U.S. transportation secretary pledges more federal support for public transit during Dallas visit
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday promised stronger federal support for public transportation companies like Dallas Area Rapid Transit.
Buttigieg visited Dallas-Fort Worth to promote the $ 1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that the Senate passed Tuesday. President Joe Biden unveiled the bill, now awaiting a House vote, as the largest federal investment in public transportation ever.
“We have to face the fact that our federal government has not given sufficient support to transport companies like DART; that’s changing, ”Buttigieg said during a press conference at the Lovers Lane tram stop in northeast Dallas.
As part of his visit, Buttigieg drove to DFW International Airport and also visited a DART construction site.
Dallas Reps Eddie Bernice Johnson and Colin Allred, both on the House Transport and Infrastructure Committee, accompanied Buttigieg on his visit. The Secretary of Transportation also met with another Democratic representative, Marc Veasey of Fort Worth, as well as officials from the Texas Department of Transportation.
Allred said the federal infrastructure bill – which the Biden government has forecast to create 2 million jobs a year over the next 10 years – will be “hugely beneficial” to North Texas.
The bill was passed with the support of 19 Republican senators, but Texans John Cornyn and Ted Cruz voted against it.
“After reviewing the [Congressional Budget Office]’s analysis that estimates the bill will add a quarter trillion dollars to the deficit … I cannot support the final bill, “Cornyn said in a written statement following the vote. “It’s not getting paid, it’s increasing the debt too much, and has been pushed through the Senate.”
Its proposed change, which would have allowed state and local governments to spend unused coronavirus bailout funds on infrastructure, was removed from the final package despite the support of Democrats and Republicans.
Texas is expected to receive $ 26.9 billion in federal aid for highway programs and $ 537 million in bridge repair and replacement over the next five years, according to a White House datasheet.
“North Texas will receive a large percentage of the money that goes into the state, so job growth for us will also be not just building new infrastructure but keeping what we have,” Allred said.
Johnson was confident in federal law’s ability to fund Texas’ transportation needs, but added that lawmakers must ensure that infrastructure improvement work also serves historically disenfranchised communities.
“We set up our money for transportation; we are a transport state, ”she said. “But in fairness we have to balance this responsibility and make sure that all people are included.”
Lawmakers are also considering a $ 3.5 trillion bill aimed at increasing investment in welfare programs, including childcare, universal pre-kindergarten, and paid family vacation. This law has met with strong opposition from Republicans.
Allred said the bipartisan infrastructure bill of $ 1.2 trillion and the spending bill of $ 3.5 trillion would work together.
“These are all programs that will increase workers’ productivity in their workplaces and lead to an overall more productive economy,” he said. “So I really think they’re working together and I’ll work to make sure we both passed.”
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