- 6 months ago
During a House Appropriation Committee markup meeting held before the Congressional recess, Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) spoke about reliable transportation.
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00:00The gentlelady from Maine is recognized for an amendment.
00:05Here I have an amendment at the desk, and I would like to see the reading dispensed with.
00:10Without objection, the reading of the amendment is dispensed with, and the gentlelady is recognized for remarks on her amendment.
00:16Thank you, Mr. Chair.
00:18My simple amendment that I think you will all be very sympathetic to and want to support restores funding for ferries.
00:27Now, many of you have never had the experience of riding on a ferry, or don't know how important ferries are to so many communities in this country, but I want to tell you a little bit about it.
00:39I'm quite sure, and you've probably heard me say this before, I'm the only member of Congress currently serving who has to take a ferry to get home to my home.
00:48So when I leave Washington, I get on a flight like all of you do at National Airport and fly to Portland, Maine.
00:56And I get in my car, and I drive an hour and a half north to Rockland, Maine.
01:02And then if I've made it in time, I get on the ferry to North Haven, which takes about an hour and ten minutes.
01:08And then I'm home.
01:09So that is an essential part of my travel every single week.
01:14Now, that's not the only ferry in this country, but I thought describing my own experience might help you all to understand how vital this is.
01:22When I leave to come back, when the weekend is over, if I've been home for the weekend, as we know, we don't all get home every weekend, but when I'm home for the weekend, after hanging out with my grandchildren and working in the garden and catching up with my friends and neighbors, I get back on a ferry at 7.30 in the morning on Monday.
01:40I have to leave my house, make sure I'm not late, find some place to leave my car in town, make sure I didn't leave it in a parking space that will annoy one of my neighbors, get back on the ferry for an hour.
01:51And the first thing I do is sit down on the ferry, and I have a wonderful conversation with my friends and neighbors because the ferry is our mass transit system.
01:58We catch up on how our kids are doing. Sometimes they ask me questions about Washington. Usually they're too polite, and they know I don't want to talk about it until I have to get back here.
02:07But we talk about, you know, how the lobster fishermen are doing, who's the newest teacher hired in the school, and how things are going in my garden, or do I have enough wood set aside for this winter.
02:17So it's a wonderful way that we relate to each other in the community.
02:21When I get off, get back in my car, drive back to the airport, do the whole routine all over again.
02:25In my community, the ferry is basically the only way you can come and go from the island.
02:31If you get sick in the middle of the night, we have a nurse practitioner, but very likely if you need to go to the hospital, the ferry crew will get out of their beds in the middle of the night, they'll load up the ferry, they'll put you in the ambulance, take you back on the ferry for an hour ride, and get you to the hospital.
02:47It is a vital service.
02:48If you want to go for a grocery run, we have a little store in our town, but if you want to go and buy more groceries, you'll get your car on the ferry.
02:56It only takes 17 cars.
02:58You have to get in a line.
02:59You can't always get it on the boat you want to go.
03:01But it'll cost you $55 to take your car round trip on the ferry.
03:07It'll cost you $23 if you're a passenger.
03:09So we pay our way, but we also depend on state and federal funds to make this affordable.
03:15It is our highway.
03:17For all of you, when you want to run an errand to go out to eat, you just get on the highway and go somewhere.
03:23We need a ferry.
03:25Now, of course, we're not the only ferry system.
03:27Maine has 14 year-round islands.
03:29They are all served by ferries of one kind or another.
03:32We transport about a million people every year on ferries to get to our year-round island communities.
03:37But nationally, we transport over 90 million ferries.
03:41Maine is not the biggest state when it comes to ferries.
03:44In fact, the biggest state for ferries is Washington State.
03:47And I know we have two Washington State members on this committee who depend on ferries in their state as well.
03:52New York State is the second most ferry-friendly, and Texas is the third.
03:57But numerous states around this country, even in the Midwest, on the Great Lakes, depend on ferries.
04:03There is no good reason to cut this funding.
04:05I have a list here, and I won't go through it all, but of all the grants that were received by states around the country, Louisiana, Alaska, New York State, Massachusetts, Maine, of course, New Jersey, so many of them depend on ferry funding.
04:19So I'm there for all of you.
04:22When you need another highway system, when you need more roads and bridges, when you get a mass transit system in your district, high-speed rail, slow-speed rail, the subway system, whatever it is,
04:34you need to think about the rest of us who can't get anywhere without the ferry system, who depend on this.
