Markey Leads 15 Senate Democrats Calling for Affordability, Safety, Worker Priorities in Surface Transportation Bill

Calls for protections against Trump's politically motivated attacks on infrastructure projects

Letter Text (PDF)

Washington (June 3, 2026) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today led 15 of his Democratic colleagues in writing to the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate Committees on Environment and Public Works; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; and Appropriations, urging the committees to continue the progress made in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization bill. In the letter, Senator Markey and his colleagues urge the Senate committee leaders to prioritize several key areas, including:

1. Protect infrastructure grants from political interference - All infrastructure grant authorizations must include guardrails that prevent current and future administrations from cancelling or delaying already awarded grants.
2. Make transportation safer - Infrastructure investments must prioritize safety through investment in safe road design, accountability requirements, and rigorous safety standards.
3. Address the affordability crisis - Infrastructure investments must make transportation more affordable for Americans by providing a historic investment in transit, walking, biking, EV charging, and passenger rail, maximizing consumer choice and lowering costs.
4. Create good, union jobs - Infrastructure and transportation policy must include purposeful, pro-union policies such as project labor agreements, rail safety protections, and apprenticeships that create middle-class jobs.
5. Address the climate crisis and protect public health - The next surface transportation bill must protect expand existing programs aimed at reducing emissions and improving air quality and reject punitive EV fees.

The letter was signed by Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

In the letter, the lawmakers wrote, "We look forward to working with you to ensure the next surface transportation bill delivers real benefits to the American traveler by protecting against politicization, supporting safety improvements, cutting costs, creating good jobs, and protecting the climate and our health. With these priorities in mind, this bill can establish a world-class infrastructure system for decades to come."

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