Graves requests transportation committee hearing on implementation of new law

U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO), ranking member of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, on Jan. 24 requested a congressional briefing on the Biden administration’s plans to implement the new Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

The congressman also wants to know about the role of White House Senior Advisor and Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu, as well as that of the Infrastructure Implementation Task Force, according to a letter he sent Landrieu.

“While I am aware that your task force has engaged in various media events and outreach to governors and mayors, you have yet to fully engage all relevant members of Congress on these matters,” Rep. Graves wrote. “In particular, I am most concerned about how the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) plans to work with the task force to properly implement the law,” referring to the IIJA.

Rep. Graves wrote that the briefing will help provide informed congressional oversight, ensure that the IIJA is being implemented according to the intent of Congress, and prevent waste, fraud and abuse.

Now that IIJA is a federal law, Rep. Graves emphasized the need to ensure that states and entities receiving funding from IIJA may address their specific needs. He also raised concerns that Federal Highway Administration guidance appears to prioritize certain types of investment based on the Biden administration’s agenda.

“DOT may not be respecting recipients’ decisions on how to best use their federal transportation funding or may not be following congressional intent as IIJA programs are implemented,” he wrote. “We must ensure that eligible projects are evaluated on statutory criteria and are not penalized merely because they add capacity to our transportation network.”

Toward that goal, Rep. Graves wrote Landrieu that his committee needs insight into how the task force, the DOT, and other agencies plan to adhere to congressional intent and meet several mandated deadlines within IIJA.

“This will be essential to ensuring the responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars and protecting this substantial funding increase from waste, fraud and abuse,” he wrote.