AASHTO Journal - USDOT’s Buttigieg Testifies on IIJA Implementation at Hearing

Pete Buttigieg (seen above), secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, testified on July 19 at a House of Representatives hearing regarding the implementation progress of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, enacted in November 2021.

[Above image via the House T&I Committee]

Buttigieg’s nearly five hours of testimony before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee covered a wide range of topics – everything from the need for broader deployment of electric vehicles to transit, port, and bridge improvements designed to foster economic growth and improve quality of life for residents.

“This is a moment of enormous opportunity with reason for optimism,” he said in his prepared remarks. “Thanks to the infrastructure law, my department has never seen a moment of greater potential than now—to build transportation resources that connect everyone safely, efficiently, and affordably to the things we need and the people we love.”

Buttigieg noted that, to date, USDOT has announced nearly $84 billion in grant funding, with more to come.

“Every few days we have another great announcement: bridge repair programs that will help us move goods more affordably and people more safely; a national electric vehicle charging network with the potential to bring cost-saving technology to rural communities and help fight the climate crisis; and safety initiatives that will reduce crashes and save lives,” he noted.

Buttigieg emphasized that “all of this” will help people get to where they need to go, while creating jobs and economic opportunity across the country.

“You know better than anyone that passing the law is only the first step. Success means delivering good projects that improve the lives of your constituents,” he pointed out.

“In this good work, we will need your continued leadership and partnership—as well as that of communities across the country, organized labor, businesses, state, tribal, and local officials, and so many more,” Buttigieg added. “Together, we have the opportunity to improve countless lives, support good paying jobs, strengthen America’s manufacturers, modernize our infrastructure for decades to come, and cement America’s position as the world’s leading economy.”