04:39You need to think about all the communities where ferries get more cars off the road because they help bring people between Connecticut and New York or other places where they reduce the amount of traffic on the roads.
04:50It is ridiculous to take this money out of this bill.
04:54Please support this amendment.
04:56Restore the funding.
04:57Help the people in my community, in the state of Maine, but in your states as well, to make sure this ferry funding stays in the bill.
05:04I yield back.
05:05Thank you, gentlelady.
05:07The gentleman from Arkansas, Mr. Womack, is recognized to respond to the amendment.
05:10Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
05:12And I rise in opposition to the amendment.
05:17On its face, it exceeds our allocation, and if adopted, as I've said before many times, it would prevent the bill from going to the floor.
05:25Further, the demand and rate of obligation for either of these ferry grant programs does not justify the increase.
05:32The IIJA provides $50 million annually for the passenger ferry program's low-no set-aside.
05:40It provides $200 million annually for the rural ferry program.
05:44There's hundreds of millions of carryover from both of these accounts heading into FY26.
05:50This is the final year of the IIJA.
05:52To throw more money on these programs with significant, unobligated balances, to me, would be irresponsible.
06:00So I would urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment and would yield back the balance of my time.
06:06Thank you, gentlemen.
06:07Are there other members wishing to address this amendment?
06:11A gentleman from Illinois is recognized to address the amendment.
06:13I want Ms. Pingree to stand alone on this point.
06:17And the remarks she made about you should care about my ferries as I do about your project is, I think, should be the theme of this committee, right?
06:30The chairman of the full committee took us to Baltimore when there was a bridge collapse, recognizing that everything is connected.
06:38So in the final analysis, I should care just as much about the ferries, the South Shore line into Indiana, into Frank's district, and as I should, as you should care about locks on the Mississippi or the blue line in my district.
06:54Because in the bottom line, it's, I should care about you and respect you and the needs you have in your district because I respect you and those people who live in your district.
07:04But in the final analysis, it's all connected.
07:07We learned, if anything, from the bridge is that there's a failure in one part of this system.
07:13It affects all of us.
07:15And in the final analysis, as corny as it sounds, we're all in this together, and it's tied together in this extraordinary transportation system we have.
07:23And it's reason enough to support her amendment.
07:26I yield back.
07:28Thank you, gentlemen.
07:30Are there other members wishing to address the amendment?
07:32General Lady from Ohio is recognized to address the amendment.
07:36Mr. Chairman, and I rise in strong support of the Pingree Amendment.
07:40Now, I stand here as a Great Laker, and I'm not going to point the finger at any other Great Lakers that are on this committee.
07:46There aren't that many.
07:47But we share our lakes with Canada, and we have literally thousands of islands as you go along the Great Lake St. Lawrence Seaway.
07:56And I support the Pingree Amendment to restore ferry service grant funding under the Federal Transit Administration.
08:04It's a just amendment.
08:06It's a sustainable one, and it provides access.
08:09And everything she said is absolutely true.
08:11I want to add emergency services.
08:14When you can't get the airplanes fired up in the wintertime sometimes, the Great Lakes don't freeze over anymore, at least in my part of the Great Lakes.
08:22Those ferry boats are essential to life.
08:25So whether it's in Alaska, whether it's in New York City, or whether it's on the Great Lakes, these systems that are running, if you come out our way, they are outdated.
08:36And there are polluting engines that still exist, and one of the most important occupations along the region is actually someone who can repair and transform the systems for powering these boats.
08:51Too many of the ferry boats are running on outdated polluting engines, and this amendment changes that.
08:57It dedicates funding, real dollars, to low and zero emission ferries, including those that could be powered by electric batteries and hydrogen fuel cells.
09:09And that means cleaner air, quieter waters, and fewer carbon emissions in places that already feel the brunt of climate change.
09:16And on the lake that I represent, it's the lowest, most southernmost lake in of the Great Lakes.
09:22It used to freeze over.
09:23It doesn't do that anymore.
09:25But we're the largest fishery on the Great Lakes, and we have a lot of ferry boats that participate in that business, a lot of seafaring vessels.
09:34I just want to say, for the record, I represent places that I invite you all to.
09:39Kelly's Island, Middle Bass Island, Put-in-Bay, and hard-working port cities along our shores, like Port Clinton, Sandusky, Toledo, Lorraine, Avon Lake.
09:50My gosh, the list is very long.
09:51Even Cleveland, Ohio.
09:52So our communities deserve modern, efficient systems that protect the water and air we all depend upon.
