Transportation and Infrastructure

Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) on Tuesday said Congress needs to pass legislation increasing the federal gasoline tax in order to pay for increased and ongoing demands on U.S. infrastructure.

DeFazio warned on the House floor that the federal highway trust fund will fall to zero by next year, and said the government is spending billions less on infrastructure each year, which is hurting job creation. He said a recent report from the American Society of Civil Engineers shows that the U.S. is falling behind on maintaining its infrastructure compared with other countries.

Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) asked the Transportation Safety Administration over the weekend to reverse its new policy of allowing knives that are six centimeters or less in length onto passenger planes.

In a letter to TSA Administrator John Pistole, Markey warned that TSA's new policy would put passengers at risk just as they were during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Members of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation want a new $220 million control center built in their state. 

Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) said Thursday that he has asked the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to help Boeing solve flight-safety problems related to the 787 Dreamliner airplane.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday grounded all Dreamliners in light of evidence that the plane's lithium-ion batteries pose a safety risk. That followed an FAA decision last week to review the 787's critical systems.

Blumenauer's bill is a response to dwindling highway funds, which he says threaten highway projects. 

The Senate passed several bills by unanimous consent Tuesday night, one of which would give unclaimed clothes recovered at airports to homeless veterans.

Rep. Kathleen Hochul (D-N.Y.) introduced the Clothe a Homeless Hero Act, H.R. 6328. The bill would direct the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to give unclaimed clothing recovered at airport security checkpoints to local veterans organizations or other charitable groups for distribution to homeless or needy veterans and their families.

The Senate passed a bill Thursday night that could make it less of a hassle to check a bag for international travel.

The House will likely consider a bill next week that would give homeless veterans unclaimed clothing recovered at U.S. airports.

Members debated the bill briefly, then quickly approved it by voice vote after a handful of members indicated opposition.

New Jersey Sens. Frank Lautenberg (D) and Robert Menendez (D) thanked the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Monday for sending buses to help alleviate their state’s transportation problems caused by Hurricane Sandy.

“Getting our transportation system back up and running is a critical part of New Jersey's recovery from Superstorm Sandy,” Lautenberg said in a statement Monday. “The buses being dispatched to New Jersey by the federal government will add much needed capacity so that residents can go to work, reach their families, buy groceries, and resume their daily lives.”

The DOT has contracted with private operators to provide 200 buses to New Jersey, 70 of which were supposed to arrive Monday. The rest will come later this week.