US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
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WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, delivered remarks at the American Highway Users Alliance’s annual meeting. He spoke about the EPW Committee’s work developing the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act, which later became the foundation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), emphasizing the importance of this investment for our nation’s economy.
“One of the greatest aspects of being the Ranking Member of the Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee is I get to work on supply side economics aimed at tamping down this administration’s terrible inflation. It was a blessing to work on the bipartisan infrastructure law to promote projects to improve North Dakotans’ lives and the movement of goods across the country,” said Senator Cramer. “Implementation of the bill is now critical, reigning in bureaucrats’ wishes by keeping them within the confines of the law. The Department of Transportation must remember the absence of a prohibition is not a license. Thank you to Highway Users Alliance for your engagement, guidance, and persistence with me and my colleagues, advocating for supply side economics and the efficient delivery of goods to consumers.”
Senator Cramer also spoke on the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Performance Measure rule and highlighted his recent efforts to prevent the administration from promulgating this illegal and disastrous policy mandate. He reiterated his commitment to introducing a Congressional Review Act (CRA) Joint Resolution of Disapproval if the Biden administration finalizes the rule and discussed spearheading an Amicus Brief should the rule be litigated in court.
Earlier this month, Senator Cramer led an amendment to the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2024 to defund the proposed rule. The amendment was germane and bipartisan, requiring only 50 votes for passage, but Senate Democrats demanded a 60-vote threshold to ensure its defeat.
Many states, particularly large, rural states, criticized the proposal as a one-size-fits all mandate with no meaningful flexibility and entirely unpractical in areas where traffic congestion and emissions are already scarce. More importantly, Congress has not provided any statutory authority for the DOT to make this proposal.
The American Highway Users Alliance applauded Senator Cramer’s leadership on this issue and wrote a letter in support of the amendment.
