House T&I Dems Call on Duffy To Explain Funding Halts
Entire contingent on T&I committee warned that executive actions are causing chaos
© Fotolia/trekandshoot

The 31 Democrats on the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee are urging Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to clear up confusion surrounding executive orders from the White House that halt infrastructure investments and air traffic controller hiring.

In a letter sent on Wednesday to the newly minted secretary, the entire T&I Democrat contingent noted that executive orders, along with the Office of Management and Budget’s pause on federal financial assistance, “are sowing chaos in an industry that counts on long-term certainty and will raise project costs.”

According to the letter, the actions are putting billions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of jobs, and tens of thousands of projects at risk. “Unfortunately, the actions in the first week of this Administration show a fundamental miscalculation of the bipartisan support infrastructure investment enjoys in Congress and how much governors, mayors, county commissioners, city councilmembers, and state legislators across the country count on federal infrastructure dollars,” the members wrote.

They urged Duffy to provide clear guidance on DOT’s plans to implement the president’s objectives surrounding infrastructure, make publicly available on DOT’s website an up-to-date list of all grants subject to the executive orders, and communicate changes to grant solicitations or requirements, including clarity on how to demonstrate compliance with the DOT Disadvantaged Business Enterprise.

“Project sponsors, particularly those who have already been awarded grants, deserve to know which grants and policies you intend to target, eliminate, or change; the timeline for grant award reviews; and your desired changes to rules and requirements,” they continued. “Ultimately, Congress has a strong say in whether the new rules and requirements the President prefers, and the process by which the Administration tries to impose them, withstand scrutiny and can proceed. Expect a full review of U.S DOT’s actions and proposals by this Committee as this process unfolds.”