Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, led a hearing focused on constructing the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill. During her opening remarks, she emphasized three key principles for crafting this legislation and highlighted the importance of developing a bipartisan proposal in the Senate.
In her statement, Chairman Capito said: “Thank you for joining us this morning and welcome to our three great witnesses that we have. This hearing is second in a two-part series of hearings that we are having to help guide the development of our next Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill.”
Earlier this year, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy discussed how the Trump administration is managing current law and outlined priorities for future legislation. Today’s hearing provided new stakeholders an opportunity to share their priorities.
Capito stated: “My vision for this legislation is simple, but important, we want to improve the movement of people and goods.” She noted that roads and bridges are crucial for connecting communities and supporting economic activities.
The proposed legislation aims to fund policies that enhance surface transportation networks. Since passing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the committee has reviewed existing programs to identify successes and challenges.
According to Capito: “The IIJA met a generational level of investment in our surface transportation network, but there have been some challenges in implementation.” She acknowledged efforts by Secretary Duffy to address a backlog of over 3,200 discretionary grant awards without signed agreements inherited from previous administrations.
Capito shared three guiding principles based on lessons learned from IIJA:
1. Improving safety and reliability with impactful investments.
2. Reforming federal programs for efficiency.
3. Addressing diverse state transportation needs without top-down mandates.
She stressed collaboration among Senate colleagues, the Trump administration, and stakeholders before IIJA expires in September 2026: “We must be pragmatic…to deliver a bill that sets us up for productive conversation on this reauthorization effort.”
Chairman Capito expressed gratitude towards witnesses attending today’s session: “I’m really grateful…I look forward to learning about these priorities.” She concluded by emphasizing bipartisan efforts within EPW Committee aimed at delivering effective legislation for Americans.