09:59This is really an S-M-A-R-T, a smart investment, one that supports good-paying jobs, by the way, in shipbuilding.
10:07And we need more shipbuilders in this country and more places that can move our Defense Department forward in shipbuilding faster.
10:14And this is where it starts, at ports like our own, and lakes communities connected to the islands that are out there.
10:21Let's meet the moment and support the Pingree Amendment.
10:24Thank you so much for offering it, and I yield back.
10:26Thanks, General Lay.
10:27The gentleman from California is recognized to address the amendment.
10:30Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
10:32I'm less familiar.
10:33I'm on the subcommittee.
10:34I'm less familiar with this plan.
10:36There aren't a lot of ferries in my district.
10:39But this is smart policy for the reasons that Ms. Pingree and Ms. Kaptur mentioned.
10:46But I'm particularly struck by what Mr. Quigley mentioned, which is this only works if all of us understand and trust one another
10:55and trust that our constituencies are different and that we're speaking for our constituencies.
11:00But there isn't a program in here that affects every single district all of the time.
11:08And so I think that it's incredibly important.
11:11But, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Womack, you've heard a lot of compliments from colleagues on our side of the aisle about you
11:18and how you run this committee and your demeanor.
11:21I'm not going to give you any of those compliments.
11:23You know how I feel about you, and I think that your head is getting big, so I'm not going to give you any more.
11:27But I would like to engage you in a question, because I've heard this, I think, four times now.
11:34You have talked about the top-line allocation.
11:36I'm buried in paperwork over here, and so forgive me.
11:40So what's your question?
11:41I know there's a lot of material in front of me.
11:43Where's the approved top-line number that we have for transportation housing?
11:48You mentioned that passing this amendment will upset the top-line number and prevent us.
12:01We don't have a top-line number.
12:02So unless I missed something, Mr. Chairman, can you point me to the top-line approved number that we have
12:09that is a subject for part of your opposition opposed to the Pingree Amendment?
12:13Well, I'll answer that two ways.
12:16The first way, with highest amount of respect to my chairman, Mr. Cole, who I take most of my commands from,
12:28but those allocations are going to be voted on today.
12:33And so that—
12:34Okay.
12:35So we have no approved top-line number.
12:37So what you mentioned, and Ms. Pingree in opposition—
12:40What the gentleman is suggesting would be technically accurate,
12:44though we are going to be voting on those numbers today.
12:48But if the gentleman will continue to engage,
12:51there are computers and printers in this building that we're in, correct?
12:55We could reprint a new top-line number.
12:59You're aware of these devices.
13:00I am.
13:01So I just want to make sure—
13:04There might even be a fax machine in here, too.
13:07Sure, there is.
13:07There's members with pagers.
13:08So I guess I just want to understand if we're going to use this,
13:14and speaking from a selfish perspective, Mr. Chairman,
13:16I have an amendment that adds to—that adds some resources,
13:22and I just want to preempt your opposition potentially to that amendment,
13:26although I hope that you will support my amendment.
13:30I just want to be clear that we don't have an approved top-line number.
13:33This committee controls, or we will control at the end of the evening or day or week,
13:40as whatever Mr. Cole decides, we will make that determination.
13:45But we could still approve this amendment without violating any rule.
13:50I would also suggest, I mean, if we want to pause the hearing to take up 302Bs,
13:56you know, I can't speak for the ranking member, but maybe we need to do that.
14:00We have debates on the House floor right now with important members of our committee,
14:04not here in this room, engaging in this debate because they're debating on the floor right now.
14:10So I'm just wondering, from a process standpoint, if you feel comfortable—I trust you—
14:16if you feel comfortable moving forward with where we are,
14:20or if you need some time to approve 302Bs.
14:24I'm only in charge of the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Subcommittee.
14:31If you guys need to huddle for a few minutes, we're okay with that.
14:34The allocation of 302Bs, I'll trust my chairman to lead us in that direction.
14:40Look, I stood up for only one reason, and that is because I love you, Pete,
14:44and I thought you were going to say some really, really nice things about me.
14:47I know, I know.
14:47So, but you've got 40 seconds remaining in your time, so I'll—
14:55No, you know, and I'm going to give you 30 seconds back of your life, Mr. Chairman,
14:58so I'll yield back.
15:02I want to encourage that laudable feeling of giving back time.
15:05So, but with that, the gentlelady from Pennsylvania is recognized to address the amendment.
15:17I rise in support of this amendment and in support of support for ferries.
