On the heels of his party’s reclamation of the House of Representatives, Oregon Democrat Peter DeFazio is firing up his transportation agenda. KLCC’s Brian Bull reports.
DeFazio says for all the partisan bickering in Washington, President Trump has been open to tackling infrastructure needs across the U.S.
The ranking member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, DeFazio says there’s already more than $100 billion needed just to upgrade existing transit systems across the nation.
“And as we modernize, we’re going to be cognizant of resilience," says DeFazio. "We’re retrofitting our bridges for an expected major earthquake.
"Obviously in many other parts of the country, it has to do with sea level rise, hurricanes, other infrastructure threats.”
DeFazio says they need the president’s support, in order to get the Senate on board for renewed infrastructure funding.
Earlier this year, lawmakers clashed over Trump’s $200 billion plan for revitalizing bridges and roads, resulting in a stalemate.
Copyright 2018, KLCC.
