The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the Association of American Railroads (AAR) recently released statements on Rep. Bill Shuster’s (R-PA) decision not to seek reelection.
Shuster is chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Shuster has been in Congress since 2001. He told the Washington Examiner that he did not want campaigning to interfere with his focus on passing a major infrastructure bill this year. Not having to worry about reelection means he can work better with both parties, Shuster said.
“Chairman Bill Shuster has been a champion for the nation’s transportation infrastructure and his leadership will be sorely missed,” APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas said.
“Chairman Shuster guided numerous pieces of bipartisan legislation through the House including the comprehensive surface transportation bill – the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act in 2015 – which included numerous freight rail provisions and Amtrak reauthorization,” AAR President and CEO Edward R. Hamberger said. “We look forward to working with him for the rest of his time in Congress and wish him the best on his future endeavors.”
President Donald Trump is expected to outline his infrastructure plan during this month’s State of the Union address.
Trump will meet with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) this weekend to discuss the 2018 agenda.