15:22I just had the opportunity to ride on the Cape May Luz ferry, which I have not done in years.
15:27It's an economic engine.
15:28It's also good for—it's transportation, but it's good for the summer visitors in the Jersey Shore and Delaware Beaches area.
15:38And I just wanted to add to what Mr. Quigley said, and I was reminded of what John Lewis said to us so many times, Ms. Pingree.
15:46We all got here on different ships, but we're in the same boat, dare I say, ferry now.
15:53We are all in the same boat, folks.
15:55In the spirit of that, let's work together to support things that matter in Ms. Pingree's district and many others
16:03as we want to support things that work in your district.
16:06I yield back.
16:09I thank the gentlelady.
16:10Are there other members wishing to address the amendment?
16:13Being none, the gentlelady from Maine is recognized for one minute to close.
16:19Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and I thank my colleagues who have supported this
16:23and who understand that we are all in this together.
16:26And while I'm happy to support the roads and bridges and issues that people have around the country,
16:31mass transit, so many other things, would love to see that same level of support
16:35and concur that we don't have allocations, so using that as an argument,
16:39as well as using the IIJA and so many other sources of funds,
16:44which we are rapidly seeing slip through our fingers as this administration does not spend the funds
16:49that we already allocated for the purposes that we allocated.
16:53So there is no way to determine that funding will still be there.
16:56But I think this is our opportunity to continue to modernize our ferries, as Ms. Kaptur had said.
17:03If you travel to a country like Norway or many of the European countries,
17:06they already have electric or hybrid ferries.
17:09They're already using low-emissions engines,
17:11and they are already using the best efficient system possible.
17:15So I hope you will all support this amendment
17:17and understand how important this is to my state and to many states around the country.
17:21And one last thing.
17:23I may have misspoken.
17:24Representative Malia Takis may take the Staten Island ferry to get home,
17:29and I will clarify that.
17:30So there could be two of us.
17:31This could be a bipartisan need, as you see.
17:33I yield back.
17:36Colorful debate.
17:40The question is now on the amendment offered by the gentlelady from Maine.
17:44All those in favor say aye.
17:46Aye.
17:47All those opposed say no.
17:49No.
17:51The opinion of the chair, the no's have it.
17:56But roll call has been requested,
17:59and a sufficient number of hands have been raised.
18:02The clerk will call the roll.
18:04Mr. Adderholt.
18:05Mr. Adderholt, no.
18:06Mr. Aguilar.
18:07Aye.
18:08Mr. Aguilar, aye.
18:09Mr. Alford.
18:11Mr. Amaday.
18:13Mrs. Bice.
18:15Mrs. Bice, no.
18:16Mr. Bishop.
18:18Mr. Calvert.
18:19Mr. Bishop, aye.
18:20Mr. Calvert.
18:20Mr. Carter.
18:23Mr. Carter, no.
18:24Mr. Case.
18:25Aye.
18:25Mr. Case, aye.
18:26Mr. Siskimani.
18:27No.
18:27Mr. Siskimani, no.
18:29Mr. Kline.
18:29No.
18:30Mr. Kline, no.
18:31Mr. Cloud.
18:32Mr. Clyburn.
18:34Yes.
18:35Mr. Clyburn, aye.
18:36Mr. Clyde.
18:38Mr. Cole.
18:39No.
18:39Mr. Cole, no.
18:40Mr. Cuellar.
18:42Miss Dean.
18:43Aye.
18:43Miss Dean, aye.
18:44Mr. Loro.
18:45Aye.
18:45Mr. Loro, aye.
18:46Mr. Diaz-Balart.
18:48Mr. Edwards.
18:50No.
18:50Mr. Edwards, no.
18:51Mr. Elzey.
18:52Mr. Elzey, no.
18:53Miss Escobar.
18:55Miss Escobar, aye.
18:56Mr. Espayat.
18:57Aye.
18:58Mr. Espayat, aye.
18:59Mr. Fleischman.
19:00No.
19:00Mr. Fleischman, no.
19:01Ms. Frankel.
19:02Aye.
19:02Ms. Frankel, aye.
19:03Mr. Franklin.
19:04No.
19:05Mr. Franklin, no.
19:06Mr. Gonzalez.
19:09Mr. Guest.
19:10No.
19:10Mr. Guest, no.
19:11Mr. Harder.
19:12Aye.
19:13Mr. Harder, aye.
19:14Dr. Harris.
19:15Dr. Harris, no.
