target waste, they target people.
▶ 1:16:32They target the mom in Grand Rapids juggling two jobs to keep her kids insured. They target the senior in Moskegan who relies on homed delivered meals to stay independent and healthy. Let's be clear about who these cuts are for and who they hurt. We should be using this moment to strengthen critical infrastructure, fiscally responsible investments, not undermining the very progress that we have worked together to build.
▶ 1:17:01The language we're marking up today is just one of many down payments being pushed through Congress to pave the way for the president's expensive, bloated tax cuts that actually harm our economy. We are being asked to make decisions today that will hinder our ability to do the work we need to do tomorrow. Supporting this legislation doesn't just hurt the people we serve. It under it undoes decades of bipartisan progress to instead greenlight devastating cuts to essential services.
▶ 1:17:31That's not why I came to Congress. That's not why Michiganers sent me here. We can do better. Let's get back to work. Thank you. I yield back. Mr. Delusio. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, the American people should know that Republican members of this committee are trying to raise taxes on every car owner in America. They're doing it to help pay for tax giveaways to billionaires and huge corporations. Here it is.
▶ 1:17:59Every car from $20 to $200. They're trying to raise taxes. I don't know when you guys became the tax and spend liberals, but I guess the taxing of car owners so you could pay for tax giveaways to billionaires is your new strategy. Good luck with that. I yield back, Mr. Mr. Garcia, California. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 1:18:28Uh, I think we all know why we are here today. We're here because Donald Trump and his supporters are trying to hand out $7 trillion in giveaways to billionaires and big corporations. They want to cut 880 billion from healthcare for working people, and they are blowing up the national debt to do it. Now, this bill is a disaster for working people and a giveaway to billionaires in this country, and we must not support it. And that's not the only issue we face right now.
▶ 1:18:54We are pursuing this destructive agenda while ignoring the current greatest threat to our economy, Donald Trump's disastrous trade policies. Now, I can see this crisis developing just back home this last week. I represent the city of Long Beach and the Port of Long Beach. Along with the port of Los Angeles, 30% of all US imports come through our community. In my district is the second largest container seapport in the United States.
▶ 1:19:22The port handles 300 billion in trade annually and supports 2.6 million jobs across the nation, including more than half a billion jobs in Southern California and over 50,000 jobs in Long Beach alone, one in five in our city. Now, goods that all constituents rely on across the country, the things they use every day, flow through my community, moved by hardworking members of the ILWU, our teamsters, our truckers, and our rail workers.
▶ 1:19:52And right now, everyone is concerned. Year-over-year, the number of vessels scheduled to arrive during the week of May 4th to May 10th has dropped by 44%. Recent reports on CNBC recently reported that 80 cancelled sailings from China have started. Our imports are drying up. Our exports are falling sharply. China trade is in a freef fall.
▶ 1:20:18Now, we already know that tariffs are just a tax that hits the poor and working people the hardest. And this data shows us something even worse. Goods simply aren't coming. Now, last week, trucking volumes coming out of Los Angeles and the Long Beach area collapsed to levels we usually only see during Christmas and New Year's. Nationwide, demand for truck and freight has dropped by more than 700,000 loads in recent weeks.
▶ 1:20:47Do people understand what is actually happening right now with trade in this country? Trucking is a number one career for non-oled educated men and they are facing huge losses. Owner operators cannot survive this downturn if we do not change course immediately. We know what's going to happen. The trucking industry will collapse. The supply chains will be shattered and our national security will be at risk.
▶ 1:21:12Now, one of this committee's core missions is supporting freight and goods movement AC across this country for economic security. Donald Trump and Republicans in the House majority are wrecking that system. And that's not all. Every single member of this body should be concerned. We just got news this morning that the American economy and our GDP is actually contracting, not expanding. For the first time in three years, the impacts of this will hit every American in every sector.
▶ 1:21:41Consumer goods, machinery, construction material, supplies for domestic manufacturing. Small businesses will not be able to buy the goods they sell. Prices will skyrocket for some products and others may simply vanish from shelves. The uncertainty is just as dangerous. No businesses can plan, invest, or adjust to supply chain chaos.
▶ 1:22:03If you remember the COVID pandemic when hundreds of shipping lines and ships were out at sea that could not dock in our in our ports because of the chaos of uncertainty. That is what's ahead if we do not correct course on these tariffs. and small business owners will be hurt first, but then customers will be hurt next.
▶ 1:22:25I hope every Republican on this committee has a plan for when your constituents start calling you about the empty shelves, shortages, and job losses in your community because this collapse is on you and Donald Trump and all his enablers. These tariffs will not bring back jobs because no firm can invest in new factories. They won't bring us a better deal because China won't even take Donald Trump's calls. And the president looks more desperate every day.
▶ 1:22:54Ask any business owner, any executive, any economist, or come to my community that is dependent on port trade and they will tell you the same thing. The best way to grow the economy and to avoid a recession is simple. We must end the chaos, provide stability, and end Donald Trump's unchecked ability to destroy trade in this company, in this country, because he feels like it. Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are working hand in hand to rip off the American worker and the American people.
▶ 1:23:25His tariff policy is going to wreck the economy, end these tariffs, kill this bill, and with that, I yield back. Gentleman's time is expired. Miss Poe, thank you. Thank you, Mr. chairman and our ranking member uh Larson. Uh as a new member of the committee, I look forward to discussing the challenges facing our nation's transportation system and sitting down with my colleagues to come up with solutions together.
▶ 1:23:55Unfortunately, that's not what we're doing here today. Instead of a genuine effort to repair our country's infrastructure to make transit more reliable, flying safer, and highways more efficient for commuters and freights, we're discussing a totally partisan bill that will harm each of our This bill takes away money takes
▶ 1:24:26money away from programs that support research and development, reduce our carbon footprint, and make our neighborhoods more uh connected, including $5.5 million for critical improvement to the row federal building in my district in Patterson, New Jersey.
▶ 1:24:51And regrettably, this is all part of a larger effort to support President Trump in giving tax breaks for billionaires at the expense of our constituents. But the cuts don't end there.
▶ 1:25:08My colleagues across the aisle plan to pay for those tax breaks by cutting not just transportation funding, but programs that families rely on each and every day like Medicaid, SNAP, and free school lunches.
▶ 1:25:27This legislation puts at risk health care for the 215,000 people in my district on uh new uh New Jersey family care. My constituents who get health insurance through the ACA could expect to see their premium rise by $1300 a year.
▶ 1:25:51When I talk to my constituents, they tell me that they're not just worried that these changes will make their family and neighbors sicker, but that the whole community will suffer. Hospitals and nursing homes could lose people uh could lose could close, pardon me.
▶ 1:26:10People will lose their jobs and the cost of living will increase for everyone except the So, I hope that my colleagues across the aisle will join us not only in supporting common sense amendments to today's legislation, but in an but also in opposing the giveaways to billionaires paid for by the rest of us. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back. Miss McDonald Rip.
▶ 1:26:43Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. You know, we have an opportunity before us in this budget process to really get things done for hardworking families. I um I can't help but notice that this is right after our indisting families, they are frightened.
▶ 1:27:05uh spoke with um a senior in my community who after suffering a stroke is now blind and he is very worried about his health benefits. He's very worried about access to social security uh and his ability to get assistance when he needs it. So through this bud we do have an opportunity in a budget process. It's the place where we show our values.
▶ 1:27:28We can in fact pass a positive common sense agenda that prioritizes working families and move an agenda that Democrats and Republicans both campaigned on. We can cut taxes for working families. We can pass the child tax credit. We can defend life-saving programs like Social Security and Medicaid and Medicare.
▶ 1:27:52We can ser secure improvements in infrastructure, in manufacturing, and actually stand up to China, not just bluster about it. And we can support our law enforcement and our military. Or we can do what we are seeing across the board here, is cutting taxes for the ultra wealthy and keeping loopholes open that allow mega corporations to avoid paying their taxes. We do have choices.
▶ 1:28:18Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food assistance, public education, or tax breaks for the ultra wealthy. That is what we're facing. There are many pieces of this consideration that we have before us that I find deeply troubling.
▶ 1:28:33Perhaps the biggest among them is that it is increasing costs on every driver, not just people who drive I will be offering a series of amendments that I think gets us a little bit closer to the things that we all promised the American people we would do when we were in Washington. I look forward to working with you all and we hope we can use this unique opportunity to help working families not just in Michigan but across the United States. Thank you. I yel back. M Freriedman.
▶ 1:29:06Thank you, Chair Graves and Ranking Member Larson. I appreciate the opportunity to speak today on behalf of the millions of Americans who rely on the common sense investments that our government makes or does not make in our nation. That includes in our infrastructure and in life-saving services like Medicaid. First, the Republicans are not serious about cutting costs. And let's be clear about that. The bill that we're voting on today, which was released just 25 hours ago, will hit Americans with billions of dollars in new taxes.
▶ 1:29:34And that's not to fix our aging infrastructure or to make our lives more convenient or our transportation sector safer. No, it's about paying for tax cuts for billionaires. And how are we doing that? This bill slaps a $250 new tax on registering electric vehicles. It also cuts more than $162 million in critical infrastructure investments the federal government has already promised to license to Los Angeles.
▶ 1:30:01That promised funding would have included tens of millions of dollars to help improve pedestrian safety, connect broken communities, and create new parkland. Los Angeles families will lose $139 million that the federal government has already promised for mass transit improvements. And that's right before we welcome the world as we host the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup. Infrastructure improvements to create safe sauings for Los Angeles schools gone.
▶ 1:30:27These are projects that would have put money back into the pockets of our hardworking families while reducing congestion. And worse, this budget is part of a larger cost-shifting scheme that be it is the that is the largest assault on America's health care system since the last time they tried and failed to gut health care in 2017. This isn't trimming waste. It's ripping health care away for millions of Americans.
▶ 1:30:51These cuts threaten more than 80 million Americans who depend on Medicaid, seniors and nursing homes, and children needing basic doctor visits. These cuts will shove families into bankruptcy just for getting sick. Countless hospitals already hanging by a thread will close their doors. Millions of Americans will lose coverage and many will have nowhere to turn. And Medicaid is not a luxury. It's a service that Americans have paid into and earned.
▶ 1:31:17So instead of helping kids get medical care or seniors afford prescriptions, they're prioritizing corporate giveaways and more tax breaks for the ultra wealthy. Instead of investing in our infrastructure, instead of investing in our universities, instead of giving more young people a chance to attend college, instead of investing in our public education system so that every child has opportunities, instead of investing in child care so that people can actually go to work, instead of doing all those things, they're prioritizing corporate giveaways and more tax breaks for
▶ 1:31:47the ultra wealthy. I will be offering amendments today to try to help push back on this. Amendments to support the victims of fire and hurricanes. In uh amendments to increase our investments in mass transit and to reduce traffic congestion. Amendments to fix our infrastructure damaged by natural disasters across this country. Amendments to clean up polluted water. Amendments to report on the impact that tariffs are having on our ports, on jobs, and the economy that it fosters.
▶ 1:32:17and an amendment to um invest in the infrastructure that will help si save lives of pedestrians and cyclists. We are not just debating numbers here. We're debating the fa the future of Americans and how they live. We're debating on how Republicans want hardworking Americans to pay more for tax breaks for billionaires and put less into the things that make their life more livable and more affordable.
▶ 1:32:40I urge my colleagues to think about our values as Americans and the America that we want our children to be growing up in. I reject I urge my colleagues to reject these cruel cuts. Thank you. I yield back. Miss Gillan. Thank you, Chairman Graves and Ranking Member Larson.
▶ 1:32:58I chose to serve on this committee to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisles to help fix Long Island's crumbling roads and bridges to clean up our water, improve our infrastructure, as well as keep our skies safe for aviation. I'm committed to advancing these important priorities for New York's fourth congressional district and for our nation. Mr.
▶ 1:33:22Chairman, we face a major crisis on our roads on Long Island with an alarming spike in dangerous and deadly traffic collisions. Every 7 minutes, a crash causing death, serious injury, or significant property damage occurs on our roads. Our region currently leads the state in traffic fatalities. One in five deaths from a car crash in New York happens on Long Island, and that's unacceptable.
▶ 1:33:48That is why today I will be offering an amendment to provide a muchneeded increase for the highway safety improvement program, which is the core federal aid program that helps make our roads safer. I will also be offering an amendment to require the controller general to certify that this package will not result in unnecessary and harmful increases in traffic fatalities. Mr.
▶ 1:34:10Chairman, too many families in my district and across Long Island have lost loved ones in heartbreaking and unnecessary preventable car crashes, and it's time for us to come together and say no more. Finally, while I fully support and applaud increased investments in our air traffic control and our Coast Guard, we also desperately need additional funding to help modernize the US Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point in New York on Long Island, which is one of the nation's five servicemies.
▶ 1:34:41This effort has strong bipartisan support from both Republicans and Democrats on in the Long Island Congressional Delegation as well as from the Trump administration and the US Transportation Secretary Shan Duffy who recently visited the campus and put forward a plan for these critical upgrades. That is why I will be offering a constructive amendment to help provide $1 billion in funding for this overhaul.
▶ 1:35:04I look forward to working with my colleagues on transportation and infrastructure on both sides of the aisle to make the investments that we need to improve the safety of our roads, save lives, and enhance our security. Thank you, chairman, and I yield back. We're now considering the bill for amendments. I call up the manager's amendment. Clerk, please uh designate the manager's amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Graves of Missouri.
▶ 1:35:32Without objection, the amendment to be is to be considered as read and I now recognize myself uh for five minutes to speak on the amendment. So the manager's amendment addresses some member concerns in in the uh uh amendment the nature of a substitute and it makes some various technical and conforming changes. The amendment does strike the $20 universal fee on passenger vehicles.
▶ 1:35:55While this specific provision was intended to start a conversation about fixing the highway trust fund, and it did that, it unfortunately became a political distraction that no longer centered around seriously addressing the problem that the committee knows all too well. So, while this provision goes away, the problem still remains. We have a broken highway trust fund. This amendment also increases the annual fee on electric vehicles to $250.
▶ 1:36:22The amendment also makes various cuts to the United States Coast Guard and air traffic control spending to ensure that the committee complies with its instruction to reduce the deficit by not less than 10 billion over the next 10 years. With that, I would urge support of the manager's amendment and yield back. Mr. Larson. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I support the uh um need to make modifications to the base bill. Certainly.
▶ 1:36:45And just to underscore what I said earlier that reconciliation is itself an inherently partisan process and we had no real input into the base bill or in this manager's amendment that the changes to the motor vehicle fees contained in the base bill and modified this by this amendment. Representative Mark shift in how we generate revenue for highways and transit. This change deserves a robust debate and a full vetting of views by members on both sides of the aisle, both sides of the capital, by governors, by mayors, by transportation stakeholders and many others.
▶ 1:37:13So, I'm not trying to debate the merits of these particular changes in this particular process. Uh, but I appreciate the chairman's commitment to continue these discussions in a bipartisan manner as we look forward uh in the future to the surface authorization bill this Congress. Uh, without a yield back. Any other speakers on the manager's amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment.
▶ 1:37:43All those in favor signify by saying I. All oppose signify by saying nay. Appears the eyes have it. The amendment is agreed Okay. Mr. Larson. Thank you. Have an amendment at the desk. Uh, please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Larson of Washington number 073.
▶ 1:38:14Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. Mr. Larson. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, Mr. Chair, my amendment would strike the sections of the bill, all sections except the bills pro uh sections providing additional funding for the Coast Guard and for the ATC. Unlike portions of this legislation which slash funding and increase taxes on the American people, these uh particular sections make critical investments.
▶ 1:38:34There's no doubt in our mind that the Coast Guard is in desperate need of funding and the first section of this legislation is a step towards achieving the fleet modernization the service deserves and one we've been de debating a while. I agree with the former comment of the Coast Guard um that the Coast Guard needs consistent funding above $20 billion a year. Coast Guards needs ice breakers. It needs to address shoride infrastructure. It needs new aircraft. Additional funding for the Coast Guard is welcome, but uh certainly disappointed.
▶ 1:39:01The majority seems to have forgotten about the needs of the members of the service. Where's funding for health care? Where's funding for mental health? Where is the funding for Coastg Guard housing? Where's funding for child care providers and facilities? Coastg Guard cutters and aircraft do not operate by themselves. And we can't forget the needs of the women and men who serve in our Coast Guard. Another section of the bill, it's important is the are the critical investments to improve air traffic control infrastructure and grow the aviation workforce.
▶ 1:39:28It provides 15 uh now I think uh 12 a.5 billion in total funding for air traffic control staffing and modernization. A list that um you've outlined in your previous statement. All very important and it's been well documented in this committee and by multiple aviation safety experts that the current ATC infrastructure is becoming unsustainable in wake of the one in wake of one of the deadliest aviation accidents in the last 20 years with a rise in near misses at airports across the country.
▶ 1:39:55Increased investment in our air traffic control system is undoubtedly needed. And I appreciate the chairman for recognizing that these critical investments in air traffic control are long overdue. Unfortunately, the title before us today also cuts unobligated funds from several important programs established in the inflation reduction act, including the alternative fuel and low emission aviation technology program.
▶ 1:40:17Even though funds for these programs have already been awarded, includes a $4 million grant to in my district to design, build, and test hydrogen-powered propulsion system technologies and a $26 million grant to increase sustainable aviation fuel production in Northwest Washington State. These cuts will not just be in my district. Cuts to this innovative program also hurt projects in Alaska, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Texas, and many others.
▶ 1:40:42If the legislation before us today was just funding the Coast Guard and just improving air traffic control system, I think we could support it. Unfortunately, this funding was included in this legislation to be bundled into a larger partisan bill that makes unprecedented cuts and food assistance for children and decimates Medicaid to provide tax cuts for the wealthy. A bill that will cost the American people over 7 trillion.
▶ 1:41:04So my hope is that once this process is part of partisan process is done, we can get back to working in a bipartisan way to address the necessary funding reforms needed to make our skies and waterways safer. Uh so I would ask uh the committee to support this amendment and yield back. Are there any other speakers on the amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment.
▶ 1:41:33All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. The nays appear to have it. I'll ask for a record recorded vote. Gentlemen request a recorded vote on the amendment as previously announced pursuant to committee rule 6. Further proceedings on the question will be postponed. Mr. Nadler, you have an amendment.
▶ 1:42:07I thought I was voting on the amendment. Mr. Chairman, the amendment I am offering today is narrowly targeted. But Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Nadler of New York number 049. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Mr. Adler, you're recognized. Mr. Chairman, the amendment I'm offering today is narrowly targeted, but vitally important.
▶ 1:42:37It would prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from rescending, revising, or undermining any grant provided provided to Amtrak for the Northeast Corridor that was awarded prior to January 20th, 2025. Let me be blunt. The Northeast Corridor is the economic spine of our national rail system. It carries over 2,200 trains a day, supports nearly 800,000 daily riders, and links the financial, governmental, and cultural capitals of our country.
▶ 1:43:07Undermining the Northeast Corridor is not just a transit issue. It's an attack on the economic infrastructure of the entire eastern seabboard. Unfortunately, the Trump administration is once again targeting Amtrak for political and ideological reasons. In recent weeks, we've seen the force resignation of Amtrak CEO, threats to privatize the rail system, and efforts to punish cities that invest in mass transit.
▶ 1:43:32This follows a wellocumented pattern from Trump's first term when he repeatedly proposed eliminating federal support for Amtrak's long-distance routes and slashing grants for capital improvements along the corridor. This amendment ensures that previously awarded funds for the Northeast Corridor remain in place unburdened by new conditions or clawbacks designed to sabotage long planned infrastructure upgrades.
▶ 1:43:58If we are serious about maintaining a 21st century rail system, one that is safe, reliable, and competitive with global peers, then we cannot allow ideologically motivated tampering with the most critical investments we've made to date. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and defend one of the most vital arteries in our national infrastructure. And with that, I yield back. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment?
▶ 1:44:25Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment by Mr. Nadler. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. It appear the naysay have it. Mr. Chairman. Uh, Mr. N and then I ask for a recorded vote. Gentlemen, request a recorded vote on the amendment as previously announced. Pursuant to committee rule 6, further proceedings are postponed.
▶ 1:44:56Miss Titus. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, I have an amendment at the desk. Please designate. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Titus of Nevada number 008. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Miss Titus, you're Well, thank you very much.
▶ 1:45:21This amendment would sustain federal investments in passenger and freight rail and safeguard all the progress that we've made through the historic guaranteed funding the committee allocated to rail as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law. The budget baseline for transportation funding in the Republican reconciliation bill leaves no room for new investments after the fiscal year 2026.
▶ 1:45:48And in fact, it's likely to result in decreased federal rail investments. As the ranking member of the railroads, pipelines, and hazardous materials subcommittee, one of my top priorities is ensuring that rail has guaranteed funding in the next surface transportation authorization, just as we did in the last one.
▶ 1:46:09As part of the previous bipartisan infrastructure law, this committee provided $66 billion in supplemental advance appropriations over five years for passenger and freight rail. And we can see firsthand how those investments are transforming communities across the country. And that's certainly true of my constituents in Las Vegas.
▶ 1:46:31Bright Line West received a $3 billion federal state partnership for inner city passenger rail grant and it's building a high-speed rail system from Las Vegas to Southern California. It broke ground in April uh last April. This system will connect the two communities and is in the meantime creating good paying union jobs. I also supports uh robust funding for Amtrak.
▶ 1:46:59It provides critical rail services to more than 500 communities across the country. It's clear that the demand for passenger rail is growing. In FY 2024, Amtrak hit an all-time readership wrership record serving 32.8 million customers.
▶ 1:47:19So if we don't sustain this investment in passenger and freight rail services in the next surface transportation package, we risk losing losing the historic progress that we've made in recent years to improve our rail systems. Secretary Duffy has said that he wants to make the US rail system more competitive and this will take investments from the federal government. No high-spe speed rail network has ever been built without some form of government investment.
▶ 1:47:49My amendment would help safeguard federal investments in rail by securing $93 billion in funding for Amtrak and competitive rail grants administered by the FRA over the next 10 years. That amount is just onethird of the $280 billion general fund transfer from the CBO that the I mean that the CBO is projecting the highway trust fund will need over that same period of time.
▶ 1:48:17So I urge my colleagues to join me in protecting critical rail investments by voting yes on this common sense amendment and I yield back. Do any other members wish to be heard on amendment? Are there any men amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I.
▶ 1:48:47All oppose signify by saying nay. It appear the nays have it. The amendment is not agreed to. See, Miss Brownley. Yes, Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the desk. Please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Brownley of California number 020. Oops. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read.
▶ 1:49:17Miss Brownley, you're recognized. Uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, my amendment is straightforward. It would strike sections 104 and 10,05 relating to a new electric vehicle fee. There is no doubt that we need bipartisan solutions to fund the highway trust fund and I am open to working on a bipartisan solution to this challenge. However, the EV fee in this bill is not the right solution.
▶ 1:49:43First, I think we all know that the TNI committee jurisdiction on this issue is limited and the provision will likely be struck as the process advances due to parliamentary rules on reconciliation bills.
▶ 1:49:58Second, the provision is not actually intended to help finance the next surface transportation bill, but it is being used by the majority as an offset to ram through their plan tax scheme to benefit millionaires and billionaires at the expense of working families.
▶ 1:50:16It is also a Trojan horse for the Energy and Commerce Committee to jam through $880 billion in Medicaid cuts that will devastate the 265,000 Ventura County residents and 14 million Californians who depend on Medicaid to access health care. These cuts will harm children, disabled adults, lowincome seniors, and they will result in hospital closures nationwide.
▶ 1:50:44Third, the new EV fee, as outlined in the bill, has absolutely no relation to the user pays principle that the highway trust fund has been built upon. It is a flat fee, which has zero relationship to the actual amount of use on our roadways. An EV owner would be charged the same amount regardless of whether they drive 100 miles or 100,000 miles annually.
▶ 1:51:10We also heard testimony just yesterday in our committee that the average combustion engine vehicle pays $90 annually into the highway trust fund in gas taxes, but the proposed EV fee will be $250 per vehicle, far more than what could possibly be be considered parody. Finally, I'm also concerned that EVs are being used as a scapegoat.
▶ 1:51:36EVs are absolutely not the reason the trust fund is unsustainable. In fact, the highway trust fund has been unsustainable for far longer than electric vehicles have been on the road in any meaningful numbers. To reach sustainability, Congress should examine how all drivers, including EV drivers, contribute to it.
▶ 1:52:00That conversation must occur during a bipartisan surface transportation reauthorization process, not within a partisan reconciliation. For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment so we can deal with this issue in an honest and straightforward way. Again, the proper legislative legislative vehicle for addressing changes to highway trust fund revenues is the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization bill.
▶ 1:52:28I look forward to working with all of you and our colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee who actually have jurisdiction over revenues to pass that legislation. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back. Do any other members wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. M Mr. Chairman, I request a recorded vote. Sorry.
▶ 1:52:58Oh yeah, there you go. Question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. Appear the nays have it. Mr. Chairman, I request accorded gentle lady requests a vote on the amendment as previously announced pursuant to rule 6f. Further proceedings on the question are postponed. see. Shice, you're up. Or Miss Davids, you're up.
▶ 1:53:28I appreciate the formality. Please designate. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Please designate. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Davids of Kansas number 056. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Miss Davids, you got five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 1:53:50The recent air collision of a plane from my home state of Kansas with a military helicopter was a a tragic reminder of the need to continue investing in air safety to keep our skies the safest in world. That includes updating our systems and and ensuring our air traffic controllers aren't stretched too thin. That's why I'm offering an amendment to invest $125 million in recruitment, hiring, and training of airway transportation system specialists.
▶ 1:54:18the professionals who maintain and repair the radar, navigation, and communication systems that keep our skies safe. Earlier this month, I toured the tha airroot traffic control center in my district. I saw firsthand the dedication and focus of the controllers and specialists who guide our aircraft safe aircrafts safely every day. But I also saw what they're up against. Aging technology and not enough people to do the job.
▶ 1:54:44We're facing a nationwide shortage of fully certified air traffic controllers, fewer than 11,000, and they're being asked to work long hours in high pressure environments. This is unsustainable. Kansas has its own unique challenges. 81% of our landing systems are functionally obsolete. We need a real plan to modernize these systems and the trained workforce to keep them running. The $15 billion in air traffic control investments will mean nothing if we don't have anyone to install, maintain, and operate this critical equipment.
▶ 1:55:13I pushed for the inclusion of safety reforms in the bipartisan FAA reauthorization and I'll keep working to make sure the FAA has the tools and staffing it needs. This amendment is necessary is a necessary step to keep our skies safe and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support it. Thank you and I yield back. Do any members wish to be heard on the Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment.
▶ 1:55:43Miss Davids, all those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. Appear the naysay have it. Mr. Chairman, I'd like to request recorded vote. The gentle lady requests a vote on the amendment as previously announced pursuant to committee rule 6f for the proceedings on the question are Mr. Gar Garcia. Thank you. U Mr. Chairman. Um, I have an amendment at the desk.
▶ 1:56:10Please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Garcia of Illinois number 0006. Thank you uh Mr. Chairman and let me start uh by saying that I will withdraw this amendment. But let's not forget that uh this what this committee print will be a part of uh tax cuts for the rich.
▶ 1:56:37Do the wealthy really need continued tax cuts while the workingclass people of our country suffer under this president's policies? People in my district would say no. It's a district where many SEIU members live and work in office buildings, at schools, and at airports like Midway and O'Hare. It's a district where many SEIU workers and others uh find it a good place to live. The summer travel season is quickly approaching.
