Political Quotes

“I thank my friend, Chairman Goodlatte, for his work on this matter and for yielding the time. I appreciate his leadership in bringing this forward. I rise in support, Mr. Speaker, of this resolution, HJ. Res. 76, offered by the gentleman from Maryland, the minority whip, Mr. Hoyer. We have very much a regional partnership that is essential for Metro, and this resolution today reflects that. It lends congressional approval to the new interstate compact between Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia to establish an independent State safety oversight program, in this case known as the Metro Safety Commission. The previous iteration of the Metro safety oversight body was known as the Tri-State Oversight Commission, and in response to various accidents, inadequacies, and outright failures, the previous Secretary of Transportation, Anthony Foxx, used the authority that we in Congress, together, working with our regional delegation together, gave him to temporarily take over the safety oversight role of Metro through the Federal Transit Administration. But it was only meant to be temporary control. We still need a permanent body to provide this invaluable safety oversight for WMATA, and the passage of this legislation in the House today brings us one important step closer to that goal.…”