Cole Remarks on FY25 Budget Request For The Department of Transportation (For The Record)

Thank you, Chairman Womack, and thank you, Ranking Member Quigley. It’s great to be back at the THUD Subcommittee today, albeit from a different seat than last year. Welcome back Secretary Buttigieg. Thank you for appearing before us today and for your service.

Before I start, I want to commend my good friend, Chairman Womack, for assuming the chair of this subcommittee. With a panel essential to the future of America’s transportation and infrastructure, you need a builder at its helm. Chairman Womack is just that. A former mayor and senior appropriator, his direct service and strong fiscal understanding bring the breadth of understanding and experience needed to guide critical development investments. Regions across the nation are growing rapidly, and our roads, bridges, housing, and transit systems must keep pace. I know he will ensure those priorities are reflected throughout the appropriations process.

Mr. Secretary, a year ago I emphasized to you that House Republicans would focus on safety, modernizing infrastructure, and making investments in tribal and rural communities. I am pleased to say that the final Fiscal Year 2024 THUD bill delivers on these priorities.

As we start the Fiscal Year 2025 process, I remain focused on maintaining these responsible investments in our nation’s transportation systems. Look no further than the response after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse—it is clear that modernized infrastructure is essential to ensuring the safe and efficient movement of people and commerce in this country.

This Subcommittee will continue to ensure safety is an utmost priority in the funding decisions we make. In my opinion, there is no greater example of carrying out that mission than at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center.

In our final FY24 bill, we provided funding to train an additional 1,800 air traffic controllers, including facility improvements and simulators at the Center. I am pleased that your budget request includes resources to train another 2,000 controllers. I want to work with you to ensure that we sustain this training surge in Oklahoma City. We have the land, the facilities, and a world-class staff at the Monroney Center to ensure that controllers receive in-person, focused, state-of-the-art training. I also believe the Center provides a terrific value to the taxpayer. We will continue to provide FAA with the resources it needs to modernize this facility – and will push back on any effort to decentralize and weaken controller training.

I will also reiterate my steadfast commitment to ensure the 2025 THUD bill prioritizes investments in tribal and rural areas. Nearly 70 percent of America’s road miles are in rural areas, and about 145,000 miles of roads pass through tribal lands. These communities face notable challenges and have different needs from urban areas.

All too often they also do not have the resources they need to compete for funding in the competitive discretionary programs at DOT.

The impact of these investments remains at risk by burdensome regulatory requirements on grant recipients, which disincentivize communities from obtaining federal support for their moon-shot infrastructure projects. We must ensure that the taxpayer funds provided to modernize our nation’s infrastructure are actually benefitting the taxpayer.

As we begin the appropriations process, I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to responsibly fund the critical safety missions and transportation infrastructure needs of this country.

Thank you, Chairman Womack. I yield back.