Peter DeFazio

Much of this forward-looking, practice-relevant, and transportation workforce expanding effort was catalyzed through the leadership of Congressman DeFazio fifteen years ago.

As Chair DeFazio recognized in his opening remarks, the work of the Congress in the last two years to focus on the role of the transportation sector in addressing the climate crisis has been historic.

Actually, I have been engaged in working on trying to have the insertion vessels be Jones Act vessels, too.

Yes, I have talked to people who have been in line for 6 hours in Amsterdam because the private entities laid off all the security workers, and they didn't come back.

We need deficit reduction today, not 6 or 7 years from now.

Those projects might feel good for Members who are very passionate about that issue, but they are not actually going to produce a sufficient amount of energy.

The IRA is not going to lower energy costs.

And if the Federal--we haven't adjusted the Federal gas tax--I was here when we did it, 1993.

Thirty-six States, including red States, have raised gas taxes, registration fees, and every other damn thing, and they need a partner.

We urge your member carriers to refrain from initiating stock buybacks when the prohibition ends on September 30, 2022.

Stock buybacks used to be illegal until the Reagan administration. It is the ultimate in self-dealing.

Thanks to the IIJA, this is the most exciting time in the history of Amtrak.

What is most important, of course, is developing a sustainable, long-term approach to funding intercity passenger rail.

It is important that Amtrak continue to receive, in addition to IIJA advance appropriations, annual appropriations at levels that are sufficient to operate all of our existing routes at pre-pandemic service frequencies and maintain our…

We are pleased that he ends his time in Congress on such a high note.

We must not find ourselves back at this table in 10 or 30 years asking what went wrong.

There is no good reason to sideline the health, safety, and wellbeing of working people in this country.

By improving healthcare affordability, including for seniors, boosting the domestic job market for clean energy, imposing tax fairness on corporations, and creating a more equitable economy, the lives of all working-class people and those…

You have changed people's lives. You have better-protected transit workers from the threat of assault at work.

I also want to thank Chairman DeFazio in particular for his work in shaping this legislation.

I thank President Biden and his administration for their vision and leadership in the implementation of the BIL.

We are going to get the flight attendant duty time over the line before I am retired. It has only been 5 years, after all.

He is an honorary member of our union, and I am proud to call him my friend.

Chair DeFazio has never stopped fighting on this.

We are thankful for Chair DeFazio's leadership and recognition that we are essential frontline workers...