I really take that as a testament to the workforce board's ability to look across and operate in partnership with a wide variety of organizations.

An annual expenditure of $2 billion yields a return of nearly $30 billion.

Without your backing we wouldn't be here today.

Yet the system--at a time when there were six or seven jobseekers for every job opening, consistently had job placement rates of 50 percent or better.

One of our highest priorities was investing in programs that would pay off for our country over the long term.

I am hoping the conversation will be broader than that, because our students and our families are facing some very serious challenges today.

I want to thank Senator Johnson, who is standing in today for our Ranking Member, Senator Sessions.

It's time to put our money where our safety is.

Congress needs to get to work on a long-term transportation bill that doesn't just patch our aging roads.

We need a long-term fix if possible.

what happened at home in Washington State on the Skagit River Bridge has just been an eye-opener for everyone in my State.

the collapse of this bridge really was a huge reminder that our Nation's infrastructure is aging

I commend your leadership on addressing our transportation challenges.

We do, too. So, thank you. Working very hard on that.

a few months ago I met two sisters from my home State. They are Mari and Adriana Barrera. These two sisters were brought here by their parents when Mari was 7 and Adriana was 3 years old. They were raised by a single mother who spoke no…

I wanted to go back to what happened on the Skagit River Bridge in my State.

I appreciate that. And NTSB has been onsite and expect to have their report out.

this has been a very helpful hearing.

Well, the Federal Aid Highway Program is based on the principle that States own and operate the National Highway System.

Well, this is clearly a project that we don't want to be shut down because one of those of maintenance says, 'No more.'

Our transportation system requires collaboration among all levels of government.

I go home to Washington State every weekend. And I'm hearing from friends, neighbors, businesses, everyone about the impact of the Skagit River Bridge closure on their daily lives.

it's a critical piece of infrastructure on the I-5 corridor. Needs to be replaced.

we will be looking very seriously at that in this committee as we move forward in the appropriations process.

I think our Nation's most important cybersecurity resource is its cyber workforce.