House Transportation and Infrastructure holds member‑day hearing as members press for surface reauthorization and WERDA priorities

The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure convened a member‑day hearing where more than 30 members delivered five‑minute statements pressing for federal support of local transportation and water priorities as the committee readies a surface transportation reauthorization and the 2026 Water Resources Development Act (WERDA).

Chair opened the hearing with a moment of silence for Representative Doug LaMalfa and set procedural rules that placed written testimony into the record and limited oral remarks to five minutes with two minutes of member questioning. Members’ remarks focused on projects seeking federal authorizations or funding, from bridge and dam repairs to port dredging, ferry modernization and air traffic control upgrades.

Representative Salinas emphasized upgrades on the I‑5 corridor and the Newberg–Dundee Bypass, saying completion “could create over 6,000 new manufacturing jobs.” Representative Budzinski highlighted how WERDA 2024 expanded Army Corps authorizations for the Metro East and said she secured $7.3 million in FY2026 appropriations for an interceptor sewer project in Cahokia Heights. Representative Jayapal and others urged continued attention to air traffic controller staffing and mental‑health and fatigue issues, while multiple members asked that the surface reauthorization preserve formula funding, reduce administrative delays, and expand eligibility for rural grant programs.

Several members raised water infrastructure as a top priority. Representative Hayes described December 2025 water‑main failures in Waterbury and Danbury that left large numbers of residents without running water for days and called for investment in the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds. Representatives Costa and Manion urged consideration of dam raises and reservoir storage increases to bolster water supplies in California. Representative Gonzales and others pushed for authorizations and expedited contracting for large drainage and desalination projects in South Texas.

Across districts, members also sought specific program changes: Representative Ruiz proposed legislation to extend FAA temporary flight restrictions to large outdoor concerts; Representative Garcia asked for stronger FRA enforcement and authority to penalize repeated blocked rail crossings; and representatives from island and noncontiguous districts sought targeted Jones Act and air‑service relief to lower shipping and travel costs.

The hearing produced no formal votes. Members repeatedly urged the committee to include their projects and policy changes in the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization and in WERDA 2026. The committee recessed and later reconvened for additional members' remarks before adjourning.

The committee said written testimony is entered into the record and will supplement members’ oral statements as staff draft legislative language for the reauthorization and WERDA.