▶ 1:57:08It's one of the busiest periods for airports. Millions of people will pass through our airports. And it's important that airport workers who will be going the extra mile like they do every day to ensure that we all get where we need to It's the ramp workers, people who ensure our belongings make it from point A to point B. It's the ticketing agents, people who assist with reservations and provide customer service.
▶ 1:57:37And it's the concession workers, cooks, cashiers, and others who make sure that we catch a bite to eat while waiting for our flights. Many of these workers are black and Hispanic. They receive poverty wages, and many lack health insurance. It's unconscionable that we allow this to continue and it's why I've been so vocal about the good jobs for good airports bill. My constituents and neighbors in Chicago have shown us what is possible when folks organize.
▶ 1:58:06They fought for minimum wages at Chicago airport and it's time that every airport worker nationwide g gets a living wage and receives high quality benefits. I'll continue to stand with airport workers in this fight. But the committee print before us today doesn't quite address the plight of workingclass people. Quite the opposite.
▶ 1:58:28Instead, it'll become part of a package that slashes the programs that help those same people out all to pay for the tax breaks for the ultra walty. Once again, I am withdrawing this amendment. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I yield back. Thank you, Mr. Garcia. Mr. Mr. Papis. Thanks, Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the desk. Please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Papis of New Hampshire number 01.
▶ 1:58:58Without objection, the amendment would be considered as redirect. Mr. Papis, you're recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm grateful for the opportunity to speak on my amendment, which would reauthorize PAS wastewater treatment grants known as the emerging contaminants in small or disadvantaged communities grant program. We know that PAS are extremely pervasive and persistent forever chemicals. They can even withstand the water treatment process that we rely on to keep our communities healthy and ensure access to clean water.
▶ 1:59:23As a result, they continue to permeate our natural environment and put the health of our families at risk. This issue impacts communities in every state, including New Hampshire. We have tens of thousands of contamination sites all across the country. And it's critical that Congress ensure states and water systems have the resources they need to address the impacts of PAS and prevent the discharge of PAS into our environment and waterways.
▶ 1:59:46That's why I'm introducing this amendment, which would build on the important work that Congress started with the bipartisan infrastructure law and would reauthorize emerging contaminant grant program for $1 billion between fiscal year 2027 and 2020 2034. This is the same amount of funding over the same period of time as authorized within the bipartisan infrastructure law. So I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of this common sense amendment and I yield back. Ryan. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
▶ 2:00:15I want to thank my colleague, Mr. Papis. I'm proud to co-sponsor and support this important amendment that would reauthorize critical PAS wastewater treatment grants. As you heard, PAS contamination is a public health crisis around the nation, including and especially in my district in the Hudson Valley. In the Hudson Valley, the main source of drinking water for one of our largest cities, the city of Newberg, has been dealing for decades with unacceptable levels of PAS contamination.
▶ 2:00:45PAS, of course, also impacts wells serving both public and private drinking water supplies in multiple towns, including the neighboring town of Newberg. At this moment, our community needs more support and more resources to tackle this public health crisis, not more handouts to the very corporate polluters that have gotten us into this mess and continue to harm our environment and our families.
▶ 2:01:10I strongly urge my colleagues to vote for this amendment to keep all of our families safe, to keep our environment healthy for multiple generations to come. Especially as a dad of three and 5-year-old young boys, I think it is an American responsibility to ensure that if not for ourselves, we keep our water safe for them. We simply cannot afford to continue harming our families. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and yield back. Do any other members wish to be heard on the amendment?
▶ 2:01:39Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment, Mr. Papus. All those in favor signify by saying I. All oppose signify by saying nay. Appear the nays have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Mr. Carbaugh. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Please designate.
▶ 2:02:10proceed. Um, thank you, Mr. Chairman. My amendment prohibits the secretary. Hang on. He's They haven't designated yet. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Carbajal. Number Thank. Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. Mr. Carbal. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yep.
▶ 2:02:34My amendment prohibits the Secretary of Transportation from using marriage and birth rates as criteria to award grant and loans. In February, Secretary Duffy issued a memo indicating that that among other things, the Department of Transportation will give preference to communities with marriage and birth rates higher than the national average.
▶ 2:02:57This would likely deprive historically underfunded urban neighborhoods of funding necessary to support a diversity of transportation options while benefiting predominantly higher income areas. The fact of the matter is marriage and birth rates have nothing to do with sound transportation policy. An individual's transportation needs do not depend on whether they're married.
▶ 2:03:21In fact, by focusing on marriage and birth rates, the administration is foregoing other important population factors like the number of individuals moving into, commuting to, or transitioning through an area. It also seems like the majority has forgotten the supply chain crisis from just a few years ago when ports were overloaded and rail and trucking were at capacity.
▶ 2:03:46I would appreciate if any of my colleagues educate me on how funding based on birth and marriage rates can help farmers get their product to market or prevent the next supply chain crisis. It is important that transportation funding is granted fairly and equitably across the country to states and localities that need it the most and in ways that bolster our infrastructure. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
▶ 2:04:15Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment by Mr. Carbajal. All those in favor signify by saying I. All oppose signify by saying nay. It appear the naysay have it. The naysay do have it. Mr. Molt.
▶ 2:04:45Mr. Chairman, I have a amendment at the desk. Please designate. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Molton of Massachusetts number 063. Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. Mr. Molton, you're recognized. Mr. chairman.
▶ 2:05:02In February, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Gnome put forth a directive eliminating climate change terminology and activities within DP DHS, including the Coast Guard Academy and all Coast Guard operations.
▶ 2:05:17I'm hearing from my constituents, his constituents on this, including an alumnest of the Coastg Guard Academy, because this forced censoring of language in the Coast Guard Academyy's marine science and oceanography courses and its public policy courses prevents them from discussing things that are important to navigating their vessels. It's created a list of words and expressions that are now banned from being spoken or contained in any academic course materials at the academy.
▶ 2:05:47Now, look, I'm not here to ask why Trump and the GOP have chosen certain science topics to politicize, a practice that reminds me more of the Chinese Communist Party than American history. But the fact is that temperatures are rising, ocean currents are changing, new sea lanes are opening up, and our Coast Guard, to defend our country and keep our voters safe, has to be able to respond to these realities.
▶ 2:06:16How can they if DHS is banning the use of words? It's truly amazing. Banning the use of words. Banning the use of climate change ties the hands of the Coast Guard and harms mission capability when thinking about navigation planning, weather, shifting buoys, changing Arctic sea lanes. We all know this is happening and many other things. Mr. Chairman, the motto of the Coast Guard is seer paradus, always prepared.
▶ 2:06:47Coasties need to be prepared and trained for the future, whatever that entails. The climate happens to be changing and banning the use of the term harms operational readiness and national security. Let's stop acting like communists and denying reality and just be able to be prepared for the world. Mr. Chairman, I yield back. Do any other members wish to be heard on the amendment?
▶ 2:07:15Seeing no one or any amendments to the amendment. Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. All oppose signify by saying nay. Mr. Chairman ask for a recorded vote. The gentleman requests a recorded vote on the amendment as previously announced pursuant to committee rule 6f.
▶ 2:07:36Further proceedings on the question are Mr. Strickland. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Strickland of Washington number 024. Thank you.
▶ 2:08:03I'm offering an amendment that will protect and improve the Coast Guard's ability to provide health care for service members and their families. My amendment provides $1 billion for the comedon of the Coast Guard to hire additional medical professionals, provide incentive bonuses and retention pay, construct a new clinic facilities, and modernize existing medical infrastructure.
▶ 2:08:25The Coast Guard's leadership has made clear that readiness and ability to execute its missions are directly tied to service member quality of life. Coast Guard members face unique obstacles navigating healthcare. Coast Guard personnel rely on a combination of their own health service facilities, DoD military treatment facilities, public health service officers, and civilian providers. Not every duty station has a physical clinic, or even a doctor.
▶ 2:08:54For the places that do, the clinics are woefully understaffed, and many of the clinic facilities need upgrades and repairs. Often stationed in very remote locations, civilian providers are few and far between, leading to unacceptable delays in accessing health care. In many cases, Coast Guard members are forced to board a plane and fly to a completely different city or state in order to receive specialty care. We can and must do better.
▶ 2:09:23And we must not short change investments in Coast Guard medical facilities just so this president and my Republican colleagues can claim they saved a few bucks. The last 100 days have seen crippling attacks on our civilian federal workforce that have resulted in decreased readiness and worsening outcomes for those in uniform.
▶ 2:09:42While Coast Guard civilians have not been eligible for the deferred resignation program, the actions of President Trump, Elon Musk, and Secretary Gnome are already hurting the Coast Guard by making civilian federal service a less attractive option to our most talented health care professionals. No one in this room is going to argue against eliminating government waste. What is unacceptable, however, is not doing it with precision or thought.
▶ 2:10:07taking a chainsaw to our workforce in a way that hurts our service members, hurts our dedicated health care providers, and it hurts the United States of America. We cannot lose sight that this entire partisan process unfolding today is in service of giving the wealthiest Americans trillions of dollars in tax cuts paid for by the working people by taking away programs including Medicaid and SNAP. The least we can do is ensure that our Coast Guard personnel receive the best level of care possible.
▶ 2:10:37I urge my colleagues to vote yes my amendment and guarantee access to healthcare providers and modern facilities. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I yield back. And then members wish to be heard on the amendment. Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. Chairman, I'll request a a recorded vote, please. Gentle lady requests a vote on the amendment as previously announced. Pursuant to committee rule 6, further proceedings will be postponed.
▶ 2:11:10Mr. Ryan. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have an amendment at the desk. Please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Ryan of New York number 029. Without objection, amendment be considered as read. Mr. Ryan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. affordability. Specifically, the cost of housing is the number one issue facing constituents in my district in the Hudson Valley.
▶ 2:11:35Since 2020, single family home prices in my district have risen by 47.1%. Last year alone, average rents grew by 15% in one year in each of the three counties I represent. We need an all hands-on deck approach to bring housing costs down. I know the housing crisis certainly isn't specific to my district or even my state, and this is truly a national problem.
▶ 2:12:02We all owe it to our constituents to think creatively about what our role can be to make housing more available and most importantly, more affordable in our communities. Transit oriented development has been one of the most proven, nonpartisan, and effective approaches to build more housing and drive housing costs down.
▶ 2:12:23There are many exciting projects happening in my district, including a brand new one, one of the largest in New York State, happening in the city of Beacon, colllocated uh with the Metro North Rail system. Continuing these kinds of efforts in a nonpartisan and bipartisan way is critical to address the housing crisis. That's why I'm asking my colleagues to support my amendment.
▶ 2:12:45Build upon the historic successes, and this truly is one of the success stories of the bipartisan infrastructure law and leverage this progress to keep continuing to tackle the housing crisis. No family should have to pick between putting food on their table or a roof over their heads. And it is absolutely unacceptable that that's exactly what this reconciliation proposal would do to millions of Americans, including my constituents. Mr.
▶ 2:13:13Chairman, I I appreciate your and the committee's willingness to continue to work on this effort as we go forward into the future. And at this time, I'll I would like to withdraw the amendment. Thank you, Mr. Ryan. Moving on. Miss Goldman. Thank you. Uh, Mr.
▶ 2:13:43Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Scolton of Michigan number 014. The amendment be considered as read. Scen recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, as the proud representative of Coastg Guard City USA, I am thrilled to hear the majority uh, and this administration uh, talk uh, so strongly about looking to boost investments in our Coast Guard.
▶ 2:14:12To that end, I encourage my colleagues to support this critical amendment, the Pay Coast Guard Parody Act, to ensure that our coasties continue to receive their pay during government funding lapses, just as other branches of the military. During the president's first administration, we saw the longest government shutdown in history, lasting over a month. All the while, our coast guards were not our coasties were not compensated and left wondering how they were going to make ends meet.
▶ 2:14:42This meant that our service members did not receive child care subsidies, death benefits, or even housing leases. Our hard work, our hardworking Coast Guard deserves to be paid for their service as they protect our maritime borders and respond to emergencies, even if Congress can't get its act together. Again, I welcome my colleagues to support this amendment and my bill to bring us one step closer to the president's goal of uplifting our Coast Guard and ensuring our national security.
▶ 2:15:12Thank you. I yield back. Mr. Vandrew. Mr. Vanrew, you wish to heard on the amendment. Chairman, I apologize. Um, a lot going on today.
▶ 2:15:40So, I wanted to comment on this and and just in general some of these bills. Um, everything that is happening from the other side of the aisle would endanger all the good things we're trying to do. More cutters, more ice breakers, more facilities. Um, there's certainly a need and room for this. This is not the vehicle to to do this. It's not appropriate here. I along with I think everybody on both sides of the aisle agreed the Coast Guard should get paid.
▶ 2:16:10God forbid there is a government shutdown. But if we did it this way, the parliamentarian would tell you that is absolutely inappropriate and that it's wrong. So I just wanted to comment on that and I I uh appreciate the chair's discretion. Do any of the members wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I.
▶ 2:16:40All oppose signify by saying It appeared the naysay have it. The nays do have it. Next. Miss Fushi. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the desk. Please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mrs. Fushi of North Carolina number 055.
▶ 2:17:07Without objection, the amendment would be considered as read. Fuji, you have five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Nearly a year and a half ago, the US Department of Transportation announced the largest federal grant award in the history of my home state, North Carolina, just shy of $1.1 billion to design and build the S-line, a high-performance passenger rail line connecting Raleigh, North Carolina to Richmond, Virginia.
▶ 2:17:36This faster and improved rail service would connect the passenger rail lines already in operation in the state of North Carolina with the larger northeast rail corridor, including direct service to Washington DC. The Sline project and its federal grant award are an exciting continuation of a substantial passenger rail boom happening in North Carolina right now.
▶ 2:18:01Inner city rail ridership in the state achieved record ridership in 2024 for the third straight year and we have seen a 55% ridership increase since 2019 prior to co. Additionally, Seammens is building a new passenger rail car manufacturing facility in Lexington, North Carolina.
▶ 2:18:24The plant broke ground in August 2023 and is expected to begin production of passenger rail cars this year and will create 500 local jobs. The expansion of passenger rail is a boon for everyone living in or near these new service areas.
▶ 2:18:43Regardless of your preferred method of transportation, having more people traveling by rail means less traffic on the roads, shorter commutes for those who do drive, less air pollution in our communities, less road degradation, and more jobs and economic opportunities.
▶ 2:19:01Despite this promising growth in passenger rail and the associated plethora of jobs and economic investment that have come with it, the S-line project has unfortunately and inexplicably seen its $1.1 billion in funding frozen by the Trump administration and DOT Secretary Duffy. supposedly frozen for internal review.
▶ 2:19:26My office has been unable to receive any guidance, rationale, or transparency from the administration as to why this previously awarded funding has been indefinitely paused, how long these funds will be frozen, or whether they will ultimately be released to the state at all.
▶ 2:19:45If the current administration successfully claws back congressionally appropriated funding for a project of this magnitude and significance in my state, then they can and will claw back critical transportation and infrastructure funding in other states as well.
▶ 2:20:02Case in point, this administration just rescended funding from two federal state partnership for intercity passenger rail projects in the northeast and is threatening to do so for a similar rail project in California.
▶ 2:20:17I'm submitting my amendment to ensure that the DOT secretary doesn't similarly resend any grants already awarded to the state of North Carolina under this same program, the Federal State Partnership for inner city passenger rail. I would implore my colleagues to vote yes to ensure that we do not set a dangerous precedent.
▶ 2:20:40DOT grant awards that were authorized and appropriated by Congress should be honored and upheld by whichever administration happens to be in office. Thank you and I yield back. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I.
▶ 2:21:09All oppose signify by saying nay. It appeared the naysay have it. Mr. Chairman, I ask for a voice vote. The gentle lady request I'm sorry, recorded vote. The gentle lady requests a vote on the amendment as previously announced pursuant to committee rule 6F. Further proceedings on the question are postponed.
▶ 2:21:29It's the policy of the committee to um not um take any amendments out of order, but I'm going to make a second exception uh to this. My point is be in here if you have an amendment. Um so now, Miss Hoy, you're sitting in the wrong seat, by the way. Oh, you're exactly right. I'm just do it from there. Do it from there. You can do it. Thank you very much, Mr.
▶ 2:21:58It's been one of those days. Uh, Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk. Designate. Uh, thank you for letting me speak to my amendment. The West designate. Hang on. Please designate. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Hoy of Oregon number Without objection. Amendment will be considered as read. Miss Hy, you have five minutes. Thank Thank you, Mr. Chair. The West is burning and we're turning our backs on the people who we rely on to protect us.
▶ 2:22:28Last year, a recorded 1.9 million acres burned in Oregon. Wildfires are growing more intense, but our fire service, our last line of defense, is collapsing. In the last three years, the Forest Service lost 45% of its permanent wildland firefighters. The number of volunteer firefighters has fallen 25% over the last 40 years. These men and women are overworked and underpaid.
▶ 2:22:54We ask them to put their bodies and lives on the line, but the government refuses to invest in them. That starts with how we train our firefighters. 78% of fire departments that work in the wildland urban interface have unmet training needs. 47% of these departments lack any specialized wildland urban interface training.
▶ 2:23:17In the face of this reality, the administration has decided to shutter in-person classes at the National Fire Academy, the body Congress created to train the workforce. As one rural fire firefighter told me, volunteer departments like mine are already facing recruitment ch and training challenges, and this decision only makes it harder for us to serve the people who rely on us in emergencies.
▶ 2:23:42We're asking firefighters to do more and more, but we're denying them training that could save lives. If we're serious about supporting the president's national security agenda, as these bills proponents claim, then we need to invest in the first responders who keep Americans safe. My amendment would provide 100 million to fully reopen the National Fire Academy and deliver the training that our firefighters need and deserve. I urge adoption of the amendment and I yield back.
▶ 2:24:11Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are the any amendments to amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. It appear the ns have it. The ns do have it. Mr. Delusio. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The East Palestine derailment happened now more than two years ago. Right next just announced an amendment. I have an amendment at the desk, Mr.
▶ 2:24:41Chairman. My apologies. Please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Duzio of Pennsylvania number 018. Without objection, the amendment would be considered as read. Mr. Duzio, 5 minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The East Palestine derailment happened more than two years ago now next door to my western Pennsylvania district. uh our neighbors in Ohio and and my constituents went through quite a lot and still the Congress has not passed rail safety legislation. We were told to wait for the NTSB final report and recommendations.
▶ 2:25:12We've done that. I've included those recommendations in my reintroduced railway safety act which I'm proud to introduce with Mr. Loa, Mr. Roelly who represents East Palestine, Mr. Garendi. Our bills had a Senate version that then Senator now Vice President Vance led on with us. It's the only bill, as far as I know, that both Joe Biden and Donald Trump have endorsed.
▶ 2:25:32From the start, we've had Labour's backing with twoerson crew minimums, new safety requirements for trains carrying hazardous materials, and substantially increasing fines for rail violations. This matters to my constituents in communities like ours. 95% of my constituents live within 5 miles of the tracks. Almost half live within a mile. We cannot trust the railroads to regulate themselves. I ask witnesses this at every rail safety hearing we have and get the same answer.
▶ 2:25:59It's a bipartisan bill that should be considered by this committee in advanced and passed. Unfortunately, today that's not what this committee is doing because I understand the leadership here is pushing this fiscally reckless budget and billionaire tax giveaway. It's a highly partisan budget process that includes cuts to Medicaid and other essential programs. It's not the proper vehicle for our bipartisan railway safety act. So, I will withdraw this amendment. Mr.
▶ 2:26:23Chairman, I look forward to working with you and the ranking member and members of this committee in the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization to pass my bipartisan rail safety legislation that this country so badly needs. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back. Thank you, Mr. Deluzio. Um, next, uh, Miss Freriedman. Thank you, uh, Mr. Chair. I have an amendment at the desk. Please designate.
▶ 2:26:49An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Freriedman of California number 032. Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. Thank you. You have five minutes. Yep. Thank you, Chair Graves. My amendment provides $100 million for the transit emergency relief program, which provides funding for capital projects to repair public transportation systems damaged as a result of a presidentially declared disaster.
▶ 2:27:15This program also covers eligible operating costs during an emergency like evacuation services or rescue operations. Even before the awful fires in Los Angeles, this program had an estimated $50 million backlog. My amendment will help address this backlog and provide additional funds to ensure transportation systems impacted in Los Angeles are able to recover. Our community has shown incredible resilience in the face of disaster.
▶ 2:27:40Our firefighters, law enforcement officers, paramedics, EMTs, and many others put their own lives at risk to combat these fires and to save lives. Our transit agencies immediately responded to this disaster, offering free rides to residents who are impacted and helping to evacuate our community. They were vital partners in that effort. The federal government should step up and help transportation systems who provide essential services during emergencies recover from any damages sustained during the fires.
▶ 2:28:08We need to be focused on supporting programs like these programs that actually help people who are in need rather than advancing a budget that slashes essential programs like Medicaid and SNAP. This slash and burn bud budget plan betrays the middle class and puts billionaires first. We have people in Los Angeles who are transit dependent who get to work and get to school only through transit and they need a system that works and this resol this amendment will help to do that. I urge my colleagues to support it and I yield back.
▶ 2:28:38Any other members wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. It appear the naysay have. Oh my god. The naysay do have it. Miss Gillan. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
▶ 2:29:06Please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Gillan of New York number 031. Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. Miss Gillan, you have five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh my amendment will provide critical funding to states across the country to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries on our roadways. Unsafe roads are a national problem. Traffic fatalities across our country are far greater than they were 10 years ago.
▶ 2:29:35In the first 6 months of 2014, there were 15,35 roadway deaths. 10 years later, in 2024, there were 18,720, a 25% increase. My constituents know the dangers we face on our roads on Long Island, particularly on the Southern State Parkway and on Sunrise Highway. We can and must invest more in proven safety countermeasures to keep our pedestrians, our cyclists, and our drivers and passengers safe on our roads and make intersections less deadly.
▶ 2:30:05The highway safety improvement program is the main federal formula program that states use to invest in highway safety projects. The HSIP requires a datadriven strategic approach to improving highway safety on all public roads that focuses on performance. This funding helps states build safer alternatives to intersections including roundabouts, railway makes railway crossings safers and roadways uh safer by calming traffic and reducing vehicle speeds.
▶ 2:30:34My amendment will appropriate an additional $5 billion in funding for the highway safety improvement program to make smart infrastructure investment investments and save lives. I encourage all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this common sense life-saving program and I yield back. Thank you. Do members wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I.
▶ 2:31:04I. All oppose signify by saying nay. It appear the nays have it. The naysay do have it. Next Mr. Larson. Amendment at the desk. Please designate. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Larson of Washington number 027 revision one. Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. Rick, five minutes. Thank you. Uh, Mr.
▶ 2:31:34Chair, this amendment prohibits the administration from using any any of the funds uh in aviation to privatize the nation's air traffic control system. The bipartisan 2024 FA reauthorization law is a blueprint for the safety reforms needed to improve our ATC system and to grow the skilled aviation workforce.
▶ 2:31:53Whether it's requiring the FAA to hire the maximum number of air traffic controllers annually, update antiquated safety staffing models, or accelerate the replacement of insufficient legacy systems or or prioritize the deployment of runway safety technology, the law lays out the policies the DOT can implement now to make US skies safer.
▶ 2:32:13Now, while the reconciliation bill before us today makes considerable investments in our ATC system, what this committee must make clear is that what we will not invest in or support the degradation of the FAA, particularly at a tenuous time in US aviation safety. Which is why my amendment prohibits any funding to privatize, sell off, or otherwise transfer the FA's management, oversight, and authority over the nation's ATC system. I'm pleased that the ma majority of the aviation industry agrees with uh with me.
▶ 2:32:43In two recent letters sent to this committee, broad aviation coalition stated that they are quote not pursuing privatization of US ATC services, rightly deeming it quote a distraction from needed investments and reforms. Now, although there are significant challenges facing the US aviation system, a weakened FAA sets us on the wrong flight path to address these issues. We should decisively reject efforts to carve up the FAA and forfeit its critical air traffic responsibilities.
▶ 2:33:10Instead, Congress and the administration must focus on forward-looking, fact-based consensus recommendations to make US airspace safer, more innovative, and efficient. I encourage my colleagues to support this amendment and yield back. Any other members wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment by Mr. Larson. All those in favor signify by saying I. I.
▶ 2:33:40All oppose signify by saying nay. It appears the nays have it. The nays do it. Next, Mr. Nadler. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Nadler of New York number 017, revision one. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as red. Mr. Nadler, five minutes. Mr.
▶ 2:34:05Chairman, Secretary of Transportation Shawn Duffy has spent the last several weeks leading a public crusade against agencies like the MTA and WMTA, painting a picture of unsafe, unaccountable transit. But the facts tell a very different story. According to the National Safety Council, public transit is 10 times safer than driving.
▶ 2:34:28In New York, major felonies in the subway system are at their lowest level in nearly 30 years, thanks in no small part to federal investments in cameras, operator barriers, safety teams, and deescalation training. Fair evasion is down. Transit worker assaults have declined by more than 30%. These are real results achieved through partnership, not posturing.
▶ 2:34:54While I don't believe Secretary Duffy is attacking transit agencies in good faith, I do agree that the federal government can do far more to enhance transit safety for passengers and transit workers alike. That's why I am offering this amendment to provide a $1 billion in additional funding for capital grants dedicated to transit safety and security as authorized under existing federal law.
▶ 2:35:18This funding will support everything Secretary Duffy claim claims to prioritize infrastructure upgrades, better fair gate technology, lighting, and security enhancements for both writers and workers. If Republicans concerns are sincere, they should welcome this amendment. Instead of threats and fingerpointing, let's offer resources and results. Let's invest in the safety of the tens of millions of Americans who rely on buses, subways, and commuter rail every day.
▶ 2:35:47I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and I yield back. Any other members wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. Opinion of the chair. The nays have it. Mr. Chairman, on that I ask for a recorded vote.
▶ 2:36:12Gentlemen request a vote on the amendment as previously announced pursuant to committee six rule committee rule 6f. Further proceedings are postponed. Mr. Brownley. Uh Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Brownley of California number 021. Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. Miss Brownley recognized for five minutes. Uh thank you Mr. Mr.
▶ 2:36:42Chairman, my amendment is straightforward. It would add $2 billion annually for 10 years from fiscal year 2025 to fiscal year 2034 for the Federal Transit Administration to provide grants to transit agencies for the purchase of zero emission buses. As you may know, the transportation sector is the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, contributing 28% of the United States total GHG emissions.
▶ 2:37:12Addressing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector and the impacts of GHG on climate change will require a multi-prong approach. However, one key area where simple federal policy changes can make an immediate impact are in the public transportation sector.
▶ 2:37:30By funding additional zero emission bus purchases, my amendment will help transit agencies nationwide phase out older buses and replace them with new Americanmade zero emission buses. The demand for zero emission buses nationwide is growing in part because transit agencies that have also begun this process already have seen longterm cost savings associated with the use of zero emission buses.
▶ 2:38:00In fact, zero emission buses offer numerous benefits including improved air quality, reduced noise pollution, lowering operating costs, and a positive impact on public health and the environment. They eliminate tailpipe emissions, leading to a healthier environment for both passengers and residents. Additionally, these buses are quieter than diesel buses, reducing noise pollution and urban areas.
▶ 2:38:26As a former member of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and a longtime member of this committee, I strongly believe that Congress must take all necessary steps to ensure our nation moves in the right direction to address climate change, including in the transit sector. We should also help transit agencies that have already set ambitious zero emission targets, and incentivize others to follow suit.
