U.S. Senator Katie Britt Raises Alabama Priorities to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in Appropriations Hearing

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, questioned Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy during a Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Subcommittee hearing to review the President's Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 DOT budget request.

Senator Britt thanked the Secretary for his leadership in the I-10 Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project: "You have been very helpful in helping us figure out what is the solution to the I-10 bridge and Bayway project there in Mobile. We know that that is important not just for Mobile, but it's important for the entire Gulf Coast and when you're looking at commerce being able to move across our nation, this is a critical component to it. I just want to say thank you to your team, to President Trump, to you. We've made real progress under your leadership …"

Secretary Duffy stated his commitment to continue working on the project: "…[Y]ou have a commitment from DOT to get our teams to continue to work together. …[I]t's a critical artery and very important, I know, to your state and to America. So I appreciate the engagement that you've had with me and my team."

Senator Britt highlighted Alabama's leadership in auto-manufacturing, including a recently-announced $4 billion investmentby Mercedes in its Alabama operations: "[W]hen we were at Mercedes, we were celebrating what that manufacturing facility has meant to the entire Tuscaloosa region and to our state. That manufacturing facility coming in ultimately transformed the way that we approach the automotive industry, and has been incredible, both for Alabama and for the country. (I) want to make sure that we're still able to dominate economically here and globally, and I know that you've worked hand in glove to make sure that we can do more of that, have more investment here. Can you speak … to how this budget will allow you to make sure that manufacturers do invest that additional dollar here?"

Secretary Duffy responded, saying, "[I]f the government tells car companies what those car companies have to build, that's not necessarily what the American people want to buy. And so with [Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards], we're all about making sure that we have great policies in regard to emissions, and I'm about that, I know you are as well. We love clean air and clean water. The problem with the last administration was they used EVs … to come up with a standard that was unattainable for a combustion engine … We went back to the lawful standard. And so I hope that car companies around the country will build cars that people want to buy and when we buy cars, that means more manufacturing."

Senator Britt continued, discussing further Alabama infrastructure projects: "[W]e have a number of projects in Alabama where we want to see those roads continue to be elevated so that people and products can move safer and more expeditiously across them. Whether it's the Northern Beltline project there in Birmingham or I-65, where we have backed up traffic, particularly this time of year when people are going to see our beautiful white sand beaches and they come right down I-65, that back up and backlog we want to find a solution to."

In her final line of questioning, Senator Britt asked about U.S. maritime dominance and shipbuilding: "… [W]hen we're looking at how we make sure that we're competitive with China, both on the road when it comes to vehicles and then obviously with the maritime industry as well. Can you talk a little bit about DOT's role and how … you're going to try to help this administration implement its broader maritime strategy and how the department views the importance of both coastal and inland ports and regional shipbuilding hubs as we as we restore American's maritime dominance?"

Secretary Duffy discussed the critical need for American-made ships, saying, "[W]e were the greatest shipbuilders in the world after World War II, and we've ceded shipbuilding to the rest of the world. And maybe we can forget about shipbuilding and maritime when things are normal, but if you go through a time like this and we look at the Strait of Hormuz, we understand how important shipping is, and if the great ships that that sail the seas are not built in America, but built somewhere else, I think that's a real risk … And there's some thoughtful strategies that we're thinking through right now that can incentivize companies to actually invest and building ships again in America in great places like your home state."

You can watch the Senator's full remarks here.

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