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Floor Speech
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Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Transportation Emergency Relief Extension Act, which I introduced today.
When disasters strike, entire communities are left to pick up the pieces. Families lose their homes, businesses are destroyed, and essential infrastructure is severely damaged. In the wake of natural disasters like the California wildfires in January or the severe flooding that devastated Texas just a month ago, many States turn to the Federal Highway Administration's Emergency Relief Program to rebuild highways, roads, and bridges.
This program is essential, but as it currently stands, its regulations include rigid deadlines that do not reflect realities on the ground. Under current law, the Department of Transportation can claw this money back if the state has not initiated the funded projects by the end of the second fiscal year following the disaster.
While this requirement was designed to encourage prompt action, in practice it often punishes States for circumstances beyond their control, even when they strive to initiate their projects in a timely manner.
These include ongoing supply chain disruptions that have driven up the cost of materials and caused long lead times for equipment and lengthy regulatory steps such as environmental reviews and other permitting challenges. The delays caused by these hurdles are not due to the lack of effort by States; they are simply the reality of rebuilding critical, large-scale infrastructure.
While States can request 1-year extensions of these funds, those extensions are not guaranteed. Additionally, the lengthy DOT review process adds another layer of uncertainty that complicates States' efforts to plan and execute long-term recovery projects.
The bipartisan, bicameral Transportation Emergency Relief Extension Act would give States additional time to use the emergency relief funds they have been allocated, ensuring they do not lose out on critical funding because of factors they cannot control.
This extension is not about delaying progress: it is about giving States the flexibility they need to complete these projects responsibly, efficiently, and without the looming threat of losing Federal support just as they get underway.
When a community is struck by disaster, recovery is long and challenging. This commonsense legislation will help the Federal Government strengthen our role as a partner in that recovery. I want to thank Senator Cornyn for coleading this bill with me, and I hope our colleagues will join us to ensure that all our communities have the support they need to rebuild strong, resilient infrastructure when they need it most. ______
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