Norton Sends Letter to Democrats Asking for Support For Chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
WASHINGTON, D.C. –– Today, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) sent a letter to House Democrats asking for their support in her run for chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) in the 118th Congress and outlining her priorities for the committee. Norton is the most senior member of T&I after retiring Chair Peter DeFazio (D-OR), chair of its largest subcommittee, the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, and has served on all of its subcommittees.
In the letter, Norton highlighted her qualifications, including being rated as one of the most effective House Democrats by the Center for Effective Lawmaking.
The letter follows.
December 2, 2021
Dear Democratic Colleague:
I write to request your support to be chair or ranking member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in the 118th Congress. I will have the greatest seniority on the committee, and I would be the first African American and the first woman to chair the committee.
I currently serve as chair of the committee's largest subcommittee, the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, have served as chair of the committee's Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management and have served on all of the committee's subcommittees. I am also co-chair of the Quiet Skies Caucus, which was established to combat the aircraft noise that is plaguing many of our communities.
The committee's work directly affects every member's district, including highways, transit, airports, water resources and disasters. I pledge to work with every member of the Caucus to ensure that their priorities are reflected in the committee's legislative and oversight agenda. As a former chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, I have experience executing a mission and managing a large staff.
My legislative and oversight priorities for the committee would be to, among other things, develop a 21st-century multimodal transportation system, create jobs, including for women and minorities, combat climate change, protect public health and the environment, improve transportation and worker safety and better prepare our country for disasters. These priorities guided the House's surface transportation bill this Congress, the INVEST in America Act, which I helped write, and they would guide all of the committee's major bills.
I have a long record of legislative accomplishments. I have consistently been rated as one of the most effective House Democrats by the Center for Effective Lawmaking, including as the most effective House Democrat in the 115th Congress. The Center defines effective lawmaking as a "proven ability to advance a member's agenda items through the legislative process and into law." I would use this record of success to advance the priorities of our Caucus and our individual members.
Again, I ask for your support to be chair or ranking member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and I look forward to speaking with you about my candidacy and your priorities for the committee.
Sincerely,
Eleanor Holmes Norton