▶ 2:38:51My amendment will help incentivize the green bus transition, which is creating jobs nationwide in the manufacturing sector in blue and red states alike. I urge the members to support my amendment to help our transit agencies and our communities move into the future and to also ensure that the United States stays ahead of foreign nations like China that are seeking to corner the market internationally on zero emission vehicles.
▶ 2:39:19Our national security, our manufacturing sector, and our children's future depend on us to lead the way in zero emission technologies. Um, thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back. Are there any further speakers on this amendment? Seeing none, are there amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the questions on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All those opposed signify by saying nay. Opinion of the chairs and nays have it. The amendment. Mr. Chairman, I request a vote.
▶ 2:39:48Gentleman requests a vote on the amendment as previously announced pursuant to committee rule 6F. Further proceedings on the question are postponed. Mr. Carbajal. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will report the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Carbajal of California number 007. Gentleman's recognized for 30 seconds. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 2:40:13My amendment would provide $100 million to fund the small shipyard grant program. While I'll While I support robust Coast Guard funding, I oppose any effort by Republicans to cut Medicaid, SNAP, and education funding. The president has claimed that rebuilding American ship building capacity is a priority. And yet, this one big beautiful bill, as he calls it, does nothing. What a missed opportunity.
▶ 2:40:41One thing my colleagues could have done with the massive amount of spending in this bill is bolster the shipyard small shipyard grant program. This program is an overs subscribed and underfunded program that allows shipyards to make infrastructure improvements and train their workforce. You cannot address ship building capacity without supporting small shipyards. It is time we invest in our shipyards. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. Mr. Mr. Chair, I yield back.
▶ 2:41:11Gentleman yields. Are there any further speakers on this amendment? Seeing none other amendments to the amendment. Seeing none, the questions on the amendment, all those in favor signify by saying I. All those opposed signify by saying nay. The nays have it. The amendment is not agreed to. The Okay. Gentleman from Illinois, Mr. Garcia, is recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have an an amendment at the desk.
▶ 2:41:42The report the clerk will report the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Garcia of Illinois number 007. Gentleman's recognized for five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Inflation Reduction Act created the neighborhood access and equity grant program. Grants would be provided to reconnect communities that were separated by transportation infrastructure decades ago.
▶ 2:42:08We're talking about highways that were disproportionately built in poor black and Latino neighborhoods, displacing residents and disrupting community life. In Chicago, NAE funding was awarded to the Chicago Transit Authority to replace nearly two miles of Blue Line track on the west side. Tracks along the Blue Line branch are beyond their useful life.
▶ 2:42:32And as a result, the Chicago Transit Authority has been forced to implement slow zones in certain sections, causing service delays for riders. And who depends on public transit? To most workingclass people. Accessible and reliable public transit is a matter of justice. It can mean the difference between getting to school on time, keeping a job, and having access to basic needs. And it's not just urban areas that stand to lose.
▶ 2:43:01Rural projects in Montana and Oklahoma may also miss out on awarded funding. Funding that would have been used to provide safer connections for underserved communities. And let's remember, cities, counties, tribes, and transit agencies put in considerable time and effort to prepare their successful applications. Now, Republicans are seeking to pull the rug from underdom. Where is the efficiency in that?
▶ 2:43:27I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for this amendment and ensuring that local jurisdictions across the country have access to the duly awarded funding. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back. Gentlemen yields. Are there any further speakers on this amendment? Seeing none, other questions on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. All those opposed by saying nay. The naysay have it and the amendment is not agreed to. Recorded vote. Mr. gentleman has requested a quartered vote previously announced pursuit to committee rule 6f.
▶ 2:43:57Further proceedings on the question are postponed. Mr. Papus. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Papus of New Hampshire number 015. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Mr. Papus is recognized for 5 minutes to speak on this amendment. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm grateful for the opportunity to speak on this amendment, which is about the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program, also known as NEVI.
▶ 2:44:24In January of this year, New Hampshire was set to receive $17 million from the NEVI program as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law. Nationwide, the funding totaled $5 billion. This funding was meant to help states like New Hampshire build a network of public charging stations. However, the funding was frozen by the Trump administration on February 6th. Now $12.5 million in already awarded funds are in limbo for the New Hampshire DOT. New Hampshire was ready to put shovels in the ground and begin construction.
▶ 2:44:51So this abrupt decision is setting back our efforts to build out a reliable network of charging infrastructure that's critical to our residents, their quality of life, and also our tourism economy. New Hampshire's 7 billion tourism industry relies on reliable electric vehicle charging options, yet only has 7% of the necessary charging infrastructure in place to meet demand.
▶ 2:45:12According to a recent industry survey, without action, my state risks losing an estimated $1.4 billion annually in tourism revenue to our neighboring states with more robust charging infrastructure. This executive action has nothing to do with waste, fraud, and abuse. Instead, this is a huge hit to my state's economy and our quality of life. This amendment will ensure that states across the country have access to funding that they were already guaranteed and was appropriated by the bipartisan infrastructure law.
▶ 2:45:39So I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of this amendment and I yield back. The gentleman yields over. Any further speakers on this amendment? Seeing none other amendments to the amendment. Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. All those opposed by saying nay. The naysay have the amendment is not agreed to. Gentleman from Massachusetts, Mr. Molton. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will designate the amendment.
▶ 2:46:06An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Molton of Massachusetts number 016. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Mr. Molton is recognized for 5 minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In late February, news broke that the FAA was considering cancelling an existing contract with Verizon for an air traffic control modernization program and instead giving this contract to Starlink.
▶ 2:46:28There have also been multiple SpaceX employees that gained FAA credentials and email addresses without being vetted or officially hired by the agency. Verizon currently holds a $2.4 billion contract to modernize the FAA's telecommunications infrastructure. It's clear that we need air traffic control modernization.
▶ 2:46:47We've had horrendous accidents since the Trump administration began, and I'm glad that this bill invests to upgrade this antiquated technology, but we need a new air traffic control modernization that goes through the proper vetting and ensures the procurement decisions are made based on the merits of the contract rather than the fact that Elon Musk owns the company.
▶ 2:47:11In early March, I led a letter with 46 of my colleagues expressing expressing concern of reports that the FAA was not going through fair and proper procurement processes. This letter also asked for answers to questions about the existing contract, potential conflicts of interest, and procurement rules. We have not yet received an answer from the FAA. This shouldn't be that hard. If they're following the law, if they're being fair, then just answer the letter.
▶ 2:47:37This amendment would require the FAA to update and brief Congress on its procurement rules and how it's preventing conflict of interest and frankly outright fraud. This is a follow-up amendment to our letter we sent to the FAA. It shouldn't be that hard to support. Mr. Chairman, I yield back. Gentleman yields. Do any other members seek recognition to speak on this amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor say signify by saying I.
▶ 2:48:07All those post signify by saying nay. Uh the nays have it. The amendment is not agreed Um m Miss Strickland we'll go to Mr. Ryan. M Mr. Speaker chair Mr. Boss. Go ahead. I'm sorry. I'll Mr. Ryan's recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have an amendment at the desk. The clerk will designate the amendment. Mr.
▶ 2:48:36Chairman, Mr. Chairman. Yes, Mr. M. I I reserve a point of order. Illinois, I reserve a point of order. Gentleman has reserved a point of order. Um, M. The clerk will designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Ryan of New York number 024. Mr. Ryan's recognized. Uh, thank you, Mr. Chair.
▶ 2:49:01I know my colleagues don't want to talk about the topic I'm going to talk about and it's understandable why frankly, but it's critical that we understand the larger context within which this hearing on infrastructure cuts is happening.
▶ 2:49:15Not only are there critical uh devastating cuts, $10 billion uh to critically needed infrastructure projects, roads, bridges, rail, and more, which the vast propoundonderance of the American people know and have called on us to pass, as we did in the bipartisan infrastructure law.
▶ 2:49:34So, not only are there critical cuts uh to those programs, but also uh through the larger reconciliation process in which this is happening, House Republicans under the direction of the president are trying to jam through devastating and unprecedented cuts to Americans healthcare through the Medicaid program.
▶ 2:49:54In my district alone, which is representative of all of my colleagues, regardless of partisanship, there are more than 244,000 of my constituents who count on Medicaid as their only option to have life-saving access to good healthcare. That includes a 100,000 children and 22,000 seniors.
▶ 2:50:20Mathematically, it is impossible to achieve the trillions of dollars of uh deficit adding cuts that have been proposed without these cuts to Medicaid. However, many of my colleagues on the other side have contested this fact, claiming they are against cuts to Medicaid, which would be great if that is the case, including several of my colleagues uh in New York. If that is the case, there's a simple fix. this amendment.
▶ 2:50:45My amendment guarantees that there will be no reduction to funding of the Medicaid program or to any benefits received by recipients of Medicaid through this act. So, I'd encourage my colleagues to uh back up those promises with action to support my amendment. And I also want to just speak directly to my constituents to many who have called and and reached out and I've spoken with concerned about these cuts. I will continue to fight to protect your access to Medicaid and other critical programs. Thank you, Mr.
▶ 2:51:15Chair, and I yield back. The gentleman yields. The gentleman from Illinois is recognized for his point of Mr. Chairman, the amendment is not gerine to the bill. Gentleman is correct. The amendment is not gerine. Does not fall within the jurisdiction of TNI. And for that reason, the amendment will be dispensed with. Miss Hy.
▶ 2:51:46Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Hoy of Oregon number That objection. The amendment will be considered as read. Miss Hoy is recognized for five minutes. Speak on our amendment. Thank you. Let's talk about fairness. Coastal communities like mine are they're paying their fair share. Every time cargo comes into a port, a fee is collected.
▶ 2:52:16That money goes into the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, which Congress created to keep our ports and channels open and safe. You use the port, you help pay to maintain it. It's very simple. Here's the problem. Our ports are not getting that money. Billions in the harbor maintenance trust fund are sitting in federal coffers unspent while small ports like Kuzbay and Port Orford in my district are fighting to stay navigable.
▶ 2:52:46Commercial fishermen, the Coast Guard and our businesses need to be able to get in and out safely and that requires regular dredging. The Army Corps estimates that the full navigation channels of the country's busiest ports are available less than 35% of the time, and it's even worse for smaller ones like the coastal communities and coastal ports that I represent. My amendment is simple.
▶ 2:53:11It makes sure the money we've already collected for our ports and channels is used on them. It's a practical should be bipartisan fix the opposite of a go it alone approach we're seeing today on the highway trust fund. Mr. Chair, I'm hopeful we can come together either today or in the months ahead ahead to do right by our ports and fully unlock the harbor maintenance trust fund. It's just fair.
▶ 2:53:38I ask for unanimous consent um to withdraw this amendment and I yield back. Hopefully we can address this in the future. Without objection, so ordered. Miss Schult. Thank you, Shultton. I'm sorry. Yep. That Oh, thank you. I appreciate that. Um, I have an amendment at the desk, Clerk will designate the amendment.
▶ 2:54:03An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Scton of Michigan number Thank you uh so much, Mr. Chair. My home state of Michigan put the world on wheels and we are going to keep this country moving forward in the transportation space.
▶ 2:54:22This committee's bipartisan infrastructure law created the corridor identification and development program to support the development of new and improved inner city passenger rail services to spur local economies, create jobs, and connect our communities. Michigan has thoughtfully invested these corridor ID dollars to advance existing service between Grand Rapids and Chicago by adding new frequencies and boosting reliability.
▶ 2:54:50While initial investments have been made to determine the scope, schedule, and cost for these developments, we cannot take our foot off the gas. Not now. My amendment will ensure that the Secretary of Transportation cannot remove projects involved in the corridor ID program prior to that were identified prior to January 20th, 2025. We've already invested in these programs. We cannot lose what we invested already.
▶ 2:55:18Unfortunately, this is a real concern. We've seen this administration upend thoughtful investments across the country and we cannot undercut the long-term planning and certainty necessary to better our passenger rail service. Particularly as this committee embarks on the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization, we must recommmit ourselves to exploring all the ways we can connect folks to their jobs, schools, doctors, and community spaces. Thank you, Mr.
▶ 2:55:48Chairman. I yield back. Gentleoman yields. Any other members seek recognition on this amendment? Gentleman from Pennsylvania. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, I'm a proud supporter of Amtrak, especially the proposed Scranton to New York City Amtrak line. This will be the first time since the 1970s that passenger rail will connect my district to New York City and the Northeast Corridor. Last month, I sent a letter to the Federal Railroad Administration giving my support to this project.
▶ 2:56:13It was a priority of my predecessor, a Democrat, and it's a priority of mine because jobs and growing our economy shouldn't be partisan. This amendment, however, is meant to divide us and have us violate our reconciliation instructions. Reconciliation will help us rebuild our crumbling infrastructure and get America moving again. I will continue to support Amtrak and our constituents through this committee this year, and I look forward to working with Democrats and Republicans to get this project across the finish line. I yield back. Gentleman yields. Do any other members seek recognition on this amendment? Seeing none, there are are there amendments to the amendment?
▶ 2:56:43Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor say I. I. I. All those opposed signify by saying nay. The naysay have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Mr. Chairman, I'd like to request a recorded vote. Gentle lady requests a vote on the amendment as previously announced pursuant to committee rule 6F. For the proceedings on the question are postponed. Miss Freeman. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will designate the amendment.
▶ 2:57:08An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Freiedman of California number 01. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Miss Freedman Freiedman is recognized for five minutes on our amendment. Thank you. Thank you, Chair Graves. My amendment would increase funding for the International Boundary and Water Commission's crossborder water contamination control efforts. The IBWC funds the South Bay International wastewater treatment plant, which is the most critical infrastructure to address the Tijana River sewage crisis in San Diego. And it is a crisis.
▶ 2:57:39Since 2018, the Tijuana River Valley and neighboring communities have been exposed to over 100 billion gallons of toxic sewage, trash, and unmanaged storm water flowing across the United States and the Mexico border into the United States. Researchers have recently discovered that toxins and bacteria from the Tuana River can be aerosolized, adding additional potential risks to air quality.
▶ 2:58:03These pollutants have forced beaches to close in San Diego County and sickened lifeguards, children, surfers, and even Navy Seals. And when I was in this region touring it, we met law enforcement officials and border control officials who have been sickened, really sickened, because of having to interact with this polluted water, not in Mexico, but in the United States. I would like to remind my colleagues that this is a bipartisan issue. Administrator Zelden vid visited the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant just last week.
▶ 2:58:33The administrator also noted that this problem is top of mind for President Trump. I urge my colleagues across the aisle to put down this this partisan positioning to support this amendment and work towards a bipartisan solution to this pressing issue for Southern California and the nation. Thank you and I yield back. Gentleman yields. Are there any other speakers on this amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor say I. All those post say no.
▶ 2:59:02And the nos have it. Amendment is not agreed to. Um, Miss Gillan. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Gillan of New York number 019. Gentleman's recognized for five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My amendment requires the controller general of the United States to certify that this bill will not result in an increase in traffic fatalities. Mr.
▶ 2:59:32Chairman, we cannot afford to go backwards when it comes to road safety. My district on the south shore of Long Island is facing a crisis. More than 2100 people have been killed and 16,000 have been severely injured in traffic accidents on our dangerous roads over the past 10 years. Traffic crashes are the single leading cause of accidental death among young people on Long Island and the second leading cause of death for residents under the age of 80.
▶ 2:59:57The failure to secure our roads has led to thousands of lives being cut short, families being ripped apart, and a terrible void being left in too many communities. As I said earlier, it's time for us to come together and say no more. I will work with anyone on either side of the aisle to reduce the epidemic of traffic fatalities on our roadways and save lives. That is why my amendment would simply ensure that none of the changes in this bill would undermine that fight. Mr. Chairman, I encourage all of my colleagues here today to support this straightforward common sense amendment.
▶ 3:00:26And with that, I yield back. Gentleoman yields. Are there any further speakers on this amendment? Seeing none, are there amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. All those opposed, nay. The naysay have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Mr. Larson. Thank you. You have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr.
▶ 3:00:55Larson of Washington number 014. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Mr. Lson is recognized for 5 minutes on his amendment. Thank you, Mr. Chair. This amendment directs the transportation secretary to protect and expedite the implementation of the FA's aviation workforce development grants. American leadership in aviation safety and innovation are impossible without a highly skilled and dedicated workforce. According to industry estimates, commercial aviation drives 5% of the US gross domestic product and contributes more than 10 million jobs.
▶ 3:01:242024 FA reauthorization was a jobs bill and through its passage, Congress recognized the importance of growing the aircraft pilot, aviation maintenance, and manufacturing workforce to ensure our nation's long-term economic success. However, despite widespread endorsement from the aviation industry and bipartisan support in the latest FA reauthorization, this popular aviation workforce development grant program is stalled.
▶ 3:01:49The notice of funding opportunity was issued in January 2025 for the aircraft pilots and aviation maintenance grants. The committee has yet to receive any any substantive information on when these grants will be awarded, including when the new aviation manufacturing grants will be established. With the growing aviation safety demands on US skies, Congress and the administration must recommit to developing the next generation of pilots, engineers, maintenance technicians, and other essential aviation personnel.
▶ 3:02:16My amendment directs the DOT to issue the aviation workforce development grants as required under the 24 reauthorization and prevents a reckless termination, suspension, or furlow of DOT employees tasked with carrying out this critical program. In the Pacific Northwest and across the country, aviation means jobs. We cannot afford to delay efforts to create well-paying US jobs and to equip our talented workforce to complete compete globally. With that, I encourage my colleagues to support this amendment and yield back.
▶ 3:02:47Gentlemen yields. Are there any further speakers on this amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the questions on the amendment, all those all those in favor signify by saying I. All those opposed by saying nay. The naysay have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Gentlemen, ask for a recorded vote. Recorded vote has been requested and as previously announced pursuant to committee rule 6F, further proceedings on the question are postponed. Mr. Garmendy, clerk will designate the amendment.
▶ 3:03:17An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Garmendy of California number 024. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Mr. Gmeni is recognized for 5 minutes. Uh Mr. Chairman, I suspect you and our Republican colleagues have by now figured out that more than 120 amendments are being offered by the Democrats for projects that were authorized in the uh IIGJA, the jobs act.
▶ 3:03:46Now, I know not many of you voted for that, but you certainly take all of you have taken credit in your district uh for the various ribbon cutings that have occurred over the last couple of years. As the ranking member said in his opening remarks, those um funding programs need to be reauthorized and it is in the interest of all of us on the committee, Democrats and Republicans and more importantly for our constituents back home, that we do so.
▶ 3:04:14Unfortunately, the resolution uh the reconciliation resolution will make it extremely difficult to do the reauthorization because the money disappears. and we're going to have to overcome that with legislation that will undoubtedly require a Senate uh 60 vote to do it. The uh reconciliation is of course a majority in both houses.
▶ 3:04:38So we put ourselves at a disadvantage for the benefit of our communities and and this is not a Republican or Democratic issue. This is an American issue in which all of us have the responsibility to representing our our districts, our constituents, and in a larger sense, the well-being of America.
▶ 3:04:55Uh I have a rec I have a bill before us, one of the 120 plus uh amendments that have been proposed by Democrats, all of which will continue the funding that was in the uh infrastructure jobs act and in some of the related legislation.
▶ 3:05:11So I would just ask us to be cognizant of the reality that we're facing as a result of the uh reconciliation bill which will basically eliminate the funding opportunities for all of us and when we go home I would suspect that all of us should be held accountable for the projects that will not be going forward as a result of what is happening here in this committee and in other committees.
▶ 3:05:37Um, this particular bill would authorize $2.4 billion for the resilient operations for transportation efficiency and cost shaving cost savings program otherwise known as the protect program. So if you have sea level rise and I just heard a little bit about u Long Island uh if you represent Florida or the Gulf Coast or really anywhere along the coast, this ought to be of interest to you.
▶ 3:06:03If you have a hurricane or you have a tornado or uh earthquake, this ought to be of interest to you. If you have a wetlands, this ought to be of interest to you. It restores $2.4 billion uh to this program. Uh and this is not a I don't what do we we don't want anything with climate change. Uh let's uh let's not use that word. Let's just say you got sea level rise, you have hurricanes, you have earthquakes.
▶ 3:06:30This bill uh this program is specifically designed to provide a grant to you in your district so that you can address those particular problems. Uh it's going to fail, but I'm going to try and ask all of us to just really pay very careful attention to what we are doing. We're going to make it impossible for our constituents to have programs that they desperately need.
▶ 3:06:56Whether it is a protect program or any of the others that have been brought up by my colleagues here. It's not a democratic issue, although we're the ones pushing these uh amendments. It's really a nationwide program in which we are trying to rebuild, reconstruct our infrastructure, sanitation, water, roads, aircraft, uh, and the and the various, uh, men and women that are going to be doing those projects in the future.
▶ 3:07:27So, yes, we're going to see the uh reconciliation bill move out of this committee, but in doing so, we will hamper and indeed stop the programs that all of us, Democrats and Republicans, need for our districts. So, pay attention. At some point along the way, there will be an opportunity for us to say, "Whoa, whoa, wait a minute. What does the reconciliation do?" Oh, yes. The president wants it. Terrific.
▶ 3:07:56We've talked about who's going to benefit. Well, certainly the superw wealthy will benefit because of an enormous tax cut. There'll be other beneficiaries along the line, but your constituents and my constituents will not projects that they desperately need in their in your district in my district will not go forward as a result of the reconciliation bill. Oh, I know.
▶ 3:08:19We're going to come back and we're going to try to somehow pave over and rebuild and put these programs back in place. It will not happen because the money is gone. The money's gone and you're going to face a 60 Senate gentleman's time is expired. Are there any further speakers on this amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment.
▶ 3:08:47All those posted signify by saying All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All those opposed signify by saying nay. The nays have it and the amendment is not agreed to. Miss Brownley. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Brownley of California number 022. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Miss Brownley, you're recognized for five minutes to speak on your amendment.
▶ 3:09:17Uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman. My amendment would provide $3.2 billion dollar for transportation infrastructure related to the 2028 Olympic and Parolympic Games. With less than three and a half years to go before the 2028 Olympic and Parolympic Games, the time for Congress to support what will be America's games is now.
▶ 3:09:41The games that will be held across Southern California and also in Oklahoma will be the largest sporting event ever held in the United States as was done for prior Olympic and Parolympic games hosted in the United States. Atlanta in 1996, Salt Lake City in 20 2002. I believe Congress and especially this committee should support the mobility plan for these games.
▶ 3:10:08I'm proud that LA Metro has worked with LA28, the organizing committee for the for the games and a number of transportation partners in the region, including the commuter rail provider Metroink to develop a worldclass mobility experience for the 2028 Olympic and Parolympic Games. This mobility plan is focused on providing a safe, secure, and exceptional transportation experience.
▶ 3:10:36State of California, the city of Los Angeles, Metro Link, and LA Metro have all contributed and will continue to contribute to the capital and operational cost of the games. However, their size and scale requires an all-in approach on every level of government to ensure that the United States can successfully host the games in Los Angeles and the subsequent games in Salt Lake City in 2034.
▶ 3:11:06Their combined 3.2 billion requests reflected in my amendment includes funding for essential games uh projects such as the games enhanced trans transit service, mobility hubs, and games route network.
▶ 3:11:22It also includes funding for essential game specific projects that will help deliver an incredible experience for those coming to the games from across America and across the world and in the process prove that America can deliver a world-class mobility experience like no other nation on earth.
▶ 3:11:42Lastly, I want to note to my colleagues on this committee that there are significant implications to safety, security, and the ability to maintain goods movement through Southern California and our nation during the games. Absent certainty around games related operational funding for transportation for workforce, spectators, athletes, officials, and media. When other nations bid to host the games, those bids are made by entire nations.
▶ 3:12:12However, in the United States, it is our host cities who bear the brunt of the burden for bringing the games to our nation. To compete internationally for future games, the United States must demonstrate that it can deliver an unparallel experience for global athletes and spectators. Our state and local agencies in California and Utah are stepping up to support the 2028 and 2034 games.
▶ 3:12:39And the federal government needs to step up, too. Consistent with past federal funding provided for the Olympic Games in both Salt Lake City, which received 1.3 billion and in 2002 and Atlanta, which received $69 million in 1996. The federal government needs to participate as a partner.
▶ 3:13:01I know President Trump, Secretary Duffy, and everyone in Congress shares my strong support for a successful Olympic and Parolympic Games in 2028 in Los Angeles. The reconciliation bill may not be the best vehicle for this funding, but I do look forward to working with it with Chairman Graves and Ranking Member Larson as other legislative vehicles move forward. So at this time, Mr.
▶ 3:13:27Chairman, I will withdraw my amendment and with a hope we can all work together on this important national priority moving forward. And with that, I I thank you and I yield back. Gentleoman yields without objection. The amendment is withdrawn. Mr. Garcia of Illinois. Thank you. Uh, Mr. Chairman, I have a amendment at the desk. Clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Garcia of Illinois number 008. Without objection, amendment will be considered as read. Mr.
▶ 3:13:57Garcia, you're recognized for five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, this amendment would prohibit Coast Guard funding to be used for interstate migrant relocations. The Coast Guard is using C130 aircraft to move migrants picked up by border patrol and ICE from California to Texas. In other words, Coast Guard assets are being pulled from other locations across the country to carry out this administration's cruel immigration agenda. We've seen its devastating consequences time and time again.
▶ 3:14:25At least three US citizen children have been deported with their mothers, including one four-year-old receiving treatment for cancer. This administration is so obsessed with quick deportations that it's willing to ignore the law and basic human rights. Just last week, DHS officers showed up at a Home Depot in Pomona, California, and detained some 15 to 20 day laborers. These are people trying to provide for their families.
▶ 3:14:51The majority is making a show out of tearing families apart while refusing to fix our immigration system. No one should live in fear for simply trying to provide for their loved ones. The Coast Guard is an entity focused on maritime issues. These missions of transporting migrants have no maritime or coastal nexus. Because of that, I urge my colleague to support the amendment. I yield back. Gentlemen yields. Are there any other speakers to seek recognition on this amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment?
▶ 3:15:20Seeing none the questions on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All those opposed signify by saying nay. The nays have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Uh Miss Scolton. Thank you. Uh Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. The clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Scolton of Michigan number 034. Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. Miss Colton, you're recognized five minutes to speak on your amendment. Thank you so much, Mr.
▶ 3:15:50Chair. Uh the Coast Time and the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee has dedicated a significant amount of time to understand how Congress can improve Coast Guard recruitment and retention. And for good reason, too. Every single time I visit the Coast Guard stations in Grand Haven and Moskegan right in my district, which I do frequently, I'm reminded of how many coasties struggle to access child care.
▶ 3:16:15As a working mom myself, I know firsthand how expensive and hard to find child care can be. Beyond the sheer price, Coast Guard families are also tasked with finding providers that actually accept the services fee assistance. Identifying child care should be the least of our Coasty's concern. This amendment will make critical investments to increase the quality and access to child care for Coast Guard members.
▶ 3:16:41Not only is this the least we can do for our fearless service members who make the ultimate sacrifice for our nation's safety, but my amendment will undoubtedly support this committee's work to bolster Coast Guard recruitment and retention. I welcome your support for this critical amendment to uplift coasties aiming to care for their families while serving our country. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back. Gentleoman yields. Are there any other members seek recognition on this amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment?
▶ 3:17:10Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. All those opposed, nay. And the naysay have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Mr. Chairman, I request a recorded vote. Gentlewoman requests a vote on the amendment as previously announced pursuant to committee rule 6F. The proceedings on the question are Mr. Deluzio. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr.