19:16Mrs. Henson.
19:17Mrs. Henson, no.
19:18Mr. Hoyer.
19:19A Nantucket, aye.
19:21Mr. Hoyer, aye.
19:22Mr. Ivy.
19:23Aye.
19:24Mr. Ivy, aye.
19:25Mr. Joyce.
19:26Ms. Kaptor.
19:28Aye.
19:29Ms. Kaptor, aye.
19:30Mr. Loloda.
19:31No.
19:31Mr. Loloda, no.
19:32Ms. Lee.
19:33Aye.
19:34Ms. Lee, aye.
19:35Ms. Letlow.
19:36Ms. Letlow, no.
19:37Mr. Levin, aye.
19:38Mr. Levin, aye.
19:39Ms. Molloy.
19:42Ms. Molloy, no.
19:43Ms. McCollum.
19:44Ms. Ming.
19:45Aye.
19:46Ms. Ming, aye.
19:47Mr. Molinar.
19:48No.
19:49Mr. Molinar, no.
19:50Mr. Moore.
19:53Mr. Morelli.
19:54Aye.
19:55Mr. Morelli, aye.
19:56Mr. Mervan.
19:57Aye.
19:58Mr. Mervan, aye.
19:59Mr. Newhouse.
20:00Mr. Newhouse, no.
20:01Ms. Perez.
20:02Ms. Perez, aye.
20:03Ms. Pingree.
20:04Aye.
20:05Ms. Pingree, aye.
20:06Mr. Pocan.
20:06Aye.
20:07Mr. Pocan, aye.
20:08Mr. Quigley.
20:08Aye.
20:09Mr. Quigley, aye.
20:09Mr. Rushenthaler.
20:10Mr. Rogers
20:12Mr. Rogers, no, Mr. Rutherford
20:15Mr. Rutherford, no, Mr. Simpson
20:16Mr. Simpson, no, Mr. Strong
20:18Mr. Strong, no, Ms. Torres
20:20Aye
20:21Mrs. Torres, aye, Ms. Underwood
20:23Mr. Valadeo
20:25Mr. Valadeo, no, Ms. Wasserman Schultz
20:29Aye
20:29Ms. Wasserman Schultz, aye, Ms. Watson Coleman
20:31Mrs. Watson Coleman, aye, Mr. Womack
20:33Mr. Womack, no, Mr. Zinke
20:35Mr. Zinke, no
20:37Are there any members
20:39wishing to record or change
20:41their mode? Gentleman from Texas
20:43I do not believe
20:45the gentleman is recorded
20:46Mr. Gonzalez, no
20:49Gentleman from Missouri
20:50Mr. Alford, no
20:52Gentleman from Florida
20:53Mr. Diaz-Balart, no
20:56Mr. Cloud, no
20:57Mr. Cloud, no
20:58Mr. Kuehler, aye
21:02Gentleman from Georgia
21:03Mr. Clyde, no
21:06Gentleman from Ohio
21:07Mr. Joyce, no
21:09Gentleman from West Virginia
21:11Mr. Moore, no
21:13Gentleman from Illinois
21:14Aye
21:14Ms. Underwood, aye
21:16Gentleman from Pennsylvania
21:18Mr. Reschenthaler, no
21:20Are there others
21:22wishing to record or change their vote?
21:27Seeing none, the clerk will tally
21:29Mr. Chairman, can I have a floor?
21:32Yes, the gentleman is recognized
21:33If it please the chairman, I see Ms. Underwood has come back in the hall
21:40She has been recorded
21:41I know she has
21:42Earlier today, in response to a Wasserman Schultz amendment, she asked me a question and I just,
21:53it's on my heart to say to her, I apologize if I sounded condescending, snarky, or smart-alecky
22:02That was certainly not my intent. I was simply trying to convey that I knew you didn't agree with a lot of the votes that we had already taken place and the word came out, understand, which might have sounded like an insult to your intelligence and that was not my intent.
22:20So, I just, I could have said that to you personally, but I made that comment in front of this entire
22:28committee and I felt like an apology was in order for the entire committee. So, thank you.
22:34I yield.
22:36Just so my friends on the other side of the aisle know, to us, it sounded just like he always sounds.
22:42So, we didn't even recognize it.
22:45Let that just be a lesson. Don't ask me a wonky question.
22:50It's because you're going to get the potential for a very wonky answer.
22:56Okay.
22:57On this vote, the ayes are 27, the nos are 33, and the amendment is not adopted.
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