Nadler Opening Remarks On Build America 250 Act

Washington D.C. -Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-12) delivered opening remarks during the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee markup of the Build America 250 Act. Below is a full transcript of his remarks, which can also be viewed here:

"Mr. Chairman, I want to commend you and Ranking Member Larsen for the bipartisan spirit that helped shape this bill. While I appreciate the work that has gone into this legislation, however, there are some serious shortcomings that I hope this Committee can address today.

As the sole Member of this Committee representing New York City, I am deeply concerned that this bill fails to adequately prioritize rail and transit infrastructure, systems that are essential not only to my district, but to the economic strength of the nation.

"For example, the Amtrak Northeast Corridor carries more than 800,000 passenger trips each day and serves as a backbone of interstate travel and commerce. Yet this bill falls short of the investment needed to modernize aging infrastructure, improve accessibility, address deferred maintenance, and ensure long-term reliability and resilience.

"At the same time, transit systems like the MTA continue to operate within a federal framework that disproportionately favors highways over public transportation. Despite serving millions of riders each day and anchoring one of the nation's most productive regional economies, the MTA, like other public transit systems, receives a far smaller share of federal support than highways. This legislation does little to address that imbalance or provide the sustained investment needed to strengthen one of the nation's most heavily used transit systems.

"When New York's transit network falters, the consequences extend far beyond the region, affecting mobility, productivity, and economic performance nationwide. Yet this bill continues to lean toward highway expansion at the expense of stronger investment in rail and transit, an approach that is shortsighted and out of step with our transportation and economic needs. Rail and transit must be treated not as secondary priorities, but as core national investments.

"Just as important, this bill must include strong guardrails to ensure transportation laws are implemented faithfully and as Congress intended. This legislation will mean little if the Executive Branch can delay, obstruct, or selectively undermine its execution. Over the past 16 months, this administration has stalled transit projects, withheld Congressionally appropriated infrastructure funding, and injected politics into decisions that should be driven by public need and economic benefit-not political retaliation.

"New Yorkers know this risk firsthand. The Trump Administration has baselessly threatened funding for the Gateway Program-one of the nation's most critical rail projects-attacked New York City's congestion pricing efforts, and shaped planning for revitalization of Penn Station through a closed-door process that prioritizes private interests and the highest bidder over transparency, public oversight, and the transportation needs of New Yorkers.

"If we fail to establish stronger oversight and protections against politically motivated delays or selective enforcement, we risk authorizing investments that communities may never fully receive.

"I look forward to working with my colleagues to strengthen this bill and better serve the transportation needs of New Yorkers and all Americans."

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