▶ 3:17:39Duzio of Pennsylvania number 044. The without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Mr. Duzio, you're recognized for five minutes to speak on your amendment. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Under federal law, US code reads, quote, "Where a grossly negligent violation or a pattern of repeated violations has created an imminent hazard of death or injury to persons or has caused death or injury, a penalty not to exceed $145,754, per violation may be assessed," and end the quote there. This has to do with rail safety violations.
▶ 3:18:09Just last week, Norfick Southern announced their first quarter of 2025 financial results, $3 billion in revenue. CSX, more than a billion. So if one of these railroads is negligent and kills somebody, the maximum penalty is 0.000049% of what they made in the first quarter of this year. That is not even a drop in the bucket. These powerful railroads have ruled with very little oversight and consequence for a century and more.
▶ 3:18:35My amendment would at least start the conversation holding them more accountable by doubling these civil penalties. Need to keep keep our constituents safe from these dangerous safety violations. So we won't get anywhere anywhere with pennies and penalties we currently have in place. Thank you and I yield back. Mr. Chairman, gentleman yields. Are there any other members to seek recognition speak on this amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in in favor signify by saying I. I. All those opposed, nay.
▶ 3:19:06The naysay have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Miss Freriedman, I have an amendment at the desk. Uh clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Freriedman of California number 053. Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. Miss Freedman, you're recognized for 5 minutes. Thank you, Chair Graves.
▶ 3:19:28My amendment prohibits the Secretary of Transportation from rescending any grant funding made under the Federal Railroad Administration's Restoration and Enhancement Grant Program. Secretary Duffy has seemed to have gone on a clawback spree, rescending hundreds of millions of dollars in previously awarded grants. Grants that our agencies were depending upon. Now, it doesn't seem like these clawbacks have anything to do with efficiency or with redundancy or with fraud or waste.
▶ 3:19:56Instead, it unfortunately seems like rather than thinking about the value of these projects, like what's in play here is more of a political payback from the Trump administration to places that are represented by Democrats, places like New York City, New York, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles. Just last week, Secretary Duffy put all federal grant recipants on notice that grants will be reviewed to ensure they align with the Trump administration's priorities.
▶ 3:20:23Given the petty vindictiveness that this administration has already shown, this amendment is necessary to ensure that previously awarded funds awarded in a bipartisan fashion through this committee that these funds cannot be rescended just to settle political scores. In Southern California, the Losan corridor was awarded a 27 million dollar restoration and enhancement grant to add three daily roundtrips between San Diego and Los Angeles with which is by the way one of the most heavily traveled rail corridors in the country.
▶ 3:20:52Without this grant, we'd have more cars on the road, more congestion, more wear on the highways, which we are struggling to pay for as it is, and more pollution. I hope that all my colleagues here from Florida, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, states that receive funds in the latest R& announcement, will join me in supporting this common sense and fair amendment to protect our travelers from being used as political footballs by Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Thank you, and I yield back. Gentleoman yields.
▶ 3:21:21Are there any other members seek recognition on this amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. All those opposed signify by saying nay. The naysay have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Mr. Larson. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr.
▶ 3:21:50Larson of Washington number 035 formerly denoted as Larsson word one. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Mr. Larson, you're recognized for 5 minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. This amendment ensures that revenues raised by the vehicle registration fees in the underlying bill are treated in the same manner as every other revenue source that goes in the highway trust fund. Congress has ensured that every revenue increase since 1982 covers authorizations under the mass transit account in addition to the highway account.
▶ 3:22:18Highway users are one of the largest beneficiaries of people who choose to ride transit. Now maybe you think that the only this is only a big city problem and maybe um so maybe you think it's only a big city problem but defunding transit is just as much of a problem for urban areas it is for rural rural areas.
▶ 3:22:38Earlier this month, Barb Klein with Prairie Hill, South Dakota Transit Agency, testified to our committee that America's rural population is declining, but rural transit ridership increased 15.6% from 2007 to 2019. And who are people relying on rural transit? Senior citizens take local bus to get to the grocery store. Disabled veterans trying to get to the VA. Patients who rely on non-emergency medical transportation to get diialysis appointments.
▶ 3:23:05My amendment would direct the vehicle registration fees in the underlying bill to cover authorizations from both the highway account and the mass transit account. This system has underpinned surface transportation bills for the last 43 years and is a necessary step if the majority wants the next transportation bill to garner bipartisan support. I urge adoption of my amendment and yield back. Gentlemen yields. Are there any other members wish to speak on this amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment?
▶ 3:23:35Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. All those opposed signify by saying nay. The naysay have the amendment is not agreed to. Gentleman is recognized. The recorded vote is requested as previously announced pursuant to committee rule 6F. Further proceedings on the question are postponed. Miss Brownley. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Brownley of California number 023 revision one.
▶ 3:24:05Without objection, the amendment be considered as red. Miss Brownley, you're recognized for five minutes. Uh thank you, Mr. Chairman. My amendment would strike the recision of funds for low emission aviation technologies program and instead it would invest more resources into sustainable aviation fuel programs.
▶ 3:24:24Sustainable aviation fuel is a proven technology on the market today that can significantly reduce aviation emissions and it has the potential for also significantly reducing fuel costs for airlines and other general aviation users. SAF is a drop in fuel which means it is interchangeable. It's an interchangeable substitute for fossil jet fuel.
▶ 3:24:47Staff production is a growing is growing both in the United States and internationally, but it is not growing in the United States fast enough to achieve long-term goals or to meet the growing demand for the fuel from the airlines. The United States cannot afford to fall behind in this critical energy technology. We need a comprehensive and focused federal response to make the United States leadership in SAF production a reality.
▶ 3:25:17We made some progress for staff in the inflation reduction act. Not only did it include a tax credit for staff production, but it also included resources for the FAA to support sustainable aviation fuel infrastructure and research and development. Much of that funding has been obligated, helping to create new jobs and improve staff technologies.
▶ 3:25:39However, this bill seeks to repeal unobligated balances from the fuel aviation sustainable uh transition grants which are derived from the alternative fuel and low emission aviation technology program. I think my colleagues should know where this money is being taken from. The vast vast majority of those grants, over $153 million, went to research and development that supports jobs in the state of Texas, which I know is home to several members of this committee.
▶ 3:26:10Other key states that benefited greatly through these research grants are Illinois, which received over $42 million. California and Massachusetts researchers were awarded about $21 million each and Georgia and Colorado researchers received $16 million.
▶ 3:26:28But each but today the committee is considering a bill to repeal unobligated funds from these awards which will kill the jobs associated with these research funds in all of these states. Instead of repealing the unobligated IRA funds, we should be doing more to ensure a safe and reliable supply of staff to meet the needs uh of the industry.
▶ 3:26:52That is why my amendment not only strikes the language to repeal past grants, but it also proposes to provide additional grants in future years, including $350 million for projects related to the production, transportation, blending, or storage of sustainable aviation fuel, $50 million for projects related to low emission aviation technologies, and $10 million to fund the award of grants under this section and oversight of the program
▶ 3:27:22by secretary. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment and to support sustainable aviation fuel which is in our national security interests, our energy policy interests and certainly in our transportation industry interest. Uh thank you Mr. Chairman and I yield back. Gentlewoman yields. Are there any other members wish to speak on this amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All those opposed saying nay. The nays have it.
▶ 3:27:52The amendment is not agreed to. Mr. Chairman, I request a recorded vote. Gentleoman requests a recorded vote. As previously announced, pursuant to committee rule 6F. Further proceedings on the question are postponed. Mr. Garcia of Illinois. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at desk. Clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Garcia of Illinois number 009. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Mr. Garcia, you're recognized for 5 minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
▶ 3:28:20This amendment would prohibit Coast Guard funding to be uh used for moving any equipment, cargo, or person to Guantanamo Bay. Once again, having the Coast Guard assist with Homeland Security directives on border security and migrant detention diverts from the Coast Guard from its original mission.
▶ 3:28:37And the fact that this administration has and may attempt to house detained immigrants at Guantanamo, a facility synonymous with torture and civil rights abuses underlines the intentional cruelty of their acts. Housing migrants at Otanimo deprivives them of the right to legal counsel and it prevents them from having consistent communications with family members.
▶ 3:29:00Reports indicated that they were being held in extreme isolation and forced to make calls with their lawyers within earshot of officers. It is yet another example of the administration's disregard for constitutional rights. We should have closed Guantanamo years ago. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and I yield back. Gentlemen yields. Are there any other speakers wish to speak on this amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. All those opposed by saying nay.
▶ 3:29:30The naysay have the amendment is not agreed to. Miss Scolton. I have an amendment at the desk. The clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Sculton of Michigan number 01. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Miss Scolton, you're recognized for five Thank you, sir. Um, Mr. Mr.
▶ 3:29:58Chairman, I have been a steadfast uh supporter in urging investment in our aviation infrastructure to ensure the safety of consumers uh and aviation professionals alike. Uh but I am pleased that this committee is in agreement on the need to bolster our air traffic control systems and that includes remedying the maintenance backlog of air traffic control towers. My district is home to Gerald R. Ford. Mr. Chair, suspend. I'm sure you got we got the right amendment. Sorry, I thought this was 016.
▶ 3:30:28Apologies if I'm out of order. 01. Oh, my apologies. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Do you want to back up and regroup or do you want to wait and Can I I It's not going to take five minutes, so I I don't Can I back up? Go ahead. Yes, I have a one right here. Uh, apologies. I had those out of order. Thank you, Mr. Ranking Member, as well for catching that. Do you need me to start again from I have an amendment at the desk? I'm going Yes. No. No. We I don't Do we need to redesate the amendment? 01.
▶ 3:30:58An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Sculton of Michigan number 01. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Miss Scton, you're recognized for 30 seconds. Thank you so much. Uh Mr. Chair, I am so proud uh to represent miles of beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline. Uh the Great Lakes are our most precious natural resource, integral uh to spurring economic growth and preserving the Michigan way of life.
▶ 3:31:24Um that's why I'm introducing this amendment to fund the EPA's regional clean water programs, including the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, uh critical to my district and our entire state. This multi- agency effort seeks to ensure safe drinking water and recreation, the delisting of areas of concern, the elimination of harmful species, and the protection of native habitats.
▶ 3:31:50Not only is this program critical to Michigan's economy and the environment, but it's inc it's an incredibly in efficient use of taxpayer dollars. With every dollar of GLRI funding, it results in an estimated $3.35 in economic activity over in over a three-fold increase.
▶ 3:32:10Fortunately, the EPA oversees several regional clean water programs in addition to the GLRI spanning from Louisiana to California to safeguard our communities ecosystems and the economies that rely on them. I urge my colleagues, all of my colleagues to join me in providing robust funding for our Great Lakes restoration initiative as well as the EPA regional programs that keep our waters safe. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back. Gentleoman yields. Any other further speakers on this amendment?
▶ 3:32:40Seeing none, are there amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. All those opposed signify by saying nay. The nays have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Mr. Chairman, I request a recorded vote. A recorded vote is requested pursuant to committee rule 6F. Further proceedings on the question are postponed. Mr. Duzio. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the desk. The clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr.
▶ 3:33:09Duzio of Pennsylvania number 051. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Mr. Duzio is recognized for five minutes to speak on his amendment. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. One of the greatest enemies of business and project planning is uncertainty. This administration and Doge have made it impossible for communities and projects to count on federal funding that they've rightly been awarded. Might see them clawed back or frozen at any time. Certainly have seen efforts by this administration to do exactly that.
▶ 3:33:35I don't support this recklessness for any industry, but to jeopardize rail safety in particular is just dangerous. Chrissy grants or consolidated rail infrastructure and safety improvement grants do just as their name suggests. They improve rail safety and resilience in freight and passenger rail systems. My amendment would guarantee funding certainty for these grants. If you were awarded one of these grants, you shouldn't fear the administration coming in and illegally rescending that funding, putting your rail safety project in limbo.
▶ 3:34:02This is a measure all members should support to secure jobs and improve rail safety in our communities. I yield back, Mr. Chairman. Gentlemen yields. Are there any further speakers on this amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All those opposed signify by saying nay. The naysay have it. The amendment is not. Request a record vote. Mr. Chairman. Recorded vote has been requested as previously announced pursuant to committee rule 6f. Further proceedings on the question are postponed. Miss I have an amendment at the desk.
▶ 3:34:33Uh clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Freriedman of California number 040. That objection. Amendment be considered as red. Miss Freedman. are recognized for 5 minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. My amendment raises the federal cost share for FEMA aid to the LA wildfires and hurricane Helen vict uh Hel Hurricane Helen from 75% to 100% for expenses incurred up to a year of the disaster declaration date.
▶ 3:35:00It is unconscionable that this administration is denying full aid for wildfire and hurricane victims. That has never been done before. This is not who we are as a country. When our neighbors are in need, we assist them without any conditions. Whether your home is destroyed in a wildfire or made uninhabitable by flooding, disaster recovery is a slow and painful process, and so many of these victims are uninsured or underinsured.
▶ 3:35:26We must do everything in our power to assist those in need and get them every dollar that they deserve. I hope my colleagues will join me in voting for this amendment. Thank you and I yield back. Gentlewoman yields. Are there any other speakers on this amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the questions on the amendment. All those in favor say I. All those opposed say nay. The naysay have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Uh, Miss Brownley, I M Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
▶ 3:35:56Clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Brownley of California number 071, revision one. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Miss Brownley, you're recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, my amendment would require the Coast Guard to report to Congress on use of funds as it relates to border security activities and degradation of capabilities to conduct search and rescue efforts that result in a death or loss at sea. Mr.
▶ 3:36:26Chairman, I support additional funds for the Coast Guard and I agree that the interdiction of drug trafficking along our coast is an important mission for the Coast Guard. However, the US Coast Guard is tasked with many important domestic and national defense missions. I'm very concerned that the relocation of Coast Guard assets and personnel is creating an unacceptable risk to other missions like search and rescue.
▶ 3:36:52It's important that this committee be fully informed about any degradation of the Coast Guard's ability to uh conduct search and rescue missions. We must also be kept a breast of maritime inc incidences that result in a death or loss at sea. My district along California's central coast is home to Channel Islands harbor and the port of Wanimi. We have many residents and businesses that use our coastal waters for recreation, tourism, fisheries, and other commercial purposes.
▶ 3:37:22While maritime transportation is relatively safe, accidents do happen and sometimes tragedies occur due to unforeseen weather waves or even negligence. For instance, in September of 2019, 34 individuals perished in a boating disaster just off the coast of my district near Santa Cruz Island. This tragedy deeply affected our community and boating and diving communities across the nation.
▶ 3:37:49The tragedy also led this committee to improve our small vessel safety laws, which I hope will prevent such tragedies for ever again occurring. For me, the Conception disaster is a key reminder of the critical role the Coast Guard plays in maritime safety. When lives are at risk and rescue is required, communities like mine across the nation rely upon the brave men and women of the US Coast Guard to come to their aid.
▶ 3:38:16In my district, Coast Guard Air Station Ventura located at Point Magoo and Coast Guard Station Channel Islands are an essential lifeline for those who face dangers at sea. Our coasties are also essential members of our community who help educate the public about both boat safety, perform critical safety inspections, and so much more. I urge everyone on the committee to support my amendment to ensure that we are kept fully informed when any degradation of search and rescue missions occur. Thank you, Mr.
▶ 3:38:46Chairman, and I yield back. Gentleoman yields. Are there any further speakers on this amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor say I. All those opposed say nay. The nays have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Mr. Chairman, I ask for a recorded vote. Recorded vote has been requested pursuant to committee rule 6F. Further proceedings on the question are postponed. Mr. Garcia of Illinois. Uh I have an amendment at desk. Uh Mr. Chair, clerk will designate the amendment.
▶ 3:39:13An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Garcia of Illinois number 010. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Mr. Garcia, you're recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chair. This amendment would prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from rescending any grants from the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program or CREATE.
▶ 3:39:35CREATE is a partnership between the US Department of Transportation, state of Illinois, Cook County, City of Chicago, Metro Amtrak, and the nation's freight railroads. It's a model of what can be accomplished when the public and the private sectors come together. Since 2003, create has worked to improve uh the way passengers and goods move over rail, making the railroad network safer for everyone. It's much needed in Chicago, which is the busiest freight rail hub in the country.
▶ 3:40:06Almost 500 passenger trains and 750 passenger trains pass through our uh city each year. Uh that should be freight and passenger uh respectively. Earlier this year, US dot awarded 43 million to create to build a grade separation near one of the busiest rail clearing yards in Chicago. Benefits of this project include less roadway congestion and the elimination of the potential for collisions between vehicles and trains.
▶ 3:40:35This common sense amendment ensures that create can continue to make improvements to the rail network across Chicago land. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. I yield back. Gentleman yields. Are there any further speakers on this amendment? Seeing none, other amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. All those say nay. The nays have it. The amendment is the n the naysay have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Uh Miss Freriedman, you're recognized. I have an amendment at the desk.
▶ 3:41:05Clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Freriedman of California number 003. Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. Miss Freeman, you're recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chair. My amendment requires the Surface Transportation Board to report monthly on the impact of any tariff imposed after January 20, 2025 on freight, rail, shipping volumes. According to a recent LA Times article, imports at the Port of Los Angeles could see a 35% drop in imports in just two weeks.
▶ 3:41:36The American public and Congress has a right to know of the impact of this administration's policies on our economy. These dangerous tariffs threatened Southern California's critical trade and logistics industry. This industry has contributed nearly $300 billion dollar in direct economic output at an estimated 93.3 billion in tax revenue in 2022 alone.
▶ 3:41:57The industry also supported nearly two million jobs in 2022, directly employing more than 900,000 workers with an average salary of more than $90,000, which is 26% higher than the average annual wage across Southern California. The Trump tariffs are a tax increase on Americans. And they're also actively harming the critical trade and logistics industry that is so important to the LA and Southern California economy.
▶ 3:42:24Lower shipping volumes through ports will have a ripple effect on freight rail as well. A recent National Retail Federation report predicts that freight carriers will face at least a 15% cargo volume decline in 2025. As the Trump tax increases continue to destroy our economy, the STB needs to be able to accurately measure these impacts. My amendment would help us clearly understand what these policies are doing to our economy.
▶ 3:42:51I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this amendment because we all need transparency. We all need data and information. Thank you and I yield back. Gentleoman yields. Are there any further speakers on this amendment? Seeing none, are there amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All those opposed by saying nay. The have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Miss Freeman, you're up again. I have an amendment at the desk. Outstanding. The clerk will designate the amendment.
▶ 3:43:18An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Freriedman of California number 029. Without objection, amendment will be considered as read. Miss Freriedman. Thank you, Mr. Chair. This amendment provides $300 million for FEMA to upgrade its software and IT systems used to distribute assistance to disaster survivors. FEMA maintains hundreds of IT systems and databases that provide essential information and services during emergencies.
▶ 3:43:44Since as early as 2005, the Office of the Inspector General has issued audit reports highlighting the inability of FEMA's IT systems to effectively support these critical needs. The Government Accountability Office has also reported that FEMA faces challenges with modernization efforts and ensuring its IT systems can support disaster response. FEMA is an essential agency that's provided disaster relief to millions of Americans across the country.
▶ 3:44:09FEMA supports families at their lowest and most critical times and we must ensure that it can continue this very important mission. A mission that they are currently undertaking in Los Angeles which I represent. As you all know, FEMA has been critical to those recovery efforts in LA. Their work is appreciated by disaster victims and I hear this all the time in my office. They have provided aid to thousands of families who have lost everything and continue to support boots on the ground recovery efforts.
▶ 3:44:36But instead of supporting this key agency, the Trump administration has declared they will eliminate FEMA entirely, leaving really nothing in its place. This is beyond ridiculous. The timing couldn't be worse as climate change continues to exacerbate and create major disasters all across this country. Families must be able to depend on their government to help them recover. We are not just leaving our friends and neighbors to fend for themsel after a hurricane or after a fire. That's not who we are.
▶ 3:45:05and our budget should show that value. Eliminating this lifeline is crucial and it's a betrayal of our fellow Americans. My amendment provides a common sense solution to a critical problem facing FEMA and I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and I yield back momentarily. Gentleoman yields, are there any other speakers on this amendment? Seeing none, are there amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. All those all those posted signify by saying nay. The nays have it. amendment is not agreed to.
▶ 3:45:36Freeman's uh Miss Friedman, you are up again. But before we go on, these amendments were filed after 1 p.m. So therefore, you only have one minute to argue your amendment. kidding. I I was I was going to cite some obscure rule that doesn't exist, but just checking to see if you're paying attention. Miss Freedman, you're recognized. Thank you. This We're not all We're not all here in our first year rec. This is my first time ever doing this and I appreciate a little bit of hazing. So, thank you.
▶ 3:46:07Thank you. Uh, I have an amendment at the desk. The clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Freriedman of California number 059. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Miss Freriedman, once again, you are recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chair. This amendment prohibits the Secretary of Transportation from rescending any grant funded made to states and local governments that will result in less investments for pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements, traffic congestion, and access to jobs.
▶ 3:46:37Why? Why am I focusing on this? Because while President Trump is looking for tax cuts for his billionaire buddies, our nation is grappling with a car safety crisis, a traffic violence crisis that is killing Americans. Cyclist deaths increased from a record 115 in 2022 to a new record of 1166 in 2024. That's an 87% increase in bicycle deaths since 2010 when there was an all-time reported low of 623 deaths.
▶ 3:47:08That means someone's mother, brother, father, in many cases child is not coming home because of our unsafe roads. The only acceptable number of traffic deaths should be zero. Yet year after year, mother uh numbers have gone up. Let's not forget that traffic deaths are preventable and lives can be saved, but only with continued investment. That's why we should continue to fund programs like safe streets and roads for all established under IGA. These programs enhance roadway safety and reduce traffic fatalities.
▶ 3:47:37And I'm very concerned that California and many cities in the state are going to lose out on funding opportunities to keep their people safe on the roads following DOT's announcement to withhold grant funds based on whether or not a grant is complying immigration policy enforcement or is continuing DEI initiatives. Are you kidding me? Lives are at stake every second and we're allowing this administration to play political games. I'm a mom of an 11year-old.
▶ 3:48:02I would love for to feel safe when my child just walks down the block or wants to ride her bike in the street. And we need the investment into our infrastructure to guarantee that safety. I can't imagine any of my Republican colleagues or Democratic colleagues voting against this amendment to keep all all of our constituents across this country and all of our children safer. And I yield back. The gentleoman yields. Are there any further speakers on this amendment? Seeing none, are there amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I.
▶ 3:48:32I. All those opposed by saying no. Uh or nay. The nays have it and the amendment is not agreed to. Miss Freeman, you're up again. Mr. Chairman, I request a recorded vote on that. Recorded vote has been requested pursuant to committee rule 6F, which is actually a real rule. Further proceedings on the question are postponed. Once again, Miss Freeman, you're up again. I have an amendment at the desk.
▶ 3:48:52Uh clerk will designate the rec the amendment amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Freriedman of California number 035. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Miss Freedman, you're recognized. Thank you, Chair Graves. Uh this amendment provides $20 billion in da disaster relief for the Los Angeles wildfires and hurricane Hela.
▶ 3:49:15This amendment will provide California with the requested 16.8 8 billion in emergency relief, a request that has gone unanswered from this body. My amendment also provides additional funding to be utilized for the survivors of Hurricane Helen. Disaster aid must be swift, unconditional, and never ever used as a political weapon or a bargaining chip. No community, regardless of whether they are Democrats or Republicans, should be left behind in their darkest moments. Let me remind all of us, we are all Americans.
▶ 3:49:45Withholding disaster aid because you don't like California's policies on abortion or immigration or anything else is not leadership. It's extortion. Republicans seem to be in favor of playing political games with people's lives. Whether it's withholding disaster aid or slashing funding for life-saving programs like Medicaid and SNAP. Hardworking American families deserve true leadership from its government. True bipartisan leadership. Instead, this administration is handling billions of dollars to the 1%.
▶ 3:50:16The Republican budget agenda would put almost 24 uh 20 244,000 people in my district alone. 20 244,000 people at risk of losing their health care. This includes over 55,000 children and 55,000 seniors. And that's just in my district. The Republican agenda would jeopardize SNAP benefits in my district for 227,000 people who are just trying to feed their families.
▶ 3:50:43They've made it clear that we're uh that their priorities are not with these families and it's not with the American middle class. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and answer California and North Carolina's call for unconditional aid. Thank you and I yield back. Gentleoman yields. Are there any other speakers on this amendment? Seeing none, are there amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All those opposed by saying nay. The nays have it. The amendment is not agreed to.
▶ 3:51:13Mr. Chairman, I I request a recorded vote. Recorded vote is requested and pursuant to committee rule 6. Further proceedings on the question are postponed. Miss Freeman, I would um offer you to take a break. You've welld deserved. Go get something to drink, stretch your legs. That was a heck of a ride. Are you sure? Cuz I could keep going. I I know you can keep going, but you've done fantastic. I appreciate it. Mr. Garcia of California. Mr. Ryan is recognized.
▶ 3:51:43Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have an amendment at the desk. Mr. Chairman, that clerk will designate um I'm sorry, Mr. Boss recognized. I reserve a point of order. Point of order has been reserved. The clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Ryan of New York number 027. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Mr. Ryan is recognized for five minutes to speak on his amendment. Thank you, Mr. Chair. If we're going to come up with some new rules, if I say under a minute, can we uh avoid the uh the point of order?
▶ 3:52:14No. Okay. All right. I tried. I tried. All right. Uh thank you, Mr. Chair. Um my number one goal on behalf of my constituents is to lower costs for Hudson Valley families. That's why I've introduced this amendment to fully eliminate the salt tax cap uh for millions of Americans.
▶ 3:52:33The salt cap is blatant double taxation on teachers, firefighters, police officers, and so many other families getting crushed by the affordability crisis. Our constituents are feeling the pressure of making ends meet, counting on us to deliver relief. And we cannot let this continue to go on. I already I I currently proudly lead the Salt Deductibility Act, HR430, which is bipartisan legislation to fully remove the salt cap.
▶ 3:53:03We'll continue to push that piece of legislation forward with my colleague, Mr. Garbino's leadership, and I also want to continue the fight as we work through this reconciliation markup program. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I yield back. Gentleman yields. Gentleman from Illinois state his point of order. Yes, Mr. Chair or Mr. Speak chairman the yes the amendment is not germanine to the bill. The gentleman is correct. The amendment is not germanine to the jurisdiction of this committee.
▶ 3:53:31Therefore the amendment will be with Mr. Garcia of California. Miss Sculton. Oh I'm sorry Mr. Garcia. You are recognized. Okay. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Chairman. I I have an amendment at the desk please. Number 15. Garcia 15. The clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Garcia of California number 015. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Mr. Garcia of California, you're recognized.
▶ 3:54:02Thank you. This is again just a common sense amendment. Um this prohibits funding uh from being used to illegally deport United States citizens. Uh which I know is quite shocking that we have to even have to have an amendment that talks about deporting uh US citizens, but here we are. Now, it should terrify us that this amendment is even necessary. But we know that this is happening. In just the last week, we've seen United States citizens, children, babies be deported from this country.
▶ 3:54:32And we also know that not too long ago, the president told the president of El Salvador that quote, "Homegrrons are next." Homegrown are next, he said. Now, that should bring incredible concern to not just members of this committee, but to all American citizens and people that care about justice and humanity in this country. We know that he's talking about American citizens. And he just doesn't want American citizens deported. He wants them imprisoned, apparently, in brutal conditions.
