Ranking Member Clyburn Remarks at Fiscal Year 2026 Department of Transportation Budget Hearing

WASHINGTON — Congressman James E. Clyburn (D-SC-06), Ranking Member of the Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks at the subcommittee's fiscal year 2026 budget hearing for the U.S. Department of Transportation:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to be here today as we begin to assess the budget request for fiscal year 2026. I too want to welcome Secretary Duffy to his first official hearing before this subcommittee. Welcome.

Today we will examine the Department of Transportation’s budget, which I expect will cover current year operations and the proposed use of funds included in the “skinny budget” for 2026. DOT’s primary mission is to invest in solutions that improve transportation safety. This includes safer transportation in our skies, on our rails, in our ports and over and under our bridges, among other modes of transportation. 

It is hard to ignore the disturbing incursions and devastating crashes that have disrupted the lives and livelihoods of too many at our airports just this year, following the tragic Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore last year.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes a significant five-year investment in our nation’s transportation systems. Whether it is helping to build new runways, repair deficient bridges, or improve our ports – these historic investments are intended to enhance safety, employ American businesses, put more people to work, and create new public-private partnerships.

This law, combined with targeted investments through the annual T-HUD bill, was supposed to serve as a catalyst for our economy and quality of life. However, I am deeply concerned that this Administration’s deliberate withholding of more than $40 billion provided by laws approved by this subcommittee, and reductions to DOT’s workforce, halt any meaningful progress in transportation safety. Instead, we see thousands of qualified federal workers and contractors, including air traffic controllers, made up of women, people of color, and veterans, pushed out of highly skilled jobs. 

While I strongly support the need for robust investments in aviation safety, we have yet to see the full potential of existing resources being used to address our most immediate threats brought forward by aging technology and staffing shortfalls at the FAA. Last week’s air traffic control modernization plan released by this Administration is a great start, but it ignores the realities of cuts to FAA staff, fair competition, and overall cost— and most importantly—how we pay for it. 

Americans are afraid of flying; controllers are walking off their jobs and aviation businesses are hurting. This plan seems to ignore the realities of the FAA losing more than 2,000 employees this year and assumes project timelines not yet defined by costs, access to materials, or feasibility. But we need to know that it is backed by action—and by an Administration that will deploy Congressionally-directed funding for America’s transportation in an expeditious manner, consistent with Congressional intent. 

Mr. Secretary, I would be derelict in my duties to my constituents and children, were I not to address the significant issue you raised in your submitted statement. During World War II, the DEI program that created the Tuskegee Airmen, who because of existing laws, were all Black, was not a waste of money, and it made the skies safer for those all-white fighter pilots they escorted. And we won that war.

The DEI program that created the women of the Six Triple Eight, who because of existing laws were all Black, was not a waste of money, and they made the war experience more palatable for those all-white fighting units that they efficiently and effectively supported during World War II. Both these groups were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by this body for their service to this country. 

Mr. Chairman, in two weeks, I will be hosting several of our colleagues during Memorial Day weekend down in Charleston, South Carolina, where that sacred holiday was first celebrated back in 1865 by the all Black 54th and 55th Massachusetts Regiments, who were commanded by Col. Robert Gould Shaw and Col. Charles Fox, both of whom were white, because of existing law. 

I believe this subcommittee can work in a bipartisan fashion to deliver safer transportation networks for the American people, and Mr. Secretary I look forward to hearing from you about how we can best use America’s resources and talents to build a safer and more secure country.

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