Rick Larsen

Mr. LARSEN of Washington

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, section 3 of H.R. 6276 requires the heads of Federal agencies to work with the Administrator of General Services to identify, deploy, and use sensors and other technologies to measure the occupancies of Federal buildings. The amendment from the Representative from Wyoming will require that Personal Identity Verification badge swipe data should also be used but only capture the first credentialed use of the day for each cardholder. Ensuring that each person is counted one time--not every time they may leave and return--would provide accurate representation of building utilization and meet the goals of Congress to better assess the use of Federal office space. Mr. Chair, I support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, the amendment offered by the Representative from Georgia requires some significant reporting on occupancy, utilization rates, and costs by the heads of Federal agencies to the Office of Management and Budget, the General Services Administration, and Congress. Information gathering and transparency is vital to efficient and effective governing, so I will not oppose the amendment. I do want to point out, however, that agency heads are already required to report occupancy and utilization data, and that data can be found on GSA's annual performance overview reports on GSA's website that the public can access now. Mr. Chair, I will not oppose the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, I have no other speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, section 4 of H.R. 6276 requires the heads of Federal agencies to submit to the Office of Management and Budget, the General Services Administration, and Congress a report on the usage of real property. The amendment offered by the Representative from Georgia for the Representative from Florida requires the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress on the costs to Federal agencies associated with complying with section 4 of the underlying bill. The GAO's report must include the cost of Federal agencies of surveying, monitoring, and deploying sensors and technologies to measure the occupancy and actual utilization rates of space in public buildings and space leased by the Federal Government. Mr. Chair, I support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, we have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, the amendment offered by the Representative from Tennessee requires the heads of Federal agencies to submit a report to the inspector general of each respective agency on buildings under the agency's jurisdiction that has capacity for 500 or more employees that has a 20 percent utilization rate or less. Upon receipt of the report, the relevant inspector general is to investigate evidence of fraud, abuse, or mismanagement. Now, I will say this, I don't know why this amendment is necessary. I understand the Federal real estate has been on the General Accounting Office's High-Risk list for years, but nowhere in GAO's reporting were there claims of fraud, abuse, or mismanagement. Even though this is only a reporting requirement, requiring the inspector general of every Federal agency to investigate could be a waste of time and resources. This amendment seems to be a solution chasing a problem, but I will not oppose it. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Chair, I will close on this amendment by briefly speaking to the broader bill. The goal that we share in Congress is to ensure that Congress, the General Services Administration, the agencies all adjust to the post-COVID life that we have in Federal real estate, that we are rightsizing Federal real estate, and that we get rid of the office space we don't need and use the office space that we do need. This amendment is an attempt to do that. I certainly will not oppose it, but I do ask folks to consider it. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I was necessarily absent from the House on November 8, 2023. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on rollcall No. 635.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7454, which extends the authorization of the FAA and its related authorities for another 2 months. Back in the July, the House engaged in a thorough and collaborative process to pass the Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act. This bipartisan bill, which passed by an overwhelming 351-69 vote, will protect the safety of the flying public and ensure the future of U.S. aviation. While I am pleased we are moving closer to passing a longer term bill, we will not be done before the current authorization expires on March 8. We need more time for negotiations between the House and Senate to reconcile the two bills and produce a final comprehensive bill. I want us to remember that Chair Graves and I will continue to fight for House priorities in the final bill to ensure that House Members' voices are heard while we address longstanding issues in our aviation system. Madam Speaker, I support the short-term FAA extension bill. I urge my colleagues to do the same, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Aviation.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Madam Speaker, I have no more speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Madam Speaker, I encourage all colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this extension. We will get a bill by May 10, and we can all vote ``yes'' on that, as well. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize Timothy Arnade for his distinguished career and significant contributions and accomplishments at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). After 41 years of federal service, including 29 years with FHWA, Mr. Arnade retired from FHWA on December 31, 2023. A dedicated public servant, Mr. Arnade began his career serving in the Peace Corps. Throughout his time with FHWA, Mr. Arnade served with distinction and operated at a consistently exceptional level. From July 7, 2008, through his retirement, Mr. Arnade served as Team Leader for Congressional Affairs in FHWA's Office of Policy and Governmental Affairs. In this capacity, Mr. Arnade led a team that responded to all Congressional requests that came to FHWA. This included thousands of requests for technical assistance on individual pieces of legislation, spanning numerous committees and both authorization and appropriations law. Mr. Arnade also played a pivotal role in numerous Federal-aid Highway Program reauthorizations, including the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21); the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act); and most recently, the transformational Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law). Mr. Arnade is a national expert in the areas of transportation safety, infrastructure, innovation, and accountability. All those who interacted with Mr. Arnade--Congressional and Committee staff, state and local governmental officials, FHWA and U.S. Department of Transportation leadership, and his peers in other modal administrations--readily acknowledge his dedication to the safety and improvement of our nation's infrastructure and the American people who use it. He brought a remarkable ability to communicate in a clear, effective, and timely manner with Member offices and Congressional Committees on complex transportation issues. This ability served him particularly well in times of infrastructure emergencies when responsiveness and communication are most critical. Providing quality customer service is an inherent part of the responsibilities of any congressional and intergovernmental affairs specialist. Mr. Arnade's superior work ethic and professional drive to deliver high-quality, on-time service to Congress and others was exemplary among his peers. Mr. Arnade is well known among his colleagues for his availability, responsiveness and dedication, routinely working beyond traditional work hours to respond to Congressional inquiries. These efforts contributed to the development of high-quality legislative solutions and reinforced FHWA's reputation for providing exceptional technical assistance to Capitol Hill. Mr. Arnade exemplifies the highest standards of public service and embodies FHWA's spirit of professionalism and customer service. Over the years, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, other congressional committees, Members of Congress, and their staff have relied on Mr. Arnade's legislative and highway policy expertise, quick and helpful responses, and cheerful demeanor. Mr. Arnade's colleagues at USDOT and FHWA depended on his tireless efforts and his never-wilted spirit. Mr. Arnade will be missed at FHWA. However, his legacy will live on in the customers he served, the staff he mentored and trained, and the colleagues he influenced. On behalf of the Committee, my colleagues, and our staff, I thank Mr. Arnade for his steadfast public service and his support for Congress and extend our well wishes to Mr. Arnade on his retirement.