▶ 3:55:02He wants to send Americans to a prison where you cannot see a judge, where there are no protections for your basic human rights, where even if you are falsely accused, there is no way home because Donald Trump is willing to defy a unanimous Supreme Court order. We know that right now the Supreme Court in a 90 decision, a unanimous decision, is asking the the president to bring back someone that was here with legal status, and he's choosing not to do so.
▶ 3:55:30And we know that last week, Donald Trump deported three children who are US citizens to Honduras along with their undocumented mothers. One, by the way, is a four-year-old with cancer. He was not given access to his doctors or medications before being forced to leave the country, according to press reports. These families were kept in isolation. They could not access counsel or coordinate care for their children. And these kids never saw a judge. They did not have due process.
▶ 3:55:59This is who President Trump thinks he is and who he's attacking. He thinks he's a king. He's attacking young children and that must be stopped. American citizen children with cancer are being deported. Now, any US citizen has a right to be here. We cannot allow our tax dollars to be used to violate the law. We, many of us, including myself, have fought for citizenship. And some of the most patriotic people I know are immigrants who have had to do the same thing.
▶ 3:56:26For the president to openly violate the constitution and decide it doesn't matter whether you are a citizen or not is wrong. This should be sickening to every single one of us who swore an oath to the constitution and we need to take a stand for the rule of law and for our values as a country. I urge everyone to support this amendment and I yield back. Sir, gentleman yields. Do any other members seek recognition speak on this amendment? Seeing none question are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I.
▶ 3:56:57All those opposed signify by saying nay. The nays have it and the amendment is not agreed to. Miss Scolton. Thank you so much. Uh Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. This one is 016. Outstanding. The clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Scolton of Michigan number 016. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Miss Scolton, you're recognized. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 3:57:23This amendment would set aside 10% of the 2.64 billion included in the ANS for ATC's um that are identified in section 608 of the FAA reauthorization. These are uh air traffic control towers, some of the oldest in the country that have been overlooked and not prioritized. Um I have one of these in my district and I know how frustrating it can be to not uh get the attention that that it needs.
▶ 3:57:51I have been steadfast in urging investment in our aviation infrastructure not only for my district but others similarly situated across the country. This is to ensure the safety of consumers and aviation professionals alike. I am so pleased that this committee is in agreement on the need to bolster our air traffic control systems and that includes remedying these maintenance backlogs of air traffic control towers. Uh my district as I mentioned is home to Gerald R.
▶ 3:58:20Ford International Airport where the FAA owned and operated ATC is in need of relocation and major modernizations. This 60-year-old ATC has far surpassed the FAA's 40-year life expectancy and it stands as one of the oldest among the top 75 busiest airports. Um the GRR's ATC additionally is situated on top of the terminal building. You heard me correctly.
▶ 3:58:46It is on top of the terminal building, impeding sightelines and hindering operations. This facility is undersized as well, which forces vital FAA technical operations uh engineers to be located offsite. To put it simply, GRR's current ATC no longer suits the needs of our growing community, Michigan's second largest city, and it can pose serious safety concerns.
▶ 3:59:11That's why I championed the language in this committee's most recent FAA reauthorization to prioritize the modernization of older, smaller hubs for ATC's. Now, in this budget bill, uh this amendment seeks to put our money where our mouth is. Um this amendment will continue to build on that effort by directing that 10% towards ATC's like this.
▶ 3:59:33I look forward to the committee building on the progress that we made in the FAA reauthorization of 2024 to keep aviation professionals and travelers safe. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back. Gentleoman yields. Are there any further speakers on this amendment? Seeing none, other amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the questions on the amendment, all those in favor signify by saying I. All those opposed, saying nay. The nays have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Uh Mr. Garcia, California, you're recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 4:00:03I have an amendment at the desk. It's Garcia 27. The clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Garcia of California number 027. Without objection, will be considered as read. Mr. Garcia, you're recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, as co-chair of the Congressional Ports Caucus, I'm proud to introduce this amendment to fully fund our nation's maritime infrastructure needs. Now my amendment would provide critical support for the port infrastructure development program that so many of us rely on.
▶ 4:00:32Now these grants are vital to work happening across the country to improve the safety, efficiency and reliability of good movement at seapports. Now the port of Long Beach in my district is the second largest container seapport in the country. Uh when I was served as mayor for the last eight years, I had a chance to actually work closely with the port which is a city department. uh and I'm incredibly pr proud of the men and women that work there on the docks and throughout the entire process of the supply chain.
▶ 4:00:58Now seapports they support in this country more than 21.8 million jobs 1.79 trillion in wages and benefits and generate over two trillion in economic activity. And as my colleagues on this committee know, on both sides of the aisle, this is an area we just cannot afford to compromise. When we faced a bottleneck in Southern California ports due to the pandemic in 2021, so many in Congress and across the country stepped up. And we know there were economic impacts in every state in the country.
▶ 4:01:28If we want to keep costs down for residents in our districts, ensure companies and and businesses can succeed, then we've got to fund our ports and the goods movements across this country. We also know that every dollar we invest in our ports and our supply chains delivers huge benefits for the entire economy through increased efficiency and reliability in the movement of goods. Every dollar in maritime infrastructure investment yields two to three of economic growth.
▶ 4:01:53We also know that for every dollar ports apply for in competitive grants from PIDP, they match it with a dollar of state, local or private investment, averaging a 50% nonfederal cost share. So it unlocks significant non-federal infrastructure investment. That's why I'm proud today to introduce this amendment and I encourage my colleagues to support this important program. Thank you and I yield. Gentleman yields. Are there any further speakers on this amendment? Seeing none, are there amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the questions on the amendment. All those in favor say I.
▶ 4:02:24All those opposed say nay. The naysay have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Miss Titus. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. uh this amendment before you. Oh, I have an amendment before you. Clerk will Thank you. The clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Titus of Nevada number 013. Without objection, the be considered as red. Miss Titus, you're recognized. Thank you. And I'll try again.
▶ 4:02:53Uh the amendment before you would help ensure that public buildings are accessible for people with disabilities. Last Congress, I was proud to work with our former colleague, Congressman Molinaro, uh, on bipartisan legislation that addressed this issue.
▶ 4:03:08That bill, the think differently, excuse me, about building accessibility act, directed the GAO to report on the compliance of buildings that were owned or leased by the General Services Administration with the Architectural Barriers Act enacted by Congress in 1968. The ABA requires accessibility in all federal government-owned and leased buildings and facilities.
▶ 4:03:34I'm pleased that that bill was signed into law as part of the 2024 Water Resources Development Act. I want to be sure now that we don't lose any momentum on the efforts that we made with that bill to make our public buildings accessible under the Trump administration. That's why I've introduced this amendment to prohibit the administration from cancelling any funding that is intended to bring a federal building into compliance with the ABA's accessibility standard.
▶ 4:04:04I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment so that we can help ensure all our public buildings are accessible to everyone. And I yield back. The gentleman yields. Are there any further speakers on this amendment? Seeing none, are there amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All those opposed, nay. The naysay have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Mr. Chairman, request a roll call vote. Recorded vote has been requested pursuant to committee rule 6F.
▶ 4:04:34Further proceedings on the question are postponed. Mr. Molton. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Molton of Massachusetts number 046. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Mr. Molton, you're recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 4:04:52My amendment would require that in order for the Secretary of Transportation to cancel or reduce a rail grant, he must submit a simple report to Congress just justifying why he wants to do this and a report on the impact to route ridership. What's happening is the new Secretary of Transportation is cancelling grants on a whim. Just because he doesn't like a certain project doesn't mean that he's done any staff work or had any staff work done, any investigation, any understanding of what actually is involved in the project.
▶ 4:05:22He just go ahead goes ahead and cancels it. He did this down in Texas recently where he ended a $63 million grant to Texas Central, a grant that had already been awarded under the quarter identification program. This project will build highspeed rail between Dallas and Houston. It's supported by many Texas private investors and many citizens. It would reduce a 6-h hour journey by car to 1 hour by train, a three-hour journey by plane to one hour downtown to downtown by train.
▶ 4:05:52It's pretty hard to argue against it. And he just cancels it. So, I'm grateful that a number of my colleagues have brought forth similar amendments on specific programs as it's highly unusual to resend grants when these grants have already been obligated. But just because the secretary decides he disagrees with a project uh because it was awarded under the previous administration or whatever does not mean that he should just be allowed to unilaterally cancel these grants. That is what this amendment would comprehensively address.
▶ 4:06:22Chairman I yield back. Gentleman yields. Are there any further speakers on this amendment? Seeing none other amendments to the amendment. Seeing none, the questions on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. All those opposed signify by saying nay. The naysay have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Mr. Garindi. Uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will designate the amendment.
▶ 4:06:49An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Garmendy of California number 028. Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. Mr. Garmendy, you're recognized. Now, this amendment would simply restate what is already the process, but was ignored earlier this year when the president decided that the answer to the fire in Southern California was to make water available to Southern California from the Northern California dams.
▶ 4:07:15He chose a project, an Army Corps of Engineers project, which apparently had some power over to release water without bothering to talk to anybody about it. Told the Army Corps of Engineers to do it. They said, "Whoa, whoa, wait, wait, Mr. President." But he said, "Do it." And so they released water and they flooded a whole bunch of farms. Simply tells the U administration to do what they ought to do. But there's a larger point here and I want to speak directly to my colleagues on the Republican side.
▶ 4:07:43There are 120 plus amendments that the Democrats are offering. Every one of those amendments is for your district. It's for you as well as for ourselves. These are nationwide projects, obviously for our districts, but also for your districts. The reconciliation bill that you're pushing forward hurts you in your district.
▶ 4:08:07These are projects that you will not be able to have in your district because the money is going to be gone. The projects are as you just heard from Mr. Molton. There is harm being done to you in your districts.
▶ 4:08:23Obviously in our district's the same 750 men and women in the Army Corps of Engineers in the um Army Corps District, including Oregon, Washington, and Northern California are not going to be there next month. No one will be at home in the Army Corps of Engineers. We're talking about critical flood protection.
▶ 4:08:48We're talking about the operation of the dams, not just the Army Corps of Engineers dam, but all the flood releases, all the releases for all the environmental purposes, all the releases of water down the rivers for agriculture, for urbanization in Northern and Southern California as well as Oregon and Washington. We are going to be in a crisis because of what the administration is doing to you in your districts and in my districts.
▶ 4:09:18And it's time for all of us to wake up and say, "Stop it. Stop the foolish stupidity that's going on. 750 personnel in the Army Corps of Engineers in the Western District offices will not be there to do answer the phones, will not be there to operate the dams, will not be there to operate the electric power systems and provide the flood protection and the delivery of water. The same thing is occurring in the Bureau of Reclamation. The numbers are larger.
▶ 4:09:48Who's going to be there to do the work? It is dangerous. It is stupid. It is nonsensical and all of us have the responsibility to say stop it. Stop it because you are harming America in every district across this entire nation. You're going to move forward with a reconciliation plan. But as you do so, I want you to think about the effect of what you are doing.
▶ 4:10:18Think about it. spend some time looking at your district and the way in which the reconciliation bill is going to harm your district. I ask for an I vote. This gentleman yield. Gentleman yields. Uh are there any further speakers on this amendment? Seeing none other amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the questions on the amendment, all those in favor signify by saying I.
▶ 4:10:48All those opposed signify by saying nay. The naysay have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Miss Titus. Yes. Thank you. I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will designate the An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Titus of Nevada number 155. Without objection, amendment be considered as red. Miss Titus, you're recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 4:11:13This amendment would increase transparency about the staffing level at air traffic control towers under the FAA's contract tower program. I've long been concerned about the issue of aviation safety and that's why I worked with some members of the committee and led provisions in the 2024 FAA reauthorization bill to require that agency to train and hire the maximum number of air traffic controllers.
▶ 4:11:39One issue though I believe warrants greater transparency in the staffing level at FAA contract towers. An audit from the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General published in 2021 found that the FAA does not adequately monitor whether contractors adhere to minimum staffing requirements.
▶ 4:12:00The 2024 FAA reauthorization directed the Department of Transportation OIG to review the assumptions and methodologies used in assessing FAA contract tower staffing levels and determine the adequacy of staffing levels at such towers. The IG initiated that audit in June of last year.
▶ 4:12:22Now, I support that process, but time is of the essence to keep our airways safe, as we have seen by the number of accidents just in recent weeks. So, I'd like for Congress to have the full picture as we make policy decisions about aviation safety.
▶ 4:12:39My amendment would require the FAA to submit a report to Congress on current controller staffing levels at each tower under the FAA contract tower program and whether each tower meets the FAA's minimum staffing requirements of four controllers per tower. This is a matter of public safety and I urge my colleagues to support this common sense amendment that would increase transparency around the FAA's contract tower program.
▶ 4:13:09Thank you and I yield back. Gentlewoman yields. Are there any further speakers on this amendment? Seeing none, are there amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. All those opposed by saying nay. The naysay have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Miss Titus, you're up again. You're giving Miss Freiedman a run for her money. Before you can rush me to the next one, I want a roll call vote on that. Gentle woman has requested a roll call vote pursuing to rule 64 6F.
▶ 4:13:37Proceedings will be May I have an amendment at the desk? Clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Titus of Nevada numbers 033. Without objection, amendment be considered as read. Miss Titus, you're recognized. Thank you.
▶ 4:13:54This amendment would prohibit the elimination of funding from any Department of Transportation or Federal Aviation Administration programs, initiatives, or rulemaking activities that are aimed at improving travel for passengers with disabilities. This is required under title five of the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act that we passed a bipartisan way uh last term.
▶ 4:14:18I was proud to lead provisions in that law to make long overdue progress in addressing the unique challenges faced by travelers with disabilities. Title five of the law includes several critical provisions including the mandate of DO and FAA to advance accessibility standards.
▶ 4:14:38These standards include everything from ensuring that aircraft are equipped to better accommodate passengers with mobility devices to improving airport facilities and enforcing stronger protections for these individuals. More than 25 million Americans 25 million Americans live with disabilities that affect their mobility. Air travel remains one of the most difficult modes of transportation for these individuals.
▶ 4:15:05Stories of wheelchairs being broken by airlines or passengers being denied dignified boarding or deplaning assistance are far too common. Title five of the 2024 FAA reauthorization addressed that finally would make some changes. It called for stronger enforcement of the Air Carrier Access Act. It mandated research into safe and dignified inc cabin wheelchair restraint systems.
▶ 4:15:32It required better training for airline personnel and contractors, and it directed rulemaking that would hold airlines accountable for how they treat passengers with disabilities. Stripping funds from these efforts, bipartisan efforts, I would remind you, would not only violate the spirit of the FAA reauthorization law, it would undermine the civil rights of these millions of Americans with disabilities.
▶ 4:15:57Eliminating and cutting this critical funding would send a clear message to the flying public that accessibility and equity are optional. My amendment ensures that no matter what fiscal constraints or baseless rhetoric we hear from this administration, we do not balance the budget on the backs of the most vulnerable. It ensures that passengers with disabilities continue to have a voice and how our aviation system serves them.
▶ 4:16:25For those reasons, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment to stand up for accessibility and protect the essential progress we made so recently in the FAA reauthorization law. I urge you to vote yes and I yield back. Gentlewoman yields. Are there any further speakers on this amendment? Seeing none, are there amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. Those opposed signify by saying nay.
▶ 4:16:52The I the nays have it and the amendment is not agreed to. Ask for a roll call vote. As previously announced, pursuant to committee rule 6F, further proceedings on the question are postponed. Miss Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will designate the amendment an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Norton of the District of Columbia number 065.
▶ 4:17:21Without objection, amendment be considered as read. Miss Norton, you're recognized for five minutes. This amendment would prohibit any neighborhood access and equity grants that include pedestrian and bicycle safety components from being rescended.
▶ 4:17:37The neighborhood access and equity grant program was created under the inflation reduction act to provide federal grants to states and local governments to among other things improve work walkability, safety, and affordable transportation access.
▶ 4:17:58In 2022, bicyclist fatalities reached an all-time high and pedestrian fatalities were uh the highest in 40 years.
▶ 4:18:12This is not the time to make cuts to programs uh uh funding pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure design design has long expediting the movement of cars rather than the safety movement of people.
▶ 4:18:37The reconciliation bill perpetuates this reckless mindset by rescending funding for these vital safety grants. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. Gentleoman yields. Are there any further speakers on the amendment? Seeing none, other amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. All those opposed signify by saying nay. The naysay have it. The amendment is not agreed to.
▶ 4:19:07Requests a recorded vote. The gentleoman requests recorded vote pursuant to rule 6F. Further proceedings are postponed. Um, Representative Sykes is not here. Miss Poe. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Poe of New Jersey number 01. The objection then will be considered as read.
▶ 4:19:37Miss Poe, you're recognized. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, supporting our nation's water infrastructure is one of my top priorities on this committee. We have a responsibility to provide federal support to help our localities meet the requirements of the uh clean water act. Not competing needed maintenance. Not completing, let me just correct that.
▶ 4:20:02Not completing needed maintenance and upgrades can be devastating, threatening public health and safety as my constituents in floodprone areas know well. In my hometown of Patterson, nearly 70 uh systemwide combined sewer overflows happens every single year, polluting the Pake River and other waterways with surge.
▶ 4:20:31We need stronger storm water infrastructure to help frontline communities like Patterson manage increasingly common heavy rains and contaminated uh runoff. This is why I support the clean water state revolving fund capitalization grant funding to address these issues.
▶ 4:20:53My amendment provides uh would provide $250 million for clean water state revolving fund capitalization grant to address municipal combined sewer overflows. Uh sanitary uh sewer overflows and storm waters storm water to keep our communities healthy.
▶ 4:21:16I urge my colleagues to support my amendment to modernize storm water management, especially in the most vulnerable of areas. We must protect the Clean Water State Revolving Fund to ensure that communities have the resources they need to improve public health and our environment. With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment?
▶ 4:21:44Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. The nays have it. The amendments not agreed to. Miss Poe. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Please designate.
▶ 4:22:10An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Poe of New Jersey number 002. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That objection amendment be considered as red. You have five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 4:22:23In February, I joined colleagues from the Homeland Security Committee on a visit to New Orleans to familiarize myself with security preparedness and coordination between federal, state, and local entities that uh in the runup to the Super Bowl 59.
▶ 4:22:42As me as as the member representing Medlife Stadium, the site of the FIFA FIFA World Cup finals, I know how critical logistic planning is to host a successful event.
▶ 4:22:56In anticipation of the World Cup in New Jersey, New Jersey has been investing in essential infrastructure projects like a pedestrian bridge to nearby parking facilities and a dedicated rapid bus transit system to transport fans from Sakus Junction to the stadium.
▶ 4:23:18However, our transportation infrastructure as a whole is simply not designed to handle a sudden sudden influx of hundreds of thousands of passengers while also still handling those passengers who use these systems every single day.
▶ 4:23:38Unless we act now, many of the six million spectators and fans traveling across the United States for the 78 games over 11 cities will struggle to find adequate reliable transportation to stadiums, hotels, and This is why I urge my colleagues to support my amendment to offer host cities like my own the vital resources needed to
▶ 4:24:08get fans and commuters to their destination safely and efficiently. My amendment would ease the strain on local resources and provide a lasting investment in a much needed improvements. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back. Do any other members wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment?
▶ 4:24:37Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. N have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Thank you, Miss Pope. Um, Miss Sykes. Thank you, Mr. I have an amendment at the desk.
▶ 4:25:03Please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mrs. Sykes of Ohio number 020. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Miss Sykes, you have five minutes. Thank you for recognizing me, Chair Graves. And my amendment is a simple one and hopefully a bipartisan one that we can all get behind.
▶ 4:25:26Uh it directs $und00 million to the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium to improve training for first responders including police, emergency medical services, and firefighters to ensure that they are equipped to respond to disasters such as the events that occurred in East Palestine, Ohio during the train after the train derailment. First, I want to take this opportunity to share more about why this program and its benefits to Could you could you suspend? I'm sorry. It's it's not the right amendment here. Nope. Sorry. Yeah.
▶ 4:25:57Just just filling in for the just filling in for the chair here so we get things right. It was designated 020 Okay. on Nevie. It's on Nevie. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Do I need to start back over? I have an amendment at the desk.
▶ 4:26:24An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mrs. Sykes of Ohio number 020. That objection be considered as read. Sykes. Five minutes. Thank you for recognizing me again, Mr. Chair. Um, and thank you for helping me clear up that con that correction. My amendment continues our investment into America's network of electric vehicle charging stations.
▶ 4:26:45The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program was established to strategically deploy electric vehicle charging infrastructure and to establish an interconnected network to facilitate data collection, access, and reliability for all American drivers. Uh before I go into much detail about the the importance of this uh the national electric vehicle infrastructure program, I want to spend a moment on the law that created it, the bipartisan infrastructure law.
▶ 4:27:10Uh this law made unprecedented investments into our nation's electric infrastructure, created good paying union jobs in communities across the country and in my community, Ohio's 13th district. And it also is impressive to remember that this landmark legislation was supported by members across the aisle. Uh this is in stark contrast to the process that we are experiencing today.
▶ 4:27:32Uh and I hope that if we are truly interested in developing to keep money in the pockets of working Americans, uh that we will continue to work in a bipartisan fashion. This amendment provides $5 billion to continue the work being done by the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program. Uh since the law has passed in 2021, my home state of Ohio has been allocated over $110 million in uh funding in the funding formula.
▶ 4:27:57Not only does this funding build electric vehicle charging stations in my state, but it creates good paying jobs for the electricians charged with installing and maintaining this critical infrastructure. I am proud that there are two electric vehicle charging stations in my district that were funded through the program. One is located in North Canton uh and it allows folks to power their vehicles to get to work, school, and around the community. These chargers provide my constituents with access to affordable and reliable electricity to empower their mobility.
▶ 4:28:26As we all know, the electric vehicle charging network in the United States is a work in progress. The department of educa of transportation has invested years of staff time and resources to develop the processes uh it requires that that charging stations require uh including contracting, planning, design, and engineering. In order to make sure that all Americans have access to affordable and reliable electric vehicle charging, we have to sustain our support for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program.
▶ 4:28:55Um, I was very proud uh that Ohio uh under the leadership of Governor Mike Dwine was the first state to take advantage of this funding and broke ground on a facility in southern Ohio. Uh, and it is a true testament to the fact that this is and can be bipartisan work. Uh, because if you know anything about Ohio state government, it is all Republican. The Department of Transportation's uh recent decision halted electric vehicles charging projects across the country, including two of them in my district.
▶ 4:29:22As a result, constituents in Fairlon and Canton, both located in Ohio's 13th district, will not have access uh to electric vehicle charging stations that were promised to them by the federal government and funded by this legislative body. This amendment will provide necessary funding to continue the essential works of building electric vehicle charging stations across the United States. And with that, Mr. Chair, I yield back. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment?
▶ 4:29:51Seeing none, the question is now on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by nay. The nays have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Next, uh, Mr. Gari. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It's good to see you back in the seat. Your colleague was doing a terrific job, and I'd be happy to take it up with him as well. I have an amendment at the desk.
▶ 4:30:18Uh, please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Gar Mendy of California number 029. Madam Mr. Chairman, this amendment deals with an emergency power that is granted to the president under specific circumstances.
▶ 4:30:36That power is being used in this case by the president to uh move Army Corps of Engineers funds from what we have appropriated it for to other Uh, I raised this um specifically because it does affect my district, but it's more than that. There are more than 130 emergency power laws available to the president to be used in many different ways.
▶ 4:31:03One of which is very very much in the news, the Alien Removal Act and the 17th uh 1780 law that's now before the Supreme Court uh and very very controversial part of the uh immigration issue that is so much in the news. But there's only one this is another one and I draw the attention of all of us and particularly you Mr. chairman.
▶ 4:31:28Uh given the role that you have in this committee, this particular uh law on the books allows the president to move Army Corps of Engineers money from whatever we've appropriated it for to whatever he wants to use it for. Um in this particular case, the Army Corps of Engineers is moving the money away from uh the water resources programs in the west.
▶ 4:31:54Uh we saw this earlier in the first Trump administration and when he tried to move money out of the Army Corps of Engineers uh to build a border wall that wasn't allowed to happen and I would encourage us to regain our appropriation power but more importantly to spend some time looking at these emergency laws that are on the books and are available to every president. uh Trump is using them uh more than other presidents have and often in ways that we would disagree with.
▶ 4:32:25But nonetheless, it gives the president when taken in total total power total dictatorial power over specific issues. And when taken in whole, it is everything.
▶ 4:32:40And it would do well for all of us to review these emergency power laws uh act and to uh repeal most of them and to regain uh our authority as the uh first branch of So uh in this case I would ask for an I vote but more importantly I would ask for all of us Democrat and Republican alike uh to uh look at these emergency power acts in total
▶ 4:33:10and to say oo these are outdated. In this particular case, it occurred during the Cold War. Emergency powers granted to the Reagan administration. Should there be a nuclear war to move the Army Corps of Engineers money from whatever it was allocated for and appropriated for to deal with the realities of of that nuclear situation, hopefully before the war commence, but uh should it be after.
▶ 4:33:39So, I would uh love to have an I vote. I know you're not going to do this. I know it's not going to pass. But once again, for those of you that are listening and paying attention, this really does require our attention, these emergency power laws. With that, I yield back and ask for an I vote. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment?
▶ 4:34:07Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All opposed signify by saying nay. Nays have it. Amendments not agreed to. Thanks, Mr. Gmeny. Uh, Mr. Duzio. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the desk. Please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Duzio of Pennsylvania number 019.
▶ 4:34:36Without objection, the amendment be considered as red. You have five minutes, Mr. Delooio. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Pittsburgh Port District alone has 16 sets of locks and dams, all maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Some are around 100 years old. Alageney River locks typically see roughly 4 million tons of activity each year. Ohio River locks see 50 million tons of activity each year. The Mananga River locks see 54 million tons per year.
▶ 4:35:03Should these systems fail, a lot of my region's commerce could come to a standstill. It is imperative that we not only continue funding, but increase funding for these projects. My amendment would keep the $1.4 billion, the amount that was zeroed out from the Army Corps and the continuing resolution Republicans passed this year would keep that $1.4 billion available for the Army Corps to fund construction, replacement, rehabilitation, and expansion of their inland waterways projects. Keeping our waterborne commerce is not controversial.
▶ 4:35:33It shouldn't be. And this amendment shouldn't be controversial either. Let's give the Army Corps of Engineers the resources they need to keep our supply chains moving, to keep commerce moving, and to keep our waterways safe. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay.
▶ 4:36:04The nays have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Miss Miss Poe. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Poe of New Jersey number 028. Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. Thanks, Miss Poe. You have five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 4:36:32The Gateway project is one of the most critical infrastructure investment in the Northeast and one of the most significant in the country, spanning 11 main infrastructure projects across New Jersey and New York.
▶ 4:36:48The GA gateway is providing much needed updates to the corridor which serves millions of people every year and support 20% of the GPD I'm sorry GPD I got it upgrading these century old tunnels is a smart investment once finished the project will reduce delays,
▶ 4:37:18allow for uh faster speed, and add rail capacity. Not only is the project expected to generate almost 100,000 jobs and add 20 billion to the national economy, but it will improve reliability for both passengers and freight.
▶ 4:37:41I was concerned to see last week that the Department of Transportation was pulling back some 140 million in funding for repairs to the Dock Bridge, which crosses the Pay River. The dock bridge is 90 years old and is regularly responsible for delays. It its rehabilitation is expected to improve travel times on on top of saving millions of dollars in the annual maintenance expenses.
▶ 4:38:12Cutting funds from common sense common sense infrastructure projects like this that creates jobs and save taxpayers money long term is disruptive and shortsighted. My a my amendment would stop the Department of Transportation from pulling back any funding intended for the gateway project in the Northeast Corridor.
