"The state of transportation infrastructure on tribal lands remains abysmal."
"The backlog of deferred transportation infrastructure maintenance at Federal Land Management Agencies is staggering."
"we have Tribal self-governance on transportation projects, you now feel that there is a necessity to have an office in DOT"
"We can't figure out when it was the last time this committee convened on these very important issues."
"We are still trying to pry money out of a number of Federal agencies to deal with that."
"One of my top priorities in the FAST Act was to have Tribal transportation self-governance, so they wouldn't be ripped off by the States."
"Funding for the Territorial Highway Program has fallen steadily as a proportion of overall funding for the last decade."
"A Tribal Transportation Self-Governance Program will streamline delivery of Federal funds to tribes while easing administrative burdens."
"The death rate on Indian lands in terms of pedestrians and driving accidents is horrible, and the state of the infrastructure is abysmal."
"We have massive deficits on our Federal lands. The Forest Service has reported a $3.6 billion backlog; the Park Service, $6 billion."
"Thank you, Chairman Lipinski and Ranking Member Crawford, for calling today's hearing to look at issues surrounding grade crossing safety."