The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure prides itself on staying away from drama, but could witness a post-election power struggle for leadership, as industry groups hedge their post-election bets.
“Depending on which party is in the majority, APTA’s strategy and tactics, particularly our messaging, may change,” said Paul P. Skoutelas, American Public Transportation Association president & CEO.
“APTA’s objective is to make the case for robust public transportation investment, and we look forward to working with the Committee and Subcommittee Chairs and Ranking Members who are elected to these critical leadership positions by their colleagues.”
APTA
T&I is currently chaired by Rep. Sam Graves, R- Mo., who has expressed an interest in staying in power even though he’s poised to exceed his six-year term on the Committee.
Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., announced in
Graves could stay on, but he would need a waiver from the Republican Steering Committee which includes the upper echelon of House leadership. Waivers have been granted in the past.
If the Republicans retain control of the House, it’s assumed the contest between Graves and Crawford would come to a head.
Graves represents Missouri’s sixth district,which encompasses the northern third of the state and includes the city of Hannibal. The district’s size was expanded when Missouri lost a congressional seat due to population decline following the 2010 census.
He’s been serving in Congress since 2001. Graves is expected to cruise to re-election in November against Democratic challenger Pam May, a retired legal secretary who is running for office for the first time.
Crawford represents Arkansas’ first district and has been in Congress since 2011. He’s running as the favorite to win against Democratic challenger Rodney Govens who works as an operations manager for the telecom industry.
If the Democrats retake control of the House, Ranking Member Rick Larsen D- Wash., is expected to retake the gavel of T&I. Larsen has been representing Washington’s second district since 2001. He’s being opposed by Cody Hart, a self-proclaimed “MAGA Republican” who owns an engineering firm and appears to have little chance of winning.
Larsen has been a loyal supporter of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and
The T&I Committee has jurisdiction over highways, bridges, mass transit, railroads and aviation. Its oversight extends to the Coast Guard, Amtrak, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the General Services Administration the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Transportation.
In September the Committee unleashed a flurry of activity by approving 29 measures, sending a wide range of legislation to the full House for consideration. The bills included restrictions on unlawful drone usage, improving transparency at Amtrak and improving motor carrier safety.
The effort received high mark from the National Association of Counties who have a keen intertest in the “FEMA Loan Interest Payment Relief Act,” the “Fire Management Assistance Grants for Tribal Governments Act,” and the “Extreme Weather and Heat Response Modernization Act,” which authorizes FEMA to address extreme heat and cold events.
“The advancement of these three bills represent significant victories for counties, providing vital support in disaster recovery, emergency preparedness and climate resilience,” said NACo, via a statement.
T&I Committee Ranking Member Larsen said, “Yet again, the T&I Committee has shown how to get things done in a bipartisan way.”