▶ 4:38:36We cannot afford not to invest in updating our rail infrastructure for this century and preparing it for the next. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this economic engine for the region. I yield back. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I.
▶ 4:39:06I. All oppose signify by saying nay. Nays have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Um, Miss Pope. You're up again. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment on the desk. Please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Poe of New Jersey number 060. Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. Miss Po, you have five minutes. Thank you, Mr.
▶ 4:39:36Chairman. The work of the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board goes uh often goes unnoticed. We rarely notice the flights that arrive on time guided by our air traffic controllers or the safety improvements m made based on the painstaking investigation of the NTSB.
▶ 4:40:03Tragically, this year, this year we've seen multiple deadly crashes, including the devastating loss of six people in including three children when a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River.
▶ 4:40:19And while crashes and near misses have occurred throughout the country, the airspace around the New York City metro area, which includes my district, is the most crowded and complex in the entire country.
▶ 4:40:34Despite the critical role that FAA and the NTSB employees play and the inherently stressful and high pressure nature of their jobs, the president has subjected them to unnecessary disruption and chaos.
▶ 4:40:54Since day one of this administration, a barrage of executive orders, freezing hiring, encouraging early retirement, instituting mass layoffs have made these uh diff has made these difficult jobs even harder.
▶ 4:41:14Even before this, the FAA suffered from a shortage of a air control, air traffic control, forcing controllers to regularly work extra shifts. But it's not just air traffic controllers who keep passengers safe. The FAA the FAA relies on technicians, engineers, and others for their operation to move to to run smoothly.
▶ 4:41:44And the NTSB doesn't only make flying safer. Its employees investigates highways, trains, and other crashes, recommends improvements, and support survivors and victims families. My amendment would stop hiring freezes, mass layoffs, and other efforts to gut the FAA and the NTSB.
▶ 4:42:09And it would protect them from punishment based on Elon Musk's timewasting rep report uh reporting requirement on what they did that week. For the FAA and the NTSB, every position is safety critical. We rely on them to uh to keep the traveling public out of harm's way.
▶ 4:42:33I want to urge my colleagues to support my amendment and strengthen safety on the roads, the rails, and the sky. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I yield back. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. Mr.
▶ 4:43:04Chairman, I'd like to ask for a recorded vote, please. Gentle lady requests a vote on the amendment as previously announced pursuant to rule committee 6F. Further proceedings on the question are Mr. Carbajal, I have an amendment at the desk. Mr. Chairman, please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Mr. Carbajal of California number 023.
▶ 4:43:31Without objection, amendment will be considered as read. Mr. Carbajal, five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My amendment sets aside $2 billion for the Coast Guard to both improve and build desperately needed housing for coasties and their families currently serving our nation. One of the top issues that persists within the Coast Guard is adequate housing.
▶ 4:43:55Part of the problem is a basic allowance for housing BAH system that does not account for the location of Coastg Guard stations. The other part of the problem is that there is an insufficient amount of Coast Guard housing and much of what exists is in desperate need of repair. In my district, not only do Coasties face exorbitant costs for rent, the few homes that are occupied are in dire need of repairs.
▶ 4:44:23While I appreciate that the underlying bill increases funding for the Coast Guard, I am disappointed with the level of funding to actually support our service members. Coasties and their families should not be falling through the shower floor or breathing in moldinfested air. With this unprecedented amount of money for the Coast Guard on the line, we need to make sure the people who serve are taken care of first. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. I yield back, Mr. Chair.
▶ 4:44:55Do any other members wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. The nays have it. The amendment is is not agreed to. Mr. Chairman, yes. I ask for a recorded vote. Gentlemen request a vote on the amendment as previously announced pursuant to committee rule 6f. Further proceedings on the question are postponed.
▶ 4:45:25Mr. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk. Please designate. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Carbajal of California number 024. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Mr. Carbajal. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My amendment provides $500 million for the Coast Guard to establish a fund to ensure fair compensation to victims of sexual assault in the Coast Guard.
▶ 4:45:54The women and men of the Coast Guard volunteered to serve their country. Unfortunately, in the wake of Operation File Anchor, it became abundantly clear that leadership had failed to not only protect its members from harm and it also failed to recognize the criminality and the brutality of being assaulted. The Coast Guard left so many without justice and without trust.
▶ 4:46:19Now, the Coast Guard facing a windfall of funding, there is an opportunity to write a wrong. While money is not only is not only the only remedy victims need, it is a way to help them shoulder the the burn of unexpected medical bills, mental health care, lost wages, and any other expense they may have. And with that, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. Mr. Chair, I yield back. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment?
▶ 4:46:48Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. Mr. Chairman, I ask for a recorded vote. The gentleman request a vote on the amendment as previously announced pursuant to rule committee 6f. Further proceedings on the question are postponed. Mr. Papus. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Designate.
▶ 4:47:16An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Papus of New Hampshire number 045. Without objection. amendment would be considered as a red. Mr. Papis, you have five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm pleased to introduce this amendment which would ensure that airlines prioritize boarding processes for active duty service members as well as passengers with disabilities.
▶ 4:47:37It's our responsibility as Americans to ensure that all of our service members and veterans are honored both during and after their service and that we support them as they put their lives on the line for our country. This amendment will also ensure that passengers with disabilities who too often receive uh do not receive the respect that they deserve during air travel that they're entitled to. Um that they have the space and time that they need to board flights safely. So this is built on industry best practices. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this amendment and I back.
▶ 4:48:07Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? See no one. Are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. All oppose signify by saying The naysay have it. The amendment is not. Mr. Chairman, I ask for a recorded Gentlemen requests a vote on the amendment as previously announced pursuant to committee rule 6F.
▶ 4:48:37Further proceedings on the question are postponed. Miss McDonald Rivet. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have an amendment at the desk. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss McDonald Rivet of Michigan number 006. Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. Five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My amendment essentially protects Social Security.
▶ 4:49:08In March of this year, we saw the General Services Administration put the Sagena Social Security field office in my district on their disposal list. GSA then quickly took the list down with no explanations for what its plans were for the offices it had listed. And for the last next two months, I worked to get an answer.
▶ 4:49:28After a lot of confusion, worrying, and outright fear in my community, I finally got one last week when the Trump administration promised to not close this office. Although the Social Security Administration claimed that they won't close field offices, we have seen this administration flip-flop over and over again, and we need to put put their commitment on paper. My amendment is just plain common sense. with it.
▶ 4:49:53We're putting it in writing to ensure that the GSA won't use any funds from this budget to close any Social Security field offices. This is a vote to stand up for Social Security on behalf of our constituents, our senior citizens, and our residents with disabilities. I yield back. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I.
▶ 4:50:24All opposed signify by saying nay. The nays have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Mr. Speaker, I ask for a recorded vote. Recorded vote has been As previously announced, pursuant to rule committee 6F to committee rule 6F, further proceedings on the question are You're up again. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Let me start by apologizing for the inadvertent promotion I gave you last.
▶ 4:50:53Um, I have an amendment at the desk. Designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss McDonald Rivet of Michigan number 005. That objection be considered as read. They have five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, this amendment supports the vital funding for the historically bipartisan Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
▶ 4:51:17The Great Lakes are important to our local economy, our recreational spaces, and our way of life, all while containing 90% of America's surface freshwater. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is our primary tool to restore and preserve the Great Lakes.
▶ 4:51:33It prevents the spread of invasive species, manages and controls pollution in the Great Lakes, and maintains and develops the ecosystem, all while generating $3 billion in econ $3 in economic output for every dollar we spend. However, there is still a tremendous amount of work to be done to ensure the future of the Great Lakes. My amendment would increase the annual appropriations by $25 million, ensuring the growth of the GLRI to meet the everinccreasing needs of the Great Lakes.
▶ 4:52:04I'm grateful for the bipartisan support from members of this committee for the initiative and I ask that you continue your support by voting for this amendment. I yield back. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. The nays have it.
▶ 4:52:34Amendments not agreed to. Mr. Chair, I ask for a recorded vote. Gentle lady requests a vote on the amendment as previously announced. Pursuant to uh committee rule 6F, further proceedings are postponed. Um, you're up again. Thank you. I have an amendment at the desk. designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss McDonald Rivet of Michigan number 008. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. You have five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 4:53:03I offer this amendment to ensure communities across this country have access to clean water. My amendment provides funding to the sewer overflow and storm water reuse municipal grants program, which helps communities address their clean water needs. Sewers, while always not the most exciting topic, may not be an issue that our constituents think about every day, but it is one that we rely on constantly.
▶ 4:53:26We, as a federal government, have a responsibility to ensure that our water systems have the water systems we have can deal with any volume of waste water without overflowing. And we're providing our communities with the resources to treat the water so that all our constituents have access to clean water free of disease, toxins, and pollutants. Partly due to aging infrastructure and partly due to changing rainfall patterns, our water infrastructure across the country is in need of significant upgrades.
▶ 4:53:54The American Society of Civil Engineers gave our c country's storm water infrastructure a C rating. This is an enormous problem that all our municipalities, both urban and rural, face. The storm water grant program provides critical funds to our municipalities, allowing them to address the storm water needs in the ways that make most sense for their circumstances. By providing this additional funding, my amendment would prevent sewage from overflowing into basements, streets, and waterways across the country.
▶ 4:54:23Rural communities face especially steep costs and often skip these investments altogether, hurting homeowners, and businesses due to lack of resources. By waving the cost share requirements for rural communities, my amendment fixes that issue and helps these communities fix their failing water infrastructure. As we discuss our nation's priorities for the next 10 years, providing clean, safe water to our constituents and preventing sewer water flooding should be one of them. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote yes on this amendment.
▶ 4:54:53Thank you and I yield back. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. The naysay have it. The amendments not agreed to. Um, you're up again. Thank you. I have an amendment an amendment at the desk.
▶ 4:55:18Please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss McDonald Rivet of Michigan number 072. Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. Five minutes. Thank you again, Mr. Chair. My amendment is intended to ensure natural disaster victims receive the support they need. FEMA needs to fill their obligation to provide disaster reimbursements nationwide.
▶ 4:55:45Since 2020, FEMA has responded to over 800 major disaster declarations nationwide. But in 2023, the National Association of Counties found that threearters of the surveyed counties that had experienced a disaster had outstanding reimbursement claims. Midland, Michigan is one of the communities still rebuilding from devastating flood in 2020.
▶ 4:56:07I know firsthand how vital FEMA's efficiency and responsiveness are to our constituents and also how challenging it can be for communities to navigate the the disaster reimbursement process. This assistance is transformational, especially to small and communities like the ones in my district. It helps rebuild homes, roads, businesses, parks, historical sites, and museums.
▶ 4:56:30We absolutely need to make sure that changes to we we need to make changes to cut red tape and make FEMA more efficient, but senior members of this administration have called for the elimination of FEMA. I would not have to offer an amendment requiring the administrator of FEMA to ensure the eligible reimbursements are paid, but comments like that demand accountability.
▶ 4:56:52On March 26, our economic development subcommittee held a hearing specifically on FEMA reform, highlighting the challenges communities face in receiving reimbursements. As a bottom line and continuation of the work of this committee, how can we ensure our communities receive their disaster reimbursements if we cannot cannot commit to it in this amendment? I yield back. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment?
▶ 4:57:22Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. The nays have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Thanks, Kristen. Uh, Mr. Huffman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment. Please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr.
▶ 4:57:50Huffman of California, number 015, revision one. Without objection, amendment considered as read. Five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, is uh anyone else on this committee feeling a little bit of whiplash because it wasn't that long ago that our colleagues across the aisle used to talk a lot about fiscal responsibility and draining the swamp.
▶ 4:58:15But since taking power, uh, they have been much more interested in billions of dollars of deficit financed tax cuts for billionaires and allowing the richest man in the world to ransack through federal agencies to have complete power over the fate of senior federal officials that oversee his own lucrative government contracts. We've got a problem here.
▶ 4:58:40So for anyone who still cares about fiscal responsibility or draining swamps, this amendment is for you. It simply directs the inspector general of the Department of Transportation to investigate what every American can plainly see that Elon Musk is using his position, this fake agency that they've created called Doge, to line his own pockets at taxpayer expense. The facts are stunning.
▶ 4:59:11Musk now over now serves as both a special government official with extraordinary powers and CEO of multiple private companies receiving billions of dollars in federal contracts. If my colleagues across the aisle had even an ounce of fiscal concern, at least to the degree they sometimes preach, they would be outraged about what is happening here under President Trump and under their It's here in Congress.
▶ 4:59:40Uh Republicans are moving forward with this legislation now to slash Medicaid, food assistance, and other vital programs to foot the bill for this billionaire tax cut scheme. But meanwhile, over at the White House, Doge is using executive fiat to decimate government services for American families so that Elon Musk can redirect more of our taxpayer dollars to his own companies. We ought to be asking hard questions about that.
▶ 5:00:07The pattern of corruption and misrule at the Department of Transportation alone has been shocking. At the FAA, Musk has deployed his SpaceX employees to quote unquote modernize aviation, and federal employees were specifically directed to work on a Starlink contract to the tune of millions of dollars to reshape airspace system technology.
▶ 5:00:30DOT then hired Musk's own lawyers to conduct an internal investigation of a FAA and now the agency is considering cancelling a $2.4 billion Verizon communications contract in favor of, you guessed it, Musk's own Starlink. Gee, there's a lot of coincidence here. Maybe we should be having someone do an independent audit.
▶ 5:00:54Meanwhile, Doge fired many of the staff at the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration with the deepest cuts focused on eviscerating the small team of experts that regulate self-driving cars. The team had multiple ongoing investigations into Tesla. And lo and behold, just a few days ago, the agency announced it was weakening the safety rules for self-driving cars, which sent Tesla stock soaring 10% higher. Another striking coincidence.
▶ 5:01:23Uh, look, this is not just a conflict of interest. It is corruption in plain sight. Musk is using his government position to sabotage competitors and funnel contracts to himself. And it's happening all over the government. Space Force contracts going to SpaceX. Commerce Department broadband grants being rewritten for Starlink. A trillion dollar missile defense system. Surprise. SpaceX is suddenly the front runner.
▶ 5:01:49Meanwhile, President Trump purged the federal government of Inspectors General, including the Transportation Department's Eric Saskin, the very watchdog responsible for making sure that there weren't blatant conflicts of interest. This is what it looks like to live under a rigged and corrupt system. My colleagues across the aisle love to talk about government waste when it's about a public service helping needy families or cleaning our waterways. But how about when a billionaire is using his government position to enrich himself?
▶ 5:02:20We don't hear much about that. So this amendment is a chance for them to get on board. It simply directs the inspector general to compile the facts and give us a report here in Congress. If there's nothing improper happening, fine. Why would anyone oppose this basic level of transparency? Certainly the American people deserve to know. Is Elon Musk using his official position to get rich at their expense? Is the Trump administration enabling this corrupt selfdeing?
▶ 5:02:49I urge support for this amendment and yield back. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. The nays have it. The gentleman requests a vote on the amendment as previously announced pursuant to rule or committee rule 6f. Further proceedings are postponed.
▶ 5:03:20M. Norton. Uh, Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk. Please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Norton of the District of Columbia number 058. Without objection, the amendment be considered as read.
▶ 5:03:42Miss Norton, five This amendment would appropriate $5 billion over five years for the building resilient infrastructure and communities program which the Trump administration terminated earlier this month.
▶ 5:03:58This program, which was established by Congress in the Disaster Discovery Reform Act and signed into law by President Trump, is an important source of funding for predisaster mitigation and community resilience amid an increase in the frequency and intensity of national disasters, catalyzing community investment in resilient infrastructure, and saving federal dollars.
▶ 5:04:28By investing in community preparedness before disaster strikes is one of the core principles of the building resilient infrastructure and communities program.
▶ 5:04:41This funding would bolster the federal emergency management ay's ability to assist all communities in providing in preparing rather for and mitigating the impacts of disasters before they occur. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment?
▶ 5:05:07Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose, signify. Ask for recorded vote. Signify by saying nay. The lady has requested recorded vote. Pursuant to rule 6f, further proceedings will be postponed. Mr. Huffman.
▶ 5:05:37I have another amendment. Mr. Chairman, an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Huffman of California number 032. Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. Five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 5:05:53This amendment would uh prevent using any funds under this legislation to uh designate any employee of the department of Doge or SpaceX or Starlink uh from serving in any leadership role or capacity at the FAA or the Department of Transportation. Why do we need to do this?
▶ 5:06:11Well, look, we know that President Trump's first term was beset with allegations of corruption and abuses of power, but the first 100 days of this second term make me look back nostalgically uh at the standard of ethics um and integrity from the first Trump presidency. We have seen a deluge of chaos and kleptocracy, disregard for law and the constitution and certainly disregard for ethics and conflicts of interest.
▶ 5:06:38This administration is trying to eviscerate checks and balances that underpin our republic in pursuit of total control and all too often personal enrichment. Nothing better exemplifies that problem than the dealings of Elon Musk and the fake agency called Doge. After Mr. Musk sunk nearly 300 million into President Trump's 2024 campaign.
▶ 5:07:02He was rewarded with the status of a special government employee and given unprecedented access to the inner workings of our federal government. But unlike regular federal employees who have to follow strict ethics rules and conflicts of interest requirements, Mr. Musk has this privilege of acting in his own self-interest along with all of this power to intervene in every area of government, including those that regulate his own businesses. And to speed up this takeover, Mr.
▶ 5:07:32Musk brought a cadre of employees from his private sector companies to infiltrate nearly every federal agency. At the FAA, SpaceX engineers are now serving as senior adviserss to the FAA's acting administrator. We're also hearing from sources at the FAA that Doge employees have been taking over office spaces at FAA and that Mr.
▶ 5:07:53Musk's SpaceX employees have been given access to information on the AY's closely held monitor modernization initiatives, not unlike the access being provided to his employees at other federal agencies. This should alarm all of us because less than one year ago, the FAA investigated SpaceX and proposed fines for allegedly failing to comply with regulations on two launches in 2023.
▶ 5:08:20Meanwhile, Starlink um may potentially benefit from billions of dollars in FAA contracts while Musk continues to advise on government spending cuts, including at the FAA where Mr. Musk is reported to have influenced the firing of hundreds of probationary FAA employees. These dual roles raise questions about whether Musk's influence could lead to unfair advantages for SpaceX, potentially compromising the FAA's impartial oversight of that company.
▶ 5:08:49My amendment simply prevents Mr. Musk, Doge, Starlink, or any other SpaceX employees from setting up shop at the FAA and using their positions of power to line their pockets at the expense of public safety. It would prohibit Doge, Starlink, SpaceX employees from serving in any leadership role at either of these two agencies and prohibit the use of taxpayer dollars to fund offices or workspace for them or to reimburse them for transportation or other expenses.
▶ 5:09:19It is only reasonable to add some guard rails around these raging conflicts of interest. And for that reason, I ask my colleagues to support the amendment and yield back. Gentleman yields back. Are there any further amendments or further speakers on the amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor say I. All oppose say nay.
▶ 5:09:47been chair the naysay have it uh recorded vote being requested the uh a vote on the amendment as previously announced pursuant to committee rule 6F further proceedings on this question are okay representative McDonald Rivet you Thank you, Mr.
▶ 5:10:17Chair. I have an amendment at the desk. The clerk will report the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss McDonald Rivet of Michigan number 007. Without objection, the amendment is considered and read and M. McDonald River is the recognized for five minutes to speak on our amendment. Thank you, sir. Um, I am offering an amendment to support our local bridges.
▶ 5:10:47So, it's no secret to anybody in this committee that we have underinvested in our infrastructure, particularly in our bridges for decades. And while the bipartisan infrastructure law has helped, it simply isn't enough. Many of our bridges are in scary shape. It's expensive to repair bridges.
▶ 5:11:08In one of my local communities, they were have l they are responsible for the upkeep of two draw bridges uh that are incredibly hard to maintain. After years of dedicating all of the money that was available in their budget of general fund of $23 million, they were left with deferred maintenance on two draw bridges that reached $und00 million.
▶ 5:11:38We have communities all over the country that are facing this problem. They simply local municipalities really struggle to have the money to repair their bridges. And so what happens? They end up falling into disrepair. The local bridges end up closing. In my community, they were uh essentially forced into a a situation where they um leased out the bridges to a private company to be able to toll them. These are things that damage residents. They damage local businesses.
▶ 5:12:05And frankly, it just really hurts local economies and um is a problem that we must address. It is at the end of the day everyday Americans that are paying this price. My amendment adds $5 billion to support local communities to repair their bridges. The last thing we want to do is increase fees on folks who are already struggling when costs are way too high. I urge a support of this amendment. I yield back.
▶ 5:12:34The gentleoman yields back. Are there any further speakers on the amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor say I. Those opposed, nay. And the opinion chair, the naysay have it. The amendment uh and the amendment is not to. Uh representative figures.
▶ 5:13:04Representative figures what's move if you want just move over to the next mic. There we go. All right. Mr. Figures asked Miss Gillan. U I have an amendment at the desk. Mr. Chair, the clerk will report the amendment.
▶ 5:13:31An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Figures of Alabama number Mr. Chair, the without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Mr. Figures is recognized for five minutes to speak on the amendment. Mr. Chair, my amendment will provide5 billion in funding for the bridge investment program, uh, which is essentially flat funding for the next two years.
▶ 5:13:59Um this is a um it would also wave one provision uh so that we can streamline funding for bridges um for shovel ready projects. Uh the bridge investment program created under the IJA brought historic investment to communities across the country that were in urgent need of bridge repairs or replacement. Uh in my district, it's helping to advance the long overdue I 10 bayway bridge project in Mobile.
▶ 5:14:22Uh but it's also delivered in other uh both Democratic and Republican le districts across this country uh in states from Arkansas to Michigan, from Colorado to South Dakota uh to Ohio. Uh this is not a um partisan issue. Bridges aren't partisan. Never seen a Democratic or Republican bridge built uh in the United States. And this is something that we should be pursuing under a bipartisan lens. Uh under current law, the funding for uh the bridge investment program expires in September of uh next year.
▶ 5:14:50And without action, we risk losing the momentum on critical infrastructure and letting aging bridges continue to deteriorate and missing an opportunity to capitalize on investments uh to update uh critical infrastructure. Uh my amendment ensures continued investment and removes an arbitrary requirement that limits funding uh based on geography and not need or impact. This is about public safety uh economic mobility and responsible infrastructure investment and I urge the adoption of the amendment and I yield back. Gentleman yields back. Are there any further speakers on the amendment?
▶ 5:15:18Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor say I. I. I. All those opposed, nay. Opinion of the chair, the nays have it. Uh, and the amendment is not agreed to. Mr. Figures, Mr. Chair, I have another amendment at the desk. Uh, the chair would or the clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr.
▶ 5:15:48Figures of Alabama number 021. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read and Mr. Figures is recognized for five minutes to speak on his amendment. Mr. Chair, thank you. Uh my amendment ensures that no funds in this title can be spent until the controller general uh certifies that those funds will not result in a reduction or loss of domestic manufacturing capacity. Uh we need to be prioritizing American manufacturing. Um especially now and as we invest in infrastructure and critical projects uh we must protect American jobs and American industry.
▶ 5:16:17This amendment is about safeguarding the long-term strength of our of our own supply chains and ensuring taxpayer dollars don't inadvertently Mr. Figers you're you are on the wrong uh we withdrew amendment 20. This is 021. Correct. It's okay.
▶ 5:16:50Next one down is we're going to suspend for just a minute till we get this figured out. So do FEMA now. You called 021 or 17. Apologies, Mr. Chair. Okay, we're in the right place there. this uh Do I need to start over? I just We are on 021. The clerk will designate the amendment.
▶ 5:17:21An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Figures of Alabama number 021. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. M figures, you're now recognized for 5 minutes. Mr. Chair, I'm offering a simple common sense amendment that will prevent any reduction in FEMA staffing until the comproller general confirms that the agency is fully prepared to protect public safety during the upcoming 2025 hurricane season. Uh with increasingly severe storms and growing demands on emergency response, this is not the time to risk undermining FEMA's current capacity.
▶ 5:17:50Uh before making any cuts, we need to uh assure we need the assurance from an independent authority that FEMA has the personnel and readiness it needs. Uh this amendment prioritizes public safety and ensures we're not caught flatfooted uh when disaster strikes. I am a child and a product of Mobile Alabama of the Gulf Coast of uh Hurricane Ally. This is uh this is something that we take serious. Uh it's not a matter of if we will be hit by hurricanes. It's a matter of when and how powerful they will be. And we still need FEMA to respond. And so we cannot undermine their current capacity.
▶ 5:18:19Urge adoption of this amendment and yield back. Are there any further speakers on the amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. Those in favor say I. Those opposed, nay. In the opinion of the chair, the naysay have it and the amendment is not agreed to. Mr. Mr. Figures, I have one more amendment at the desk. The clerk will designate the amendment.
▶ 5:18:47An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Figures of Alabama number Correct. Mr. Chair, this amendment Without objection, the amendment will be reconsidered as read and Mr. Figures, you are now recognized for five minutes to speak on the amendment. Mr. Chair, this amendment ensures that no funds in this title can be spent until the comproller general certifies that those funds will not result in a reduction or loss of domestic manufacturing capacity. A as we invest in infrastructure and critical projects, we must also protect American jobs and industry.
▶ 5:19:17Uh this amendment is about safeguarding the long-term strength of our supply chains and ensuring taxpayer dollars don't undermine uh US manufacturing. Uh it is common sense and I urge its adoption. Gentleman yields back. Are there any further speakers on the amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor say I. All those opposed, nay. Independent chair, the nays have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Now recognize Mr.
▶ 5:19:47Stanton. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Amendment number 22. With objection, the clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Stanton of Arizona number 022. Without objection, the amendment is considered read. Mr. Stanton is recognized for five minutes to speak on his amendment. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My amendment appropriates $500 million to FEMA's emergency management performance grant program called EMPG.
▶ 5:20:18A program that is essential for disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts across our nation. EMPG is not just a funding mechanism. It is the backbone of our state and local emergency management capabilities. It equips all governments at all levels, state, local, tribal, to prepare for all hazards through comprehensive planning, rigorous training, practical exercises, and the enhancement of professional expertise.
▶ 5:20:44These measures build resilience, save lives, and reduce reliance on federal disaster assistance. The importance of EMPG is clear. It's why the National Emergency Management Association and the International Association of Emergency Managers have endorsed this amendment. These organizations which represent emergency management professionals recognize that EMPG funding is critical to their work of state and local emergency managers in safeguarding their communities.
▶ 5:21:13EMPG supports response systems, robust communication networks, emergency operations centers, mutual aid agreements, and vital public outreach campaigns. The program builds the infrastructure required to effectively respond to disasters, ensuring communities are ready when the unthinkable happens. This is no handout. Every dollar Congress appropriates the EMPG, state and local governments, match it dollar for dollar, often exceeding the required contribution.
▶ 5:21:42This demonstrates an unwavering commitment by local governments to maximizing the impact of these funds and safeguarding their communities. Yet, last Congress, Republicans slashed EMPG by 10%. This reduction made it harder for states to prepare for disasters, undermining their ability to respond effectively. Cutting funding for disaster preparedness while shifting more of the responsibility to the states creates an untenable situation. This sets them up for failure, putting lives at risk.
▶ 5:22:10This administration claims it wants to states to take on greater responsibility for disaster management, but actions like cutting EMPG funding are completely contrary to that goal. Building baseline capabilities at the state and local levels is a process that requires deliberate planning, training, and exercises, all of which EMPG makes possible.
