Jeffries urges faster grant disbursement, permitting reform and Highway Trust Fund fix to keep goods moving safely

In testimony before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Jeffries, a witness, said limited resources should be targeted to maintaining bipartisan, merit-based grant programs, speeding grant disbursement and reforming permitting to keep goods, people and agricultural products moving safely and efficiently.

Jeffries said Congress and the administration can improve program performance and execution. “You can make those programs run better, either by Congress or, the administration, by getting dollars out the door more quickly. We talked about delays,” he said. He added permitting reforms could let “projects and money be put to work more quickly.”

On regulation, Jeffries argued for a shift toward outcome-based rules that preserve safety while allowing innovation and network fluidity. “There’s a lot of common ground about how do we achieve the best safety outcome in a way that allows for innovation, frees up the network, allows goods to continue to move, takes people out of risky situations,” he said.

Jeffries highlighted short-line railroads and public partners as direct beneficiaries of merit-based grants, saying those recipients need timely funding to “invest, to create and expand capacity, to serve customers like all the good folks in your community.” He framed these moves as part of broader efforts to promote U.S. competitiveness and to allow products to move to interstate and international markets.

On highway finance, Jeffries said the Highway Trust Fund requires significant repair. “We’re not looking for funds, primarily, but the Highway Trust Fund sure is, and that needs to be fixed in a dramatic way,” he said.

A committee member had opened the exchange by asking Jeffries to identify priority areas for improvement and how limited resources should be targeted. The transcript does not record committee or staff proposals, nor any formal votes or directives on the topics Jeffries discussed.

No formal actions, motions or votes were recorded during this exchange.