Granger Remarks at the Department of Transportation Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Request Hearing

Thank you, Chairman Price, for holding this hearing today.

I want to welcome the secretary for his first hearing with our Committee.

Mr. Secretary, I know you come to Washington with the perspective of a former mayor. You have said that there are no Democratic or Republican potholes. And, as a former mayor myself, I completely agree with you on that point.

You reached out to me early on, and I look forward to continuing our conversation as we work together to address our nation’s transportation infrastructure needs.

This is an area where we in Congress have historically worked together to find common ground so that we can make investments to improve the lives of all Americans.

You will find that this Committee works in a bipartisan way to find practical solutions, and I hope that this approach will continue to guide our work for fiscal year 2022.

I have some concerns about the two trillion dollar proposal that the Administration has rolled out and framed as “infrastructure.” Less than one-quarter of the Administration’s proposal is for transportation infrastructure.

Unfortunately, there are pieces of this proposal that appear to indicate a desire to fundamentally change our country in ways that could divide us – not unite us. 

This could cause us to lose focus and fail to find practical solutions to repair our roads, bridges, airports, and rail systems.

The only way to find consensus on transportation infrastructure investments is going to be through a process that invites input from all Members, working through the committees of jurisdiction – both appropriators and authorizers.

Finally, I would like to emphasize how important the energy sector is to my constituents in Texas. I believe that efficient energy transportation systems are key to maintaining American energy independence and good paying jobs in every region of our nation.

I expect you share this understanding from your time in public service in Indiana.

Thank you, Mr. Secretary, for appearing before us today. I look forward to continuing our conversation in the months and years ahead.

I yield back.