▶ 5:22:34Disaster preparedness should never be compromised for political agendas or fleeting promises of tax cuts to billionaires. Instead, we must prioritize the safety and resilience of the American people. Funding programs like EMPG is not just an investment in disaster preparedness. It's an investment in saving lives and protecting communities. I encourage all of my colleagues to support this important amendment. I yield back. Gentlemen yields back. Are there any further speakers on the amendment? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment?
▶ 5:23:04Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor say I. I. I. All those opposed, nay. An independent chair. The nays have it and the amendment is not agreed to. Mr. Mr. Stanton, Mr. Chairman, I have amendment at the desk. Amendment number 27. The clerk will designate the amendment. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Mr. Stanton of Arizona number 027. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Mr.
▶ 5:23:34Stanton is recognized for five minutes on his amendment. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My amendment ensures FEMA will fulfill its promise to disperse funds for the building resilient, infrastructure, and communities grants, otherwise known as brick, for for selected for awards since 2020. Earlier this month, FEMA announced that it is ending the brick program, cancelling all applications from fiscal years 2020 through 2023.
▶ 5:23:59This decision will redirect undispersed funds to either the disaster relief fund or the US Treasury, and it $882 million from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Eliminating brick midcycle is illogical and it's harmful. This cut wipes out 693 projects nationwide, including five in my home state of Arizona. Among these is a critical flood warning and siren system for the Havasupi tribe.
▶ 5:24:28The brick program has demonstrated its value with the 2019 National Institute of Building and Sciences report showing a $6 return for every $1 invested in mitigation by reducing discover disaster recovery costs. This program saves taxpayer dollars. Why then are we eliminating it? The Trump administration's justification is that brick is quote wasteful and ineffective unquote.
▶ 5:24:56This is contradicted by its popularity. The program is overs subscribed with applications in the most recent cycle exceeding available funds by four times. The decision to cancel brick has sparked widespread backlash from states, cities, communities across the country, all of which warn that losing this funding will increase disaster risk. Even the insurance industry opposes this move.
▶ 5:25:22Their advanced disaster risk models indicate that cancelling mitigation funding will lead to higher risk, forcing them to raise premiums or exit certain markets. If the insurance sector sees this as a bad idea, we should take note. That's why I've introduced the bipartisan Save Brick Act, which ensures brick is mandatory, preventing the president from eliminating it arbitrarily.
▶ 5:25:46Cutting funding from the ongoing projects forces states and communities to scramble, exacerbating disaster risk instead of mitigating them. Rick was established by Congress in 2018 under the first Trump administration, and its elimination undermines years of progress in building resilient infrastructure. We must stand firm in prioritizing disaster preparedness and resilience for the safety of communities and the long-term savings of taxpayer dollars. I encourage all of my colleagues to support this amendment. I yield back.
▶ 5:26:17Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. The nays have it. Mr. Chairman, I call for a recorded vote on this amendment. The gentleman recommend or requested a vote on the amendment as previously announced pursuant to committee rule 6f. Further proceedings are postponed. Mr. Stanton, you're up still. Mr.
▶ 5:26:47Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Amendment number 39. Please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Stanton of Arizona number 039. Without objection, the amendment can be considered as read. Mr. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My amendment dedicates $500 million to disaster preparedness for federally recognized tribes, ensuring that they have the resources needed to protect tribal citizens before, during, and after disasters.
▶ 5:27:15Disasters do not respect borders and their impact on tribal nations is only growing. In Arizona alone, tribal governments are managing recoveries for eight open federally declared disasters, highlighting the urgent need for support. Tribes like the Havasupi tribe recovering from floods that destroyed several bridges and left down trees on trails needed for tourists and transporting goods and services to Supai village. Tribes like San Carlos Apache tribe who are recovering from officers.
▶ 5:27:43In 2023, FEMA released a comprehensive report following in-person consultation with tribes across the country. Tribal leaders were clear they need more assistance to be better prepared for increasing disasters that they face. This funding is a critical step toward empowering tribes to safeguard their communities and strengthen their resilience in the face of emergencies. We have a duty to make sure they have the tools they need to meet these challenges head-on. I encourage my colleagues to vote for this important amendment. I yield back.
▶ 5:28:14Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. The nays have it. Mr. Chairman, I ask for a recorded vote on that amendment. Gentlemen, requests a recorded vote on the amendment as previously announced. Pursuant to committee rule 6f, further proceedings are postponed.
▶ 5:28:44Mr. Mr. Gmendy. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment at the desk. Please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Garmendy of California number 030. Mr. Chairman, I'm trying to figure out exactly how to uh present this issue.
▶ 5:29:07Uh half of what is in the reconciliation bill with regard to raising shipping fees on imported goods uh is a copy of what we have in the act, half of it. Uh and so I sort of support that piece of it. Um however, what's the money going to be used for?
▶ 5:29:29You're raising the fees, good, but you're using the money to basically finance the um tax cuts for the super wealthy. And I don't think that's the right way to go. Uh in the ships act, we do raise the shipping fees on imported goods, which is in this particular reconciliation legislation.
▶ 5:29:54However, we then take the next step and create the maritime security trust fund, which then uses that money that is coming from the shipping fees to finance the improvement of our port infrastructure so that we can then move goods in and out and also to support the maritime the construction of American
▶ 5:30:24ships. Uh so what this amendment does is to basically take what is in the reconciliation bill and then take it to a much better purpose than providing paying for a tax cut for the super wealthy. So I draw my attention to the committees. I'm quite sure you would agree with me that uh a far better use for these increased shipping fees on imported goods would be to support the maritime industry in its many different endeavors.
▶ 5:30:54No doubt we need to rebuild our maritime industry. China basically has 5,000 commercial ships that are at sea. We have about 80. And so the uh ships act would significantly improve that number perhaps uh to five or 10 times what we presently have over the next decade or so.
▶ 5:31:19So I would ask for the support of the committee to take what you are doing the reconciliation bill and add to it this amendment which would create the maritime security trust fund. that money would then be used to support the maritime industry rather than support tax cuts for the super wealthy billionaire class. Um, that's basically what it is.
▶ 5:31:46And I've noticed the support of many of you for the ships act, but like well most of the people that are on my team except my staff didn't realize what you're doing here. You're doing half of it but not all of it.
▶ 5:32:01So I'm asking for the support of this amendment which would complete the circle and provide that the increased fees that are raised the increased money that's raised through the shipping fees on imported goods go into the maritime security trust fund thereby so we create the maritime security trust fund with this amendment and then the money would then go into it to support the maritime industry rather than the superw wealthy who really do not need a tax cut. So that's it. um ask for your support.
▶ 5:32:32With that, I yield back. Thanks, John. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose, signify by saying nay. The nays have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Um Mr. Stanton, thank you very much, Mr.
▶ 5:32:59Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk, amendment number 38. Please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Stanton of Arizona number 038. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Standing in five minutes. Thank you very much. And this amendment is co-sponsored by Congresswoman Titus from Nevada. My amendment allocates 500 million to FEMA for life-saving extreme heat mitigation measures. This crisis demands urgent action.
▶ 5:33:28Last year alone, extreme heat claimed the lives of over 600 of our fellow citizens in Arizona. Such devastating losses are unacceptable, and the worsening heat in Arizona makes the need for investment clear. Last summer, Arizona endured over one month of unrelenting 100 degree temperatures. Nights once offering relief now bring no respit. The effect have been catastrophic. Roads cracked, cars melted, communities face life-saving threatening conditions.
▶ 5:33:56These events underscore why FEMA must adapt to emerging threats like extreme heat. This funding is vital to protecting lives and infrastructure, could establish cooling centers, shade vulnerable communities, harden electric grids, install generators, adapt transportation systems to withstand extreme heat, and provide subsidies to help low-income households keep their air conditioning running during extreme heat waves. These measures aren't optional. They're necessary to save lives. We can't ignore the growing danger of extreme heat. Losing one life is tragic.
▶ 5:34:27Losing over 600 is a failure we can't repeat. By investing in proactive mitigation, we can reduce disaster risk, safeguard families, and strengthen community resilience. I encourage my colleagues to vote for this important amendment. I yield back. Mr. Titus. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm proud to co-sponsor Representative Stanton's amendment to provide $500 million for heat mitigation measures to save lives during extreme heat events.
▶ 5:34:57According to the National Weather Service, heat kills more people each year than hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes combined. All three combined kill fewer people than heat. 2024 was the hottest summer on record in my district in Las Vegas with temperatures that soared to a record-breaking 120 degrees on July 7th. We're expecting more of that this summer.
▶ 5:35:23There were over 520 heat related fatalities in Clark County last year alone. Congress must act now to help our communities mitigate the hazards posed by extreme heat. Last Congress, Mr. Stanton and I introduced the Extreme Weather and Heat Response Modernization Act. That bill passed uh this committee in a bipartisan way in September 2024, but never received a vote on the floor.
▶ 5:35:52It would have directed FEMA to address extreme temperatures and hazard mitigation and recovery efforts. We look forward to reintroducing the legislation soon and hope this time we can get it across the finish line. Meanwhile, I implore my colleagues to vote yes on this amendment to deliver much needed federal assistance to communities like my own, those in the southwest and in the south that experience extreme heat. And I yield back.
▶ 5:36:21Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I all oppose signify by saying nay. Nays have it. The amendment's not agreed to. Chairman ask for recorded vote. Gentlemen request a vote on the amendment as previously announced pursuant to committee rule 6AF.
▶ 5:36:49Further proceedings on the question are postponed. Miss Sykes. I have an amendment at the desk. Please designate. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mrs. Sykes of Ohio number 025. Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. Five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And you heard a little preview of this amendment. So now it is time for the real thing.
▶ 5:37:15Uh my amendment directs $100 million to the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium to improve training for first responders, including police, emergency medical services, and firefighters to ensure that they are equipped to respond to disaster events such as the East Palestine Train Derment. First, I want to take this opportunity to share a little bit more about why about this program and why it's important and its benefits to first responders are uh critical to our communities.
▶ 5:37:42Just over two years ago, a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, and upended the community that directly borders my district. The movement of air and water and concerns for public safety transcend congressional districts and political ideologies, and that is why I am very engaged on this issue. I will continue to advocate for East Palestine's full recovery and rail safety until Congress fully addresses the scope of the disaster. But unfortunately, we know that disasters will continue to happen in the United States.
▶ 5:38:10And tragically, Ohio ranks third in the nation for serious trains accidents and hazardous material spills. I cannot imagine how much more devastating the derailment of East Palestine would have been without the courageous efforts of first responders in our communities, including firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical providers.
▶ 5:38:30In fact, one of the things that we heard from folks on the ground immediately following as well as from the NTSB report is that the first responders could have and would have uh certainly appreciated more help uh to be able to respond to this disaster, especially since they are a very small community in eastern Ohio. First responders are a critical part of the infrastructure that keeps Americans safe when disaster strikes. And we need to invest in ensuring that our first responders receive quality training.
▶ 5:38:58The National Domestic Preparedness Consortium is a partnership of several nationally recognized organizations committed to addressing the preparedness needs of America's emergency first responders. They train first responders in a range of hazards, including chemical, biological, radiological, and even explosive weapons of mass destruction. Congressional support of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium has allowed them to develop and deliver high quality training to all emergency first responders in the United States.
▶ 5:39:26Maybe even more impressing impressively, they are able to offer this training at no direct cost to state and local agencies who are often strained for funding. Since the inception of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium, they have trained more than 4 million emergency responders across the country, including over 111,000 in Ohio. The National Domestic Preparedness Consortium includes training specific to surface transportation involving hazardous materials.
▶ 5:39:54In other words, exactly the kind of training needed to respond to the train derma in East Palestine. This training is much more than just a classroom lectures. Students work on actual full-size rail cars to simulate emergency response scenarios. This hands-on experience prepares first responders to safely and effectively respond to disasters across the United States.
▶ 5:40:16The National Domestic Preparedness Consortium created was created a little over 30 years a uh almost 30 years ago following the OK Oklahoma City federal building bombing was authorized by Congress when it was implemented implemented the recommendations of the 911 commission. Since then, it has evolved to meet the needs of America's emergency responders, even even training responders for events like the Super Bowl and the 2026 World Cup.
▶ 5:40:41This amendment will allow the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium to continue to bring training directly to local communities, improving their disaster readiness. Emergency prepare preparedness is not a partisan issue and I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in supporting our first responders, our police, our firefighters, and emergency medical technicians. With that, Mr. Chair, I yield back. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the Seeing none, are there any amendments to the amendment?
▶ 5:41:11Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. The nays have it. Mr. Chair, I request to record a vote. The gentle lady has requested a vote as pursuant to rule 6f. Further proceedings on the question are postponed. Strickland. Mr. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
▶ 5:41:40Desonate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Strickland of Washington number 036. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Five minutes. I'm offering an amendment to allow disaster hit communities to gain access to muchneeded federal resources.
▶ 5:42:00My amendment directs the president to approve major disaster declaration requests made by the states of Washington and Arkansas, which will unlock the federal dollars these states need to fully recover and finish rebuilding from recent natural disasters. Once there is a disaster declaration, FEMA disaster assistance programs unlock. FEMA would cover at least 75% of qualifying expenses.
▶ 5:42:27Disaster declarations allow states to submit repair projects to FEMA and assess the cost of damage, which can't happen until after a president makes a declaration. Last November, my home state of Washington was hit by one of the most severe winter storms in recent memory.
▶ 5:42:44Classified as a bomb cyclone because of its hurricane force winds, this horrific storm caused approximately $34 million in damages to critical utility infrastructure, transportation networks, and homes and businesses across six counties, and it killed two people. In East King County, more than 400 miles of transmission lines were impacted.
▶ 5:43:07In Grace Harbor County, a device critical to preventing dam failure at the Winoci Dam was damaged, endangering thousands in downstream and nearby communities. Across the entire state, millions were left without electricity to heat their homes and power life critical medical devices. Some were cut off for more than four days.
▶ 5:43:28Five days before President Trump took office, the entire Washington State delegation led a letter of support for Washington state's request, reiterating the urgent need for federal resources to help repair unsafe roads and highways, restore utilities, and complete cleanup efforts to get impacted businesses back on their feet and families back in homes that are safe. The Trump administration denied Washington state's request without any explanation.
▶ 5:43:55An insult to injury to Washington communities that have been waiting months for relief. But this is not about blue states versus red states. Over the past two months, tornado outbreaks and generational floods in Vice Chair Crawford's home state of Arkansas have destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses, causing approximately $8 million in damages. According to preliminary assessments by FEMA, an estimated 250 households are in need of housing assistance. And that's just from the March 14 tornadoes.
▶ 5:44:25Yet, Republican Governor Huckabe Sanders request to the Trump administration for a major disaster declaration was denied. Worse yet, the administration appears to be digging its heels in on depriving disaster victims of essential federal Last Friday, acting FEMA Administrator Hamilton recommended raising the threshold that states must meet to receive federal aid after disasters.
▶ 5:44:50It's clear that this administration is trying to sherk the government's responsibility and FEMA's mission to help people before, during, and after disasters by trying to lower overall disaster costs. The people of Washington State and Arkansas and other states that have been impacted by major natural disasters know that raising the threshold does not make disasters or their real impacts or costs on American families and businesses disappear.
▶ 5:45:16This reckless and irresponsible move will hurt disaster victims the most. Believe people when they show you who they are. The president and my Republican colleagues are willing to cut support for disaster victims, no matter where they are or how they vote, if it means funding Trump's partisan agenda. Washington State and Arkansas have done everything they can to recover. It's now on the administration to finish the job as past administrations have done in a bipartisan manner when disasters strike.
▶ 5:45:45I urge all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote yes on this amendment to ensure that the federal government pays its share to rebuild our disaster hit communities. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. Nades have it. Mr.
▶ 5:46:15Chair, request a recorded vote, please. The gentle lady request a vote on the amendment as previously announced pursuant to committee rule 6f. Further proceedings on the question are postponed. Stanton. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Amendment number 69. Please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Stanton of Arizona number 069. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Mr. Stan, you have five minutes. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 5:46:44My amendment preserves funding for tribal safety improvement projects, neighborhood access and equity grant program, which is established under the inflation reduction act in 2022, has several eligibilities, including grants to build or improve pedestrian safety infrastructure. My amendment ensures that tribes and tribal nations will have access to this funding for safe streets that are important for everyone, but tribal communities are especially at risk.
▶ 5:47:10Native children in fact face a traffic crash death rate eight times higher than other populations. This is in addition to native adults facing rates of crash death over seven times higher. This is tragic and it is unacceptable. This committee should be finding a ways to improve transportation safety, not cutting it from communities who need it most. I encourage my colleagues to vote for this amendment. I yield back. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment?
▶ 5:47:38Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. The naysay have it. The amendment is is not agreed to. Uh Mr. Stanton, you're up. Mr. Chairman, I have amendment of the desk number 70. Please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Stanton of Arizona. number 070.
▶ 5:48:10Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My amendment supports mobility of seniors and individuals with disabilities. The enhanced mobility for seniors and people with disabilities is a formula program we authorize under the bipartisan infrastructure law. This program supports transportation services planned, designed, and carried out to meet the special transportation needs of seniors and individual disabilities in all areas. This helps seniors and people with disabilities get to where they need to go and helps them get there with dignity.
▶ 5:48:41We all deserve the right to safe travel and this is a program that assists rural and urban areas, red and blue in 2024. We received over 11 million in Arizona. Missouri received over 10 million 2024. Florida received over $37 million. As a committee, we need to be working on efforts to support transportation for our constituents and our communities, not block efforts and programs worth investing in. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. I yield back.
▶ 5:49:10Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. The nays have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Mr. No, he's not. So, Mr. Mark, you're Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 5:49:40This amendment increases funding for the charging and fueling. We got to designate it. I'm sorry. Please designate. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Donier of California number 007. Without objection, be considered as read. Five minutes. Mark. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Sorry about that.
▶ 5:50:00This amendment increases funding for the charging and fueling infrastructure discretionary grant program, which was signed into law as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law. This program based on my clean quarters act provides competitive funding to strategically deploy publicly accessible electric vehicle charging infrastructure and other alternative fuel infrastructure. The US is already falling behind in this area.
▶ 5:50:27Currently, there are only 206,000 publicly available EV charging stations across the United States. The UA has over 900,000 and China has over 3.2 2 million public charging points. I'd expect my colleagues across the aisle to want the US to remain competitive across all sectors of the fleet, including providing choices to consumers about what cars they want to drive.
▶ 5:50:5427 states have already benefited from this program, including my home state of California. In addition, Alaska, Alabama, Texas, and Pennsylvania. We need to continue to do more to support the choice of choices of consumers. This program does not force or limit any individual's choice in what car they drive or purchase.
▶ 5:51:15They simply it's this simply provides more options to individuals who would prefer to choose more efficient vehicles that also redu reduce greenhouse gas emissions. I urge my colleagues to support the amendment and I yield back. Anyone else wish to be heard on the Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment.
▶ 5:51:44All those in favor signify by saying I. I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. Opinion of the chair, the nays have it. The amendments not agreed to. Mark, you're up. Please. Yep. Uh, Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Perfect. Um, please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Donier of California number 062.
▶ 5:52:14Without objection, the amendment be considered as red. Mark five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This common sense amendment ensures that SpaceX is held accountable. Wait, I've got the wrong one. I'm sorry, Chairman. Is that the correct one? Thank you. I'm new at this. Another decade, I'll figure it out.
▶ 5:52:39Uh, this this common sense amendment ensures that SpaceX is held accountable for its past actions and the severe disruptions it has caused to the general public. SpaceX has violated its license at at least three times, once in 2021 and twice in 2023, demonstrating a concerning willingness to ignore the rules and take unacceptable risks.
▶ 5:53:01This came to the forefront when in January of this year, SpaceX Starship 7 exploded over the Atlantic Ocean and sent debris falling over the over multiple islands. This event caused damage to property on the ground and impacted nearly 100 flights and over 20,000 passengers with delays and cancellations.
▶ 5:53:22Only two months later, SpaceX had yet another explosion with its Starship 8 over the Caribbean near Due to falling space debris, the FAA halted flights from four of Florida's largest airports to protect the safety of the flying public. This this second explosion impacted over 150 flights and 20,000 passengers and caused long taxi times, departure delay delays.
▶ 5:53:51Uh airborne flights had to be held or temporarily rerooed or diverted in several cancellations. It is unacceptable that SpaceX or any private company be allowed to continue to operate without additional requirements to remedy its violations and disruptions to the general public. This amendment ensures that no company is above the law, regardless of how rich its owner is. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, ensure private companies are held accountable, and I yield back.
▶ 5:54:29Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. All oppose signify by saying nay. Opinion of the chair, the nays have it. The naysay do have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Um, Miss McDonald Rivet. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I have an amendment at the desk.
▶ 5:55:00Please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss McDonald Rivet of Michigan number 024. Without objection, the amendment would be considered as read. Five minutes. Thank you very much. My amendment is put forward to support our first responders.
▶ 5:55:18Whether we're talking about a devastating wild fire, a house fire, or a major accident, our firefighters are the first ones on the scene, ready to help, putting their own lives at risk and with no hesitation. Whether we're talking about hazardous material incidences, to medical emergencies, firefighters respond to a wide range of crisises.
▶ 5:55:40Investing in firefighters is investing in public safety across the board because when they respond to a call, there is no margin for error. That's why we need to ensure that we're supporting any and all rigorous training opportunities. The National Fire Academy is the gold standard for firefighter training and leadership development.
▶ 5:56:01It ensures that every firefighter from our rural volunteers to our big city chiefs have access to world-class education in emergency response, disaster manage management, and fire science. Courses currently taught at the fire academy include arson and explosion investigation, emergency medical services, emergency response to terrorism, fire prevention, hazardous material management, incident management, and many more.
▶ 5:56:29But last month, the administration indefinitely cancelled classes at the National Fire Academy, robbing our heroes of an opportunity to better serve our communities. When that happened, I immediately started getting calls. Efforts to cut funding for the National Fire Academy are just plain shortsighted and dangerous. We should be expanding these programs, not gunning them. Without the academyy's critical training, we're putting both our firefighters and our communities at greater risk.
▶ 5:56:59What this amendment does is protects these vital training opportunities for firefighters across the country and ensures that they remain well funded. This is a common sense practical measure to ensure that we provide the proper tools to the brave men and women who stepped up to keep all of us safe in the event of a crisis. And I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support. I yield back. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment?
▶ 5:57:29Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. All oppose signify by saying nay. Nays have it. The amendment is is not agreed to. U Mr. Sier. Uh Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Please designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Dier of California number 067. Without objection, the amendment would be considered as read.
▶ 5:57:59Mark 5 minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This amendment is a common sense way to save taxpayer dollars. All it does is require political appointees to fly on the lowest cost ticket if they travel the travel is paid for by the US government. No political appointee should be flying in luxury at the taxpayers's expense.
▶ 5:58:19This amendment ensures that they fly just like the rest of us while also accounting for special instances where security concerns or disability or other underlying situations might be at play. It should be a quick and easy yes vote for all of my colleagues. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and save taxpayer dollars. And I yield back. Thank you, Mark. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment?
▶ 5:58:46Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. All oppose signify by saying nay. The nays have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Mr. Stanton Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 5:59:16I have amendment at the desk. Please an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Stanton of Arizona number 074. Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. You're on, Mr. St. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My amendment strikes section 100007 CD and E because they resin the inflation reduction act investments in federal buildings and land ports of entry.
▶ 5:59:43The IRA provided the GSA with almost $4 billion to make federal buildings more energy efficient. This includes materials for construction and renovation projects. GSA selected 362 projects in courouses, federal office buildings, and land ports of entry across the United States.
▶ 6:00:06Projects include window replacements, parking lot, sidewalk and road repaving, building facade and structural repairs, waterproof parking garages, storm water management systems, HVAC system replacements, elevator upgrades, seismic retrofits, and the modernization of 26 land ports of entry as requested by the US Custom and Border Protection. this.
▶ 6:00:32But this bill rescends 1.7 billion of the 3.4 billion provided, 51% of the funds. This affects both red and blue states. A 37 million modernization project at the Alcan land port of entry in Alaska. Funding rescended $49 million for work at the Governor Ral Castro land port of entry in Douglas, Arizona.
▶ 6:01:01Funding rescended $108 million for the parking garage at St. Elizabeth campus in Washington DC. Funding rescended 13 million to replace windows at the Claude Pepper Federal Building in Miami. Rescended. 16 million for repairs at the Robert J. Dole Federal Courthouse in Kansas City. Rescended. 25 million in repairs to the Frank Carlson federal building courthouse in Topeka, Kansas rescended.
▶ 6:01:2782 million to modernize the International Falls Land Port of Entry in Minnesota rescended. These are just a few examples of important projects rescended under the bill presented to this committee. These recisions make no sense. these funds which are subject to by America requirements pay American workers to improve f American facilities to increase trade and protect our border.
▶ 6:01:53For my colleagues on this side of the aisle who claim to prioritize investments in infrastructure, please note that rescending this funding will cause chaos in their construction industry. Projects will have to be rescoped, contracts will have to be rebid. Supply chains will be disrupted. I encourage all of you to support this amendment and I yield back. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I.
▶ 6:02:23All oppose signify by saying nay. The nays have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Mr. Chairman, I ask for a recorded vote. Gentlemen has asked for a recorded vote. Um, pursuant to committee rule 6F for the proceedings will be Miss Sykes, I have an amendment at the desk. Please An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mrs.
▶ 6:02:52Sykes of Ohio number 025. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Miss Sykes, you got five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. When we speak about transportation funding, I would be remiss if I did not talk about my friends at the Akran Canton Regional Airport, also known as CAK, who I visit frequently at 6 a.m. when traveling back and forth from Washington DC to or to Ohio's from Ohio's 13th Congressional District.
▶ 6:03:19My friends at CK have benefited from the bipartisan infrastructure law and would be sad to see many of the programs defunded, including the airport terminal program. The FAA's airport terminal program provides $5 billion in competitive grants for terminal development projects that address aging air infrastructure.
▶ 6:03:36And in fiscal year 25 can a Canon airport was fortunate to receive $3.6 million of this funding with the help of the terminal program uh Akran Canton has completed projects such as a gate modernization and expansion renovations to the foot concourse ticket wing and visitor information center and even art exhibitions.
▶ 6:03:57Other projects include replacing and installing two passenger board boarding bridges and associated preconditioned air units along with replacing four bag baggage carousels that are past their useful life and require replacement of outdated parts that are extremely difficult to attain from current industry vendors because of the investments from the airport term terminal program and other programs from the bipartisan infrastructure law.
▶ 6:04:23Akran Canton Regional Airport and other midsize airports across the country have made significant improvements to their facilities that are essential to serving the communities, ensuring these regional airports remain vital assets uh to continue and encourage the region's economic growth and connectivity. As a common patron of the airport, I know firsthand of the incredible services provided by the employees working at the Akran airport and of the important role that this critical piece of transportation infrastructure plays in Northeast Ohio's economy.
▶ 6:04:52The airport employs nearly 4,500 people with an annual payroll of $212 million and a total annual tax revenue of $85 million and generates over a billion dollars in annual economic impact. That's a big deal. And there are regional airports all across the country that serve their communities just as Akran Canton does services northeast Ohio.
▶ 6:05:13And those airports would not be able to improve and innovate as they do without access to federal capital funds to pay for larger investments that smaller community airports cannot support on their own. I call on my colleague to support my amendment to ensure that regional airports all across the country have an opportunity to improve their services, invest invest in their communities and compete with larger airports. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I yield back. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment?
