In an op-ed written by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-Missouri) published by The Hill on Monday, he discussed how Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives “will be prepared to come to the table with their priorities and work across the aisle in the 117th Congress.” Representative Graves also criticized Congress' failure to pass an infrastructure bill this year, expressing that “Congress missed a golden opportunity to authorize hundreds of billions of dollars in needed road, bridge, transit and other surface transportation infrastructure improvements.” In the 117th Congress which convenes in January, Representative Graves stated that “Republicans are ready to get a long-term reauthorization bill done,” focusing on their priorities of streamlining permitting, boosting state flexibility, and meeting the transportation needs of rural communities. Representative Graves’ infrastructure bill from earlier this year, the STARTER Act, is part of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Bakersfield) legislative agenda for next year.
