Recorded On: April 19, 2019
Air Date: April 22, 2019
From the City Club of Eugene:
Congressman Peter DeFazio was first elected to the U.S. Congress in 1986. He shares his thoughts on the need to invest in our nation’s crumbling infrastructure and make it more resilient to climate change, while also reducing the impact of transportation on the environment.
DeFazio has served as a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure since he first entered Congress. In 2019, he was elected to chair this Committee, which is composed of six subcommittees: (1) Aviation; (2) Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation; (3) Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management; (4) Highways and Transit; (5) Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials; and (6) Water Resources and Environment. During his time on the Committee, he has served as Chair or Ranking Member of four of the six subcommittees: Aviation; Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation; Highways and Transit; and Water Resources and Environment.
DeFazio has taken a lead role on several multi-billion dollar surface transportation and Federal Aviation Authority reauthorization bills, and worked to strengthen “Buy America” standards, which help ensure more infrastructure projects are carried out using steel, iron, and manufactured goods produced in the United States. In 2005, DeFazio served as the Ranking Member on the Highways Subcommittee, where he helped negotiate a five-year federal highway and transit spending bill called SAFETEA-LU. Under the bill, DeFazio secured $2.7 billion for Oregon's roads, bridges, highways, and transit systems. More recently, DeFazio introduced the Repeal and Rebuild Act (HR 4848), a long-term solution to replenish the Highway Trust Fund. He continues to be the leading voice in Congress on a long-term infrastructure bill that will bring our highways, bridges, transit system, rail lines, aviation system, and water infrastructure to a state of good repair, all while creating family wage jobs, supporting U.S. industry and manufacturing, and improving public safety.
Program Coordinators:
Jessie Ghiglieri and Joel Korin
Copyright KLCC, 2019
