WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a full committee hearing today to review the Department of Transportation fiscal year 2012 budget. 

Witness List:

The Honorable Raymond LaHood, Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation

Key Quotations from Today’s Hearing:

“As we begin the 21st century, we stand at a crossroads – our highways and bridges are crumbling around us, congestion plagues our highways, railroads, and airports, and our maritime infrastructure is inadequate. This is not just an inconvenience. It costs us all time and money. It costs our economy jobs. It puts us at a competitive disadvantage globally. It harms our health and environment. Let’s be clear, if we fail to make substantial improvements in our nation’s infrastructure – highways, aviation, maritime, and rail – we will not create the economic growth necessary for job creation.”

Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV

“To compete for the jobs and industries of the future, we must out-innovate and out-build the rest of the world. That is why President Obama called on the nation to repair our existing roadways, bridges, railways, and runways and to build new transportation systems – including a national high-speed intercity rail network – which will safely and efficiently move people and goods. The Administration’s Surface Transportation Reauthorization proposal is designed to accomplish precisely this, and is the centerpiece of the President’s FY 2012 budget.”

The Honorable Raymond LaHood, Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation 

###