Senator Hassan Meets with Transportation Secretary Nominee, Pete Buttigieg

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan met virtually today with President Joe Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg.

“As our country begins to get control of this virus, strengthening transportation infrastructure will be an important part of our economic recovery in New Hampshire and across the country,” Senator Hassan said. “That is why it is crucial that the next Secretary of Transportation work with bipartisan Members of Congress to ensure that federal funding for transportation projects goes where it is needed the most. I was glad to speak with Mr. Buttigieg to get his thoughts on how the Department can ensure that smaller states like New Hampshire receive their fair share of federal dollars to help address their transportation needs. In particular, we discussed how the Department can better support passenger rail projects, such as the Capitol Corridor Project, which would provide a significant economic boost to Granite State communities. I will continue fighting for federal resources to help strengthen our state’s highways, rails, and bridges, and I look forward to working with the Biden administration to modernize our country’s aging infrastructure.”

Senator Hassan and Buttigieg also discussed the 2019 deadly Randolph crash. “I appreciate that Mr. Buttigieg committed to reviewing the National Transportation Safety Board’s recommendations to better prevent incidents like the devastating Randolph crash from occurring ever again,” said Senator Hassan.

Senator Hassan is working to strengthen both New Hampshire and America’s transportation in order to meet the needs of the 21st century economy. Last March, Senator Hassan introduced bipartisan legislation with Senator John Thune (R-SD) to improve the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) loan program, which is designed to provide direct loans to help develop passenger and short line railroads in New Hampshire and across the country. The loan could be used to help finance projects like the Capitol Corridor Project that would connect Manchester and Nashua to Boston via commuter rail.

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