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in opposition to this resolution. On the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, we know that investing in infrastructure means jobs for American workers and economic growth. Our goal is for taxpayer dollars to deliver returns at home, not just for those who travel on the roads and bridges but for the women and men who build our highway infrastructure. The Biden administration shares that goal and has made Buy America one of the centerpieces of its infrastructure policy as we build out modern transportation systems that are cleaner, greener, safer, and more accessible. There is strong bipartisan support in Congress for strengthening Buy America, rebuilding the U.S. industrial base, and creating jobs. We saw the result of this broad support with the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, or BIL, which included a new domestic content requirement for all Federal infrastructure spending. Congress should be focused on supporting implementation of these new Buy America and domestic content requirements so we can maximize the return of our infrastructure investments and support job creation. Instead, we are here today debating a resolution that would undercut the BIL and the administration's aim to bolster a domestic EV charger supply chain. Federal highway and transit programs have had Buy America standards for decades. These standards have insured that any investment in U.S. infrastructure is also an investment in U.S. workers. Since 1983, all manufactured products have been exempted from Buy America under the Federal highway programs. Under this policy, EV chargers funded by the Federal Highway Administration would not have been required to be built in the U.S. Further, there would have been no requirements for those chargers to include any domestic content beyond the iron and steel components. If this policy had been applied to the $7.5 billion for EV charging included in the BIL, we would have supported jobs overseas instead of jobs for U.S. workers. The Biden administration took action to make sure that would not happen. First, it deemed that the general manufactured products Buy America waiver would no longer apply to EV chargers. Further, the administration created a new, stronger standard for domestic content in EV chargers. Under the new policy, and for the first time, all federally funded EV chargers must be manufactured in the U.S. The new policy also includes domestic content requirements for all components, not just those made of iron and steel. The domestic content requirements ramp up over time to allow manufacturers to expand their capacity in the U.S. The policy is working. Since 2021, private companies have announced $500 million in investments across the country in EV charging manufacturing facilities, according to the Department of Energy. The investment is creating jobs in an emerging and growing industry. This is exactly how Buy America policies are supposed to work. You cannot change course overnight on a 40-year-old policy. You need to give time to the private sector to prepare. That is exactly what the administration is doing. Beginning on July 1 of this year, all federally funded EV chargers will be assembled in the U.S. and will have at least a 55 percent U.S. content--consistent with the Build America Buy America policy included in the BIL. This approach is a win for U.S. workers, the private sector, and all Americans will benefit from a more sustainable transportation system. While this new standard is technically called a waiver, it meets the industry's current needs with greater precision and has a much stronger Buy America policy than the broad waiver it replaces. Unfortunately, this resolution before us today would erase that progress. If we repeal the new Biden administration approach, EV chargers would once again fall under the broad general manufactured products exemption from Buy America. We would lose the requirement that all federally funded EV chargers be built in the U.S., we would lose the domestic content requirements for components not made from iron and steel, and we would create uncertainty for the private sector who have based their investments and job creation on the new Buy America standards. Many Members of Congress share the same goal of the strong Buy America standards. Repealing a Buy America waiver may sound great, but this resolution would actually weaken Buy America. Some may argue the Biden administration could just repeal the general manufactured products waiver. In fact, the administration is in the process of reconsidering that waiver as we are required under the BIL. It is a complex process to reconsider a 40-year-old policy that applies to hundreds of products ranging from traffic cameras to the changeable message signs that we see every day on our highways. That process is going to take time to get it right and should not be used as a rationale for weakening Buy America standards that exist today. The reality is that this resolution would weaken Buy America at a time when we are making record investments in EV chargers. In fact, this week I expect the Federal Highway Administration to announce hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to strategically deploy publicly accessible electric vehicle charging infrastructure in communities and along vital travel corridors. EV charging investment is already paying dividends for communities and creating jobs. After launching the first federally funded EV charging station, Mike DeWine, the Governor of Ohio, said electric vehicles are the future of transportation, and we want drivers in Ohio to have access to this technology today. This resolution before us today would slow down similar investments across the U.S. and create incoherent industrial policy. It is not just my opinion. This resolution is opposed by the women and men of the United Steelworkers, the AFL-CIO, the United Auto Workers, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers--those whose jobs will actually be affected by this policy. The United Steelworkers said this resolution is shortsighted and misguided and would undercut American manufacturing, both near and long term. The resolution is also opposed by the Zero Emission Transportation Association and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association whose members include EV charger and component manufacturers. In a letter of opposition, these associations said that if this resolution were enacted, it would cause major disruption of major infrastructure projects across the country. We know infrastructure investment creates family-wage jobs for U.S. workers. The Biden administration's approach to Buy America delivers on that promise. I urge my colleagues to support Buy America and to reject this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Trone).

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi).

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Brownley).

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. DeSaulnier).

Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. McClellan).