Ted Cruz: U.S. Transportation Is 'Entering A New Era Defined By Autonomous Vehicles'

During a Senate Commerce Committee hearing in July, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) spoke about developments in transportation infrastructure.

Transcript

00:00Good morning. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation will come to order.

00:05Today we'll be considering three of President Trump's nominees for key roles of the Department

00:09of Transportation. Serval Oz, nominee for Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Research

00:15and Technology. Michael Rutherford, nominee for Assistant Secretary of Transportation

00:20for the Office of Multimodal Freight Infrastructure and Policy. And Gregory Zerzon, nominee for

00:27General Counsel of DOT. Transportation is and will remain the backbone of global economies.

00:35We're entering a new era defined by autonomous vehicles, smart infrastructure and AI-driven

00:41logistics. These advancements are happening around the world and in some cases elsewhere

00:47because the federal government has been so hostile to innovation. President Trump and Secretary Duffy

00:54are faced with a huge undertaking, having to fix the mistakes of the last four years by

00:59modernizing regulations and enhancing safety standards. To succeed, they need advisors who

01:06understand the promise and the complexity of what lies ahead. Today's nominees fit the bill.

01:12Ms. Oz is a pioneer in transportation technology. At Google, she helped develop autonomous vehicles.

01:19In Nevada, she brought the private sector and government together to license the state's

01:25first self-driving car. And as Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Research and Technology,

01:30a newly created role, she will help align DOT's research efforts for the next generation of

01:37transportation. Mr. Rutherford's experience with nearly every freight mode will serve him well as

01:43Assistant Secretary of Transportation for the Office of Multimodal Freight Infrastructure and Policy.

01:49At CSX, a major freight railroad, Mr. Rutherford led a 140-person team. He recognizes that optimized supply

01:58chains keep costs down for consumers. If confirmed, he will work alongside Secretary Duffy, state and local

02:06governments, and the private sector to eliminate bottlenecks and secure freight networks.

02:11Finally, Mr. Zerzon brings valuable managerial experience from his time in both the legislative

02:18and executive branches. As the current acting solicitor for the Department of the Interior,

02:24he oversees a large team of political appointees and career civil servants. He'll do the same at DOT,

02:30providing impartial strategic counsel to improve our skies, roadways, and waterways. These nominees are

02:38ready to help transform the American transportation system through responsible innovation, lean regulation,

02:46and a renewed focus on safety. I look forward to hearing from them today.