Committee Print, providing for reconciliation pursuant to H. Con. Res. 14, the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2025, and other matters cleared for consideration
2025-04-30
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Source: Congress.gov
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6F of House Rule 11, Clause 2HF, the chairman may postpone further proceedings today on any question of approving any measures or matter or adopting an amendment on which a recorded vote of the yeas and nays is ordered. I ask unanimous consent that the chairman be authorized to declare a recess at any time during today's meeting. Without objection, that is so ordered. All legislative and amendment texts have been distributed electronically and paper copies are also available here in the hearing room. Today, the committee is considering an amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print, Title 10, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure continuing legislative proposals to comply with the reconciliation instructions in Section 2001 in House Concurrent Resolution 14 on the budget for fiscal year 2025. And I'd ask unanimous consent for the committee to use an amendment roster for any items under consideration by the committee. And without objection, that is so ordered. All right, our item for consideration today is Committee Print Title 10, the Committee on Transportation Infrastructure. Containing legislative proposals to comply with the reconciliation instructions in Section 2001 and House Concurrent Resolution 14 on the budget for fiscal year 2025. I now call up the Committee Print for consideration. Without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed with, and the Committee Print is now considered as read and open for amendment at any point. I recognize myself to offer an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Please designate the amendment. An amendment in the nature of a substitute to the committee print offered by Mr. Graves of Missouri. Without objection, the amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered read and shall be considered as the base text for the purposes of further amendment. I recognize myself real quick for a statement.
We're here today to provide recommendations to reduce the deficit by no less than 10 billion over the next 10 years as part of the budget reconciliation process for fiscal year 2025. This committee is prepared to meet its instruction and deliver on President's America First agenda by combining critical investments in border security, our national defense, and needed modernization of America's air traffic control system with cuts to wasteful spending and other deficit-reducing measures. For more than 20 years, the Coast Guard has received less than half of the needed capital investments, challenging their ability to secure our maritime border. Just last fiscal year, the Coast Guard was responsible for nearly three-quarters of of the maritime interdiction across federal agencies, seizing hundreds of thousands of pounds of illicit drugs worth an estimated $3.2 billion. In order to aid the Coast Guard in its maritime border and national security efforts, we will provide nearly $22 billion to recapitalize Coast Guard assets, including the acquisition of Cutters, aircraft, icebreakers, while also funding the construction of the facilities needed to support these new assets. With more than half of total funding going towards maritime assets, we are also aligning with the President's recent executive order to strengthen America's shipbuilding capabilities. On another important topic, following the tragic aviation accidents in recent months, this committee has heard directly from stakeholders in the administration about the need to act immediately to improve the safety and reliability of our nation's aviation system. A recent government accountability report found that more than three-quarters of the Federal Aviation Administration's systems were either unsustainable or potentially unsustainable. The FAA faces serious operational and financial challenges due to its aging infrastructure and workforce shortage. In response, the committee will provide $12.5 billion down payment for air traffic control modernization efforts to allow the administration to immediately get to work, replacing critical telecommunications infrastructure and radar systems to invest in runway safety and airport surveillance projects, replace air traffic control towers and TRACONs, and fund air traffic control recruitment, retention, and training.
The committee will offset these needed investments in part by rescinding proposals that support wasteful-style spending. Finally, we addressed the Highway Trust Fund shortfall in a very meaningful way for the first time in more than 30 years. The Congressional Budget Office projects a $142 billion cumulative shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund over the five-year period following the expiration of the current authorization. So simply put, The system for funding our federal surface transportation program is broken. By leveraging state's existing registration systems, the committee print implements a $200 annual fee on electric vehicles and a $100 annual fee on hybrid vehicles and deposits all collections into the Highway Trust Fund. For far too long, EVs have operated on our nation's roads without paying into this system, which is primarily funded by federal taxes on gasoline and diesel. Plain and simple, this is a fairness issue, and it's time these roadway users pay their share for the use of the road. The major provisions contained in this bill, they address issues that the committee has been hearing about for years and are broadly supported by members on both sides and the committee's major stakeholders, both business and labor. And we all want to invest in our Coast Guard. We all want to rebuild our air traffic control system and finally address the broken highway trust fund. We have held countless hearings on all of these topics, both recently and frankly, for years. And now members have the opportunity to actually act on all of these issues. And I urge the members to support this historic legislation. I now recognize Ranking Member Larson for the statement.
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