Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I’d like to congratulate Chairman Diaz-Balart and Ranking Member Price in their new roles as chairman and ranking member of the subcommittee, and I thank them and full committee Chairman Rogers for their work.
Last night we saw yet another terrible train incident, with an Amtrak train derailing north of Philadelphia, killing at least six people. Throughout today’s markup, I hope we can keep the accident in mind to serve as a reminder of the importance of safety programs funded in the bill.
The Chairman has been attentive to many of the concerns of members, and I want to sincerely thank him for working with me to highlight grade crossing safety in the aftermath of the horrible Metro North crash that killed six people in February. I hope that we will be able to increase public awareness of the dangers at active grade crossings and to require States to be more proactive in addressing the most hazardous crossings.
However, the Republican bill to fund transportation and housing priorities drastically short-changes job-creating investments critical to hardworking American families, like roads, bridges, and rail systems and access to safe and affordable housing. At the same time, it includes special interest giveaways for the trucking industry and other policy riders that make our roads less safe and our rail system less competitive and meddles foolishly in foreign policy.
Let’s take a moment to look at the current state of our nation’s housing and transportation infrastructure:
· One out of every nine bridges in this country is structurally deficient and in need of repair or replacement;
· Each year, Americans on average spend the equivalent of one work week sitting in congestion; and
· The capital backlog for transit systems is nearly $78 billion and the backlog for public housing stock approaches $25 billion.
Infrastructure needs will only increase. Secretary Foxx has stated that in the next 30 years, more than $163 billion will be needed annually to improve the condition and performance of our highways and transit systems and freight volumes will increase by 45%.
Recognizing these facts, the President requested a robust increase for Fiscal Year 2016, calling on Congress to provide the critical investments necessary to accelerate and sustain economic growth.
Unfortunately, constrained by inadequate funding caps, the bill before us takes a giant step backward. We cannot meet tomorrow’s challenges by slashing investments in TIGER, Amtrak, transit, and air traffic modernization.
Before I turn to housing, it is important to mention the plentiful legislative riders. Christmas came early for the trucking industry - longer, heavier trucks; stalled enforcement of hours-of-service rules; and inadequate insurance requirements. Controversial riders have no place in an already difficult appropriations process. At a time when roads and bridges are crumbling and there is a national crisis of affordable housing, it makes no sense to use this critical bill to meddle in foreign policy by including riders on Cuba.
With regard to housing, adequate funding to renew existing vouchers is provided, but it isn’t sufficient to meet our country’s actual housing needs. Significantly cutting Lead Hazard Control will slow progress on eliminating household toxins. This successful program has resulted in lower lead poisoning rates and better educational and behavioral outcomes for children. The Freddie Gray tragedy in Baltimore, where more than 93,000 children have been added to Maryland’s lead registries over the last twenty years, has shined a light on problems related to lead poisoning. Now is not the time to make reductions.
Additionally, the bill slashes Choice Neighborhoods by $230 million, or 92%, below the President’s request, denying resources to transform clusters of poverty into functioning, sustainable mixed income neighborhoods and preventing the children who live there from having the opportunities that all Americans deserve.
While the Chairman has provided sufficient funding for HOME, I am concerned about how it is paid for. On the surface, HOME and the Housing Trust Fund appear to both be affordable housing programs, but the Housing Trust Fund targets the lowest of the low income while HOME focuses on low to moderate incomes. We have a lack of supply of affordable housing at all income levels, but I am concerned that by taking money dedicated for the Housing Trust Fund, we will perpetuate another gap in the spectrum of affordable housing.
I look forward to working with the Chairman as we move through the process. This bill could easily be one that we can all support and be proud of with a long-term, bipartisan budget agreement that provides relief from draconian sequester levels and the elimination of controversial riders.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Source: U.S. Department of HCA