▶ 6:05:44Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. Mr. Chair, please have it. Request to record a vote. General requests a vote on the amendment as previously announced pursuant to committee rule 6F. Further proceedings will be postponed. Miss Gillan. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.
▶ 6:06:08designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Gillan of New York number 016. Without objection, amendment be considered as read. Miss Gillan, five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am proud to represent the men and women of Coast Guard Station Jones Beach in the fourth congressional district. I support increased funding for the Coast Guard and all of our maritime services, including the US Merchant Marine. Mr.
▶ 6:06:36Chairman, Nassau County is also home to the US Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, one of our nation's five servicemies. For more than 80 years, the Merchant Marine Academy has been the pride of Long Island, preparing generations of Americans to serve our nation and strengthen our maritime and our national security. Unfortunately, the US MMA campus is in dire need of investment and upgrades to repair its aging and deteriorating infrastructure.
▶ 6:07:04That is why I'm proud to be an original co-sponsor of HR 2429, bipartisan legislation introduced by my colleague, Representative Andrew Garberino, uh, and supported by the entire Long Island delegation to authorize more than $1 billion in fullscale campus modernization of the academy. I'm glad that Secretary Duffy and the Trump administration have made it a priority to help these muchneeded upgrades.
▶ 6:07:30That's why my amendment would provide the Secretary of Transportation with the funding necessary for the Maritime Administration to make these improvements over the next five years. Whether through this package or in future funding legislation, let's get this done for our incredible midshipmen and women who have chosen to serve their country in the US Merchant Marines. Thank you so much and I look forward to continuing to work together on this important issue. And I yield back my time. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment?
▶ 6:08:00Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. All oppose signify by saying nay. Those have it. The amendment is is not agreed to. Miss uh Miss Sykes. Mr. Chair, I'm going to withdraw the next amendment. Okay. Thank you. 26. Sykes. Number 26.
▶ 6:08:3424. She withdrew. Nope. She withdrew it. I withdrew 24. Yes. We're on 26. We're on 26. Oh, okay. Well, I have an amendment at the desk. I I take that back or strike the last It's all right. Please designate You'll need to unlock your iPhone first. 26.
▶ 6:09:00An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Mrs. Sykes of Ohio number 026. Without objection, the reading will be or the amendment will be considered as read. Miss Sykes, you have five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Last year, Ohio's 13th congressional district received over 176 million in investments from the bipartisan infrastructure law, creating goodaying union jobs in the region and promoting more accessible transportation for my constituents and those who travel throughout our community.
▶ 6:09:29Over 10 million of what was awarded to the city of Akran from the reconnecting communities pilot program to support the reconnecting west akran interbell project a series of market and equitybased development solutions and transportation infrastructure improvements that will reduce the community's strain created by the interbell. Prior to its construction in 1970, this area was a vibrant community that was home to many families of color, including my family, before their house was torn down.
▶ 6:09:56However, due to redlinining and discriminatory practices, many of these families and businesses were displaced as a four-mile long six-lane highway was constructed that cut through central Akran, disconnecting downtown and West Akran. Despite the many protests at the time, construction of the highle bridge continue construction of the highway continued and forced many families to relocate to other parts of town.
▶ 6:10:21Today, almost 55 years later, only 11 out of the 40 acres of the highway are actually in use, and the city of Akran is working with the community to redevelop the decommissioned land and provide a place uh better use of the facilities of the land, excuse me. Today, the constituents of Akran are finally seeing a resurgence of engagement in conversation with their government on the local level and federal level.
▶ 6:10:43However, due to the actions of the Trump administration, this funding has been paused with no end in sight, leaving the city of Akran and many other country communities across the country with projects that will not see funding. If Congress does not act and ensure that this funding remains available, these communities will continue to suffer from the poor decisions of the past and that is not a reality that I want to or that we should accept.
▶ 6:11:07urge my colleagues to vote for this crucial amendment to fund the Department of Transportation's reconnecting communities pilot program 2035. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I yield back. No one else wish to be heard on the amendment. Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. The nays have it. The amendment is not agreed to.
▶ 6:11:38Mr. Carson. Thank you, Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Carson of Indiana number 050. Without objection, the amendment be considered as read. Mr. Carson, five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, my amendment protects funding for the Amtrak National Network, funding that Congress has authorized and appropriated.
▶ 6:12:07It prohibits the Secretary of Transportation from rescending any grant funding for the National Network or from adding any new terms or conditions beyond what Congress has already directed. I shouldn't have to say this, but let's be clear. Congress passes the laws and the executive branch's job is to carry out our instructions. No administration gets to pick and choose which laws they'll follow and which ones they'll ignore.
▶ 6:12:36This administration has flagrantly ignored Congress's directions to spend our appropriated dollars and carry out programs authorized by Congress. The number of cancelled, terminated, or clawedback funds this year is unprecedented, and it must end. My amendment puts the brakes on any short-sighted attempt to derail Amtrak's national network.
▶ 6:13:00I'm very proud to represent the workers at Amtrak's largest passenger rail maintenance facility in the country in Beach Grove, Indiana, where they repair and restore passenger rail cars, locomotives, and other rolling stock that keeps America's trains running. Amtrak's national network provides service connecting local communities across 46 states with 21,000 route miles.
▶ 6:13:28This network generates economic benefits also employing 21,000 employees and supporting over 80,000 jobs in local economies through its daily operations. We should be expanding our investment in Amtrak, not stripping transportation funds to pay for tax cuts for My amendment makes sure that laws passed by Congress are followed and the funding we approved for Amtrak isn't stripped away by Doge, the secretary, or anyone else.
▶ 6:13:58I urge my colleagues to join us, join me in protecting funding for Amtrak's national network, and stop this administration from diverting or taking back any funding. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment? Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the questions on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I.
▶ 6:14:27All oppose signify by saying nay. No have it. The amendment's not agreed to. Thank you, Mr. Carter. Miss Miss Sykes. 23. I have an amendment at the desk. designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mrs. Sykes of Ohio number 023. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read. Sykes by minutes. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
▶ 6:14:55I am introducing an amendment for legislation that is far too long overdue. Legislation that will prevent future man-made catastrophes and keep our communities safe. As you all know and most and indeed most Americans know, on February 3rd, 2023, a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. This crash came as a result of the derailment.
▶ 6:15:19The crash that came as a result of this derailment released hazardous chemicals into the environment surrounding the the community. These chemicals seeped into the ground and streams surrounding East Palestine. And in order to prevent a potential explosion, uh, first responders ignited a controlled burn which spewed these chemicals into the air and raised health concerns for Ohio and Pennsylvania alike.
▶ 6:15:41What we found out and learned later through the NTSB report that that was a completely unnecessary uh, controlled burn because information was not flowing correctly from Norfolk Southern to the people on the ground. No one should have to deal with the horror and fallout of what has occurred in the 817 days following such a disastrous derailment.
▶ 6:16:01Which is why I was proud to introduce the Rail Act last Congress, a bipartisan piece of legislation with most of the members of the Ohio delegation and to reintroduce it again bipartisanly in this Congress and now I'm introducing it as an amendment today. This bipartisan common sense piece of legislation would prevent future train derailment disasters like we've seen in East Palestine and all across this country.
▶ 6:16:25This bill would not be possible without the input from federal, state, and local partners who came together with a shared mission to ensure that the people who were impacted by this disaster had their voices heard and their concerns addressed through sound policymaking. One of the provisions of the rail act that came from our governor Mike Dwine is that the temperature threshold requirement for the safety placards in the sides of the rail cars in the East Palestine derment.
▶ 6:16:49The safety placards, excuse me, safety placards alert first responders to the types of chemicals that are being transported in each train car, informing them how to best address any derailment or emergency situation. However, in the case of the Norfolk Southern derailment, the control burn melted these placards, dramatically slowing down the response and cleanup by first responders. With the passage of the rail act, these placers would be again would be required to withstand the highest temperature so this never happens again.
▶ 6:17:14Another concern by the mechanics and conductors who work on these trains is the alarming lack of minimum safety requirements with regard to the size of the train car crew. This creates situations where major railroads will only have one crew member assigned to a single train, making them solely responsible for over a mile of active moving train cars. This is a recipe for disaster.
▶ 6:17:35To address this, I introduced bipartisan legislation to codify the Federal Rail Administration rulings from last year requiring all class one freight and passenger trains to have a second crew member on duty. I have to admit, Mr. Chair, to being a bit amazed that something as common sense as rail safety and something as nonpartisan and with so much bipartisan support as public safety and protecting people from train derailments would have such a hard time moving in this body.
▶ 6:18:03For over two years, I have been speaking in front of this community, and not once have we seen a rail safety bill brought to a vote. In fact, the day that we were planning to introduce the first version of the rail act, we got a call from Republican leadership requesting changes to the bill. And if we did not change it, they said they would not move the bill forward. My co-sponsor and I at the time made the changes with the asurances that they would pass and at least move and have a hearing on the rail act, and it never happened.
▶ 6:18:32817 days later. It has not happened. The people of East Palestine, Ohio have had to defend themselves because the pe the leadership in Congress refused to stand up and speak for them. I don't even represent East Palestine, Ohio. It's the district next to mine. But I will not sit by and allow people from Northeast Ohio to be ignored and dismissed by this Congress and refuse to be heard around trail safety. And I know, Mr. Mr. Chair, that many people don't want me to offer this amendment, but I am going to do it.
▶ 6:19:02Not only for the people of East Palestine and Northeast Ohio, for the entire state of Ohio, and any one of us who live around railroad tracks who want to be safe and don't want to worry about hazardous materials in our air, in our water, in our communities being devastated like they are right now in East Palestine, Ohio. So, Mr.
▶ 6:19:20Chair, I hope that everyone on this committee can finally join forces with me, join forces with the people of East Palestine who have been begging and pleading Congress to make sure that their the train derailment happened to them and their devastation does not go in vain. And I request and I hope that all of the members of the community will support us and truly say what you said you were going to do and pass rail safety in support of our communities and our country. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I yield back. Does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment?
▶ 6:19:51Seeing no one, any amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. All oppose signify by saying nay. The nays have it. I Mr. Chair, I request a record vote. The gentle lady requested a recorded vote pursuant to committee rule 6F for the proceedings on the question are postponed. Mr. Sykes number 22. Mr. Chair, I withdraw the amendment.
▶ 6:20:25Okay, Mr. Johnson. Johnson. He's not Mr. Mr. Gundy 23. Number 23. Mr. Chairman, um, you've been remarkably generous in time.
▶ 6:20:43Before I ask for my amendment be read, I want to thank you for the uh courtesy that you've given to us to introduce amendment after amendment on extremely important subjects that I know you care about. I do have an amendment at the desk. Thank you. Thanks, Sean. Um, designate an amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Garmendy of California number 023. Without objection, amendment considered as read. Mr. Germany. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
▶ 6:21:13Would you like me to say once again how thankful I are that I am for you allowing us to do these amendments? This one actually has been heard before. Mr. Stanton raised this question. This is the building resilient infrastructure communities program, otherwise known as the brick program. In virtually every one of our districts, Democratic and Republican districts, uh the brick program has been available to our communities to deal with uh very significant problems that they have.
▶ 6:21:42Maybe it's a heat wave or in this case it's a flood. Um Mr. Lamafa and I have been working for the last uh 13 years now on the Feather River Yuba River flood control program uh in the uh Yuba and um Sutter counties. Uh this is the last stretch.
▶ 6:22:03This is a 50-mi stretch of that $50 million to complete the stretch of the river of the and it's gone. The money was available a few months ago, but now it is gone. And this bill would restore the $50 million federal funding for the critical flood protection for the last stretch, which is about a 40 mile the last of the 40 mile stretch of the Yuba uh bypass and river.
▶ 6:22:34It's absolutely uh not this year, although uh the core of engineers um staff that should be there to protect the community is likely not to be there. I've talked about that a few moments ago, but we really do need to complete these projects. Uh and the brick program was specifically designed in the infrastructure jobs act to do that. Unfortunately, the final pieces of the money have now been pulled back.
▶ 6:23:02I'll say it again, I've said it before, and that is for what purpose? basically to finance a tax cut for the superw wealthy. I see some of my colleagues looking here and saying really? Well, it's the same problem down in the uh Kern County area as it is in our uh Northern California, Sacramento Valley area. So, I would ask for the consideration of the committee to continue this program, this specific one. Uh if you take into account Mr.
▶ 6:23:31Stanton's remarks and remarks of other of my colleagues who have talked about the brick programs in their communities and the fact that the money has been pulled back and is no longer available for the necessary protection of the communities. Um maybe all of us together can say well maybe maybe we should just restore the brick funding and maybe not give the uh superw wealthy um such a big tax cut.
▶ 6:23:59maybe just leave them with $50 million less. So, why not? I'm going to let it go at that. I would ask for your I vote on it. And with that, I yield back. Yeah. Uh, does anyone else wish to be heard on the amendment?
▶ 6:24:25Seeing no one, are there any amendments to the Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. Nays have it. The amendment is not agreed to. Thanks again, John. Um, now, Miss Scton, we have your amendment number 19. That's right, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. I want to echo uh Mr. Airendy's sentiments.
▶ 6:24:51I I truly appreciate uh your Oh, I'm Well, I I also have an amendment at the desk. Yes. Uh but I appreciate your uh graciousness in uh allowing these amendments to be heard. Sir, I have an amendment at the desk in uh 0119. Please designate. It's been distributed already. An amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Miss Scolton of Michigan number 019 without objection. Amendment. It will be considered as read. Thank you.
▶ 6:25:22Thanks. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. Uh it it should not come as a surprise to my colleagues on this committee uh after after several years of working together that I will literally work with anyone to get uh things done even those I I largely disagree with um to to get common thing sense things done for West Michigan.
▶ 6:25:43So, let me be clear that President Trump and I share a common goal to support IVF and fertility treatments to and to ensure that these treatments are accessible and affordable to Americans. This amendment, which would provide $10 million to allow for the funding of fertil fertility treatment for covered Coast Guard members, is a first step in the right direction.
▶ 6:26:07As of now, our service members can only seek reimbursement for travel related expenses, but not for the actual medical treatment necessary for them to build their families. The stress that it puts on these Coast Guard members while they are trying to serve uh cannot be overstated. It is also worth noting that Triricare doesn't cover these procedures. So, our Coast Guard members stationed all over the country and abroad to keep us safe are forced to pay for these treatments out of pocket.
▶ 6:26:36Ultimately, IVF treatment is extremely costly for our Coast Guard members, and the price poses a major barrier to people seeking IVF or similar therapies. This amendment will play a key role in fulfilling the president and my shared focus of making IVF accessible and affordable and supporting growing American families, starting with our coasties. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back.
▶ 6:27:01Does anyone else wish to be heard on the Seeing no one, are there any other amendments to the amendment? Seeing none, the question is on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying I. All oppose signify by saying nay. If any of the chair, the naysay have it. Mr. Chairman, I'd like to request a recorded vote. General lady requested a recorded vote. Uh pursuant to committee rule 6F, uh further post proceedings will be postponed.
▶ 6:27:32That was the last amendment that uh we have debated. Our issue right now is we have members from both sides of the aisle in oversight voting and they're moving very very quickly. Um so we're going to recess for a very short period of time while we wait on those members to get finished so they can come over here and vote. Um just Yeah, we'll just adjourn subject to call the chair. But don't go far. Don't go far. Uh committees in recess.
▶ 6:28:02Put your hand
▶ 6:44:36Okay, committee will come back to order. We're going to move through these very, very quickly as we go through and uh we're going to There's Ellen. We're going to move through these very quickly um as we start through and uh there's not going to be a a timer once everybody votes. Now that everybody's in the room, then we will go ahead and uh we'll close the vote.
▶ 6:45:01So on all of these amendment votes moving forward, um I'm going to be a uh I'm going to be a no vote and Rick is Thank you, Mr. Mr. Chair. on all these amendment votes, I will be a yes vote. So, we won't be announcing in front of each vote, just letting everybody know right now. So, we're going to try to beat the floor um the floor vote. So, pursuant to committee rule 6F for the proceedings on requested votes that have been postponed.
▶ 6:45:30We're now moving to the first vote. That's Larsson number 73. Is vote still requested? Yes, it is. Open the board.
▶ 6:46:10First John John Seth. How about Seth?
▶ 6:46:47Is that it? Everyone voted wishes to vote. Does anyone wish to change their vote? See no one close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote there are 29 yays and 36 nazs.
▶ 6:47:1936 nays. 29 yays. The amendment is not agreed to. Next amendment. I just want to say how disappointed I am in everyone over there. Next amendment is Nadler 49. Recorded vote still Derek is is still requested. Open the board. Yes, Chairman.
▶ 6:47:50If we could go down memory lane just so we could all draw incredible anger towards um Mr. Perry and we could do like one roll call vote just in his honor. I'm just Do what? Just ignore him. Just ignore me. Just Yeah. Do like everybody else does, Mr. Chairman. Just ignore me. We'll vote. I'll vote. I'll vote yes on Everyone voted. They wish to vote.
▶ 6:48:14Anyone wish to Anyone wishing to change their vote? See none. Close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote there are 30 yays and 35 nazs. Go to 30 ys and 35 nazs. The amendment is not agreed to. Next will be Brownley number 20. Uh Mr.
▶ 6:48:44Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw the request for a recorded Without objection. So ordered. Thank you, Mr. Brownley. David's number 56 recorded vote still requested. Shice recorded vote is still requested. Open the board.
▶ 6:49:36voted. Anyone wish to change their vote? Seeing none, close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 29 yays and 36 nazs. 29 yays, 36 yays. The amendment is not to. Next, Molton 63. Is a vote still requested? I assume it is. Yes.
▶ 6:50:05Open to Oh, open the board. Does anyone wish to change their vote? Seeing no one, close the board.
▶ 6:50:37Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 29 yays and 36 nazs. Voted 29 yays, 36 nazs. The amendment is not agreed to. Next is Strickland. Number 24 is a vote still requested. Open to board.
▶ 6:51:09Anyone wish to change their vote? Seeing no one. Close the board. Mr. Mr Chairman, on that vote there are 29 yays and 36 nazs. Voted 29 yays, 36 nazs. The amendment is not agreed to. Next is fi 55. There's a a vote is still requested. Open the board.
▶ 6:52:05good. Anyone wish to change your vote? Seeing no one close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 35 nazs. I voted 30 days, 35 nazs. The amendment is not agreed to. Next is Nadler 17 revision one. Quarter vote still requested.
▶ 6:52:35It is um open to board. Does anyone wish to change or Seeing no one, close the board.
▶ 6:53:08Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nazs. I voted 30 ys, 36 nays. The amendment is not agreed to. Next is Brownley number 21. A recorded vote is still requested. Open the board.
▶ 6:53:42Ryan, does anyone wish to change their Seeing no one, close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nazs. Voted 30 ys, 36 nazs. The amendment is not agreed to see it. Uh number seven. Yes.
▶ 6:54:06Open the Does anyone wish to change their vote? Seeing no one, close the board.
▶ 6:54:38Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nazs. Voted 30 ys, 36 nazs. The amendment is not agreed to. Next is Sculton number 23. still request a vote. Open the board.
▶ 6:55:13Anyone wish to change their vote? Seeing none, close the board. Mr. Mr. Chairman, on that vote there are 31 yays and 35 nazs. Voted 31 yays, 35 nazs. The amendment is not agreed to. 14. Open the board.
▶ 6:56:01Carson Carson. Anyone wish to change their vote? Seeing none, close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nazs. A voted 30 ys, 36 nazs. Amendment is not agreed to. Sculton number 34. You still want to record it?
▶ 6:56:26Open to Carson Garcia. Does anyone wish to change your vote?
▶ 6:56:56Seeing none, close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nazs. A voted 30 yays, 36 nazs. The amendment is not agreed to. Larson 35. Mr. Chair, I ask you unanimous consent to withdraw a request for recorded vote. Without objection, that is so ordered. Thanks, Rick. Brownley number 23, revision one.
▶ 6:57:25Open Anyone wish to change their vote? Seeing no one, close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nazs.
▶ 6:57:55A vote of 30 yays, 36 nays. The amendment is not agreed to. Scolton number one. Open the board.
▶ 6:58:36Anyone wish to change our vote? Close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 31 yays and 35 nazs. I voted 31 yays, 35 nazs. The amendment is not agreed to. Uh, delusio number 51. Quarter vote still requested. Open the board.
▶ 6:59:20Does anyone wish to change their vote? Seeing no one, close the board. Mr. Mr. Chairman, on that vote there are 31 yays and 35 nazs. I voted 31 yays, 35 nays. The amendment is not agreed to. Brownley number 71, revision one. Yep. Open to board.
▶ 7:00:02Does anyone wish to change your vote? Close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nazs. Vote of 30 yays, 36 nazs. The amendment is not agreed to. Freriedman number 59 is a vote still requested. Open the board.
▶ 7:00:41Anyone wish to change your vote? Seeing no one, close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nays. A voted 30 ys and 36 nazs. The amendment is not agreed to. Freeman number 35. Open the board.
▶ 7:01:22Does anyone wish to change their vote? Seeing no one, close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nazs. A voted 30 ys, 36 nays, the amendment is not agreed to. Titus number 13 is recorded vote. Yes. Open the board.
▶ 7:02:02Mr. Babin, does anyone wish to change a vote? Seeing no one, close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nazs. I voted 30 yays, 36 nazs, the amendment is not agreed to. Titus number 155. Uh ask unanimous consent to withdraw a request for recorded vote. Thank you. Thank you.
▶ 7:02:31Um without objection that is so ordered. Thank you. Titus number 33. Open to board. Salute. Does anyone wish to change your vote? Seeing no one, close the board.
▶ 7:03:03Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nazs. A vote of 30 yays, 36 nazs, the amendment is not agreed to. Norton, number 65 is a recorded vote still requested. Open the board.
▶ 7:03:37Scott, does anyone wish to change their vote? Seeing no one, close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nays. Voted 30 ys, 36 nazs. The amendment is not agreed to. Uh PO number 60. Open the board.
▶ 7:04:18Johnson. Does anyone wish to change your vote? Seeing no one, close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nazs. Voted 30 ys, 36 nazs. The amendment is not agreed to. Carbahal 23. Open the board.
▶ 7:04:50Does anyone wish to change their vote? Seeing no one, close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nays. I voted 30 yays, 36 nazs. The amendment is not agreed to. Carbahal number 24. Open to board.
▶ 7:05:33Does anyone wish to change your vote? Seeing no one, close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nazs. By voted 30 ys, 36 nazs, the amendment is not agreed to. Uh, papage number 45. Open the board.
▶ 7:06:17Someone wish to change your vote. Seeing no one, close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nazs. I voted 30 ys, 36 nazs. The amendment is not agreed to.
▶ 7:06:33Uh, Donna Rivet, number six, open the Does anyone wish to change their vote? Seeing no one close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nazs.
▶ 7:07:02A voted 30 ys, 36 nazs. The amendment is not agreed to. Uh, McDonald Rivet number five. Open to board. Anyone wish to change their vote?
▶ 7:07:32Close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote there are 31 yays and 35 nays. Voted 31 yays, 35 nays. The amendment is not agreed to. Uh Huffman number 15, revision one. Open the board.
▶ 7:08:06See one wish to change our vote. Seeing no one close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote there are 30 yays and 36 nazs. Voted 30 ys, 36 nazs. The amendment is not agreed to. Next is Norton number 58. Yeah. Open the board.
▶ 7:08:40Anyone wish to change their vote? Seeing no one, close the board. Mr. Mr. Chairman, on that vote there are 30 yays and 36 nazs. A voted 30 ys, 36 nazs. The amendment is not agreed to.
▶ 7:08:55Uh Huffman number 32 open to board. Anyone wish to change their vote? Seeing no one, close the board.
▶ 7:09:26Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nazs. Voted 30 ys, 36 nays. The amendment is not agreed to. Uh, Stanton number 27. Open to board. Does anyone wish to change their vote? Seeing no one, close the board.
▶ 7:09:57Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nazs. I vote at 30s, 36 nazs. The amendment is not agreed to. Uh Stanton, 39. Open to board.
▶ 7:10:26Does anyone wish to change our vote? Seeing no one, close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nazs. A vote of 30 yays, 36 nazs. The amendment is not agreed to. Uh 38. Open to board. Hey, what's wrong? What's wrong with Steve?
▶ 7:10:56Oh Does anyone wish to change their Seeing no one, close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nazs. A vote of 30 ys, 36 nays. The amendment is not agreed to. Uh, Sykes number 25, open to board.
▶ 7:11:43Dusty. Does anyone wish to change your vote? Seeing no one, close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nazs. I voted 30 ys, 36 nazs. The amendment is not agreed to. Strickland number 36.
▶ 7:12:02Open to Anyone wish to change their vote? Seeing no one, close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nazs. A vote of 30 yays, 36 nazs.
▶ 7:12:31The amendment is not agreed to. Uh, Stanton number 74. Open the board. Does anyone wish to change your vote? Seeing no one, close the board. Mr.
▶ 7:12:59Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nazs. A vote of 30s, 36 nazs. The amendment is not agreed to. Uh Sykes number 25 open to board. Does anyone wish to change their vote?
▶ 7:13:30Seeing no one, close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nazs. A voted 30s, 36 nazs. The amendment is not agreed to. Sykes 23. Open the board.
▶ 7:14:03anyone wish to change your vote? Seeing no one close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nays. A vote of 30 yays, 36 nays. The amendment is not agreed to. Uh, scold number 19, open to board.
▶ 7:14:43does anyone wish to change a vote? Seeing no one, close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote, there are 30 yays and 36 nazs. A vote of 30s, 36 nays. The amendment is not agreed to. The question is now on the amendment the nature of a substitute to the committee print as amended. All those in favor signify by saying I. All opposed signify by saying nay. The eyes have it.
▶ 7:15:10The amendment in the nature of a substitute as amended is agreed to. I now move that the committee transmit the recommendations of this committee, the committee print as amended, and all appropriate accompanying material including minority additional supplemental and descending views to the House committee on the budget in order to comply with the reconciliation directive included in section two uh 20001 of House Concurrent Resolution 14 and consistent with section 310 of the Congressional Budget and Empoundment Control Act of 1974.
▶ 7:15:39The question is now on the chair's motion. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. All oppose signify by saying nay. Nay. The eyes have it. Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, ask for record a vote. A record vote is requested. Members will record their vote using the electronic voting system. The chairman intends to vote I. I intend to vote no. Open to board.
▶ 7:16:08Carson Carson Johnson Skultton. Does anyone wish to change their vote? Seeing none, close the board. Mr. Chairman, on that vote there are 36 yays and 30 nazs. I voted 36 yays and 30 nays. The motion is agreed to. The motion is agreed. The motion is agreed to.
▶ 7:16:34I want to thank everybody for sticking with us and uh sticking through this process. Unfortunately, we have to go through it. Um we'll get back on uh committee business just as soon as possible. Um I'd ask unanimous consent that each measure ordered transmitted today will be transmitted as single amendment the nature of a substitute incorporating any amendments adopting without objection that is so ordered and without objection staff is authorized to make all necessary technical clarifying and conforming changes to the committee print to reflect the actions of the committee. Without objection, that is awarded.
▶ 7:17:04Pursuant to House Rule 11, clause 2L, I'd ask unanimous consent that all members of the committee have at least two calendar days in which to file any supplemental minority additional descending views on the legislation adopted without objection. That is so ordered. Pursuant to rule six, the rules of the committee on transportation infrastructure. I note the presence of a quorum for all actions taken on committee business today. With that, the committee on transportation infrastructure has completed its business. Without objection, the committee is adjourned.