WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-NH, participated in the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee confirmation hearing for former Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, President-elect Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Transportation.
“I appreciated Secretary Chao’s acknowledgement of the importance of supporting the successful TIGER grant and TIFIA loan programs, which have helped strengthen our transportation infrastructure in the Granite State such as the Memorial Bridge project in Portsmouth and the expansion of I-93,” said Hassan.
“I was also pleased to hear Secretary Chao’s acknowledgement of the importance of bringing commuter rail to New Hampshire, which we know would help attract more young people to the state and stimulate job creation. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee to strengthen our transportation infrastructure and to keep our economy moving forward in New Hampshire and across the nation.”
In response to questioning from Senator Hassan on TIFIA loans and TIGER grants, Secretary Chao acknowledged the importance of both programs, which have supported critical transportation infrastructure projects across New Hampshire.
Hassan also emphasized the importance of commuter rail, to which Secretary Chao agreed, saying, “this is an area that can obviously help with the environment, it is a wonderful alternative, and I have supported in the past and I look forward to reviewing it and seeing – getting an up-to-date briefing on this as we go forward.”