Gluesenkamp Perez Urges House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to Support Southwest Washington Priorities

May 19, 2025
Press
Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez delivers testimony in support of local priorities in the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization bill.

Last week, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) testified in front of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to underscore priorities for Southwest Washington for the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization bill.

In her testimony, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez highlighted the need to:

  • Work with agency partners to get I-5 Bridge replacement funding out the door on time.
  • Reauthorize and fund programs like the Bridge Investment Program, so vulnerable bridges can receive investment, like the Lewis and Clark Bridge, which Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez toured last month.
  • Establish a safe pathway for 18- to 20-year-old CDL truck drivers to cross state lines, an issue Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez heard about at her log truck roundtable.
  • Develop a maximum brightness standard for headlights that retains visibility while also increasing safety by reducing glare for other drivers on the road.

Video of Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez’s testimony can be found here.

Surface transportation reauthorization bills are multi-year bills that deliver transportation and infrastructure funding. Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez’s testimony comes ahead of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law expiring on September 30, 2026.

The following are Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez’s full remarks:

“As the Ranking Member knows well, my district is home to one of the largest, most complex, and most important bridge replacement projects in the country. The I-5 Bridge crosses the Columbia River. It’s a critical stretch of I-5 that connects Portland, Oregon with Vancouver, Washington. 

One span of the bridge was built in 1917, and the bridge is at risk of collapse in the event of a major earthquake. Which – we are on the Cascadia Subduction Zone – this is a real risk. Congestion clogs the bridge for as many as 10 hours per day, keeping commercial vehicles from moving goods and people and getting home to their families. 

We need a new bridge. That’s why I’m glad to have helped bring back [nearly] $2.1 billion for this project through the Mega and Bridge Investment Program grants award. These grant programs were created in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and are crucial to getting this project done. 

We must ensure that awarded funding goes out quickly and efficiently through our agency partners. This isn’t [the] only a bi-state bridge in my district that needs repair. In fact, the Lewis and Clark Bridge, which connects Longview in my district to Rainier, Oregon, was included in the National Transportation Safety Board’s recent report identifying bridges susceptible to collapse in an incident like the devastating collision in Baltimore.

As the Committee considers a surface transportation reauthorization bill, I urge you to continue support for discretionary programs, like the Federal Highway Administration’s Bridge Investment Program, that can help communities in my district make our bridges safe, durable, and congestion free.

Separately, another issue that I’ve been hearing about from loggers in my community is related to restrictions on younger drivers hauling across state lines. My district is a giant border district. 

You can drive five hours all across the border. These restrictions on younger drivers not being able to cross bi-state lines is a serious impediment to the industry and to these young professionals making their way in a career. While the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law established an apprenticeship pilot program for individuals under 21 who hold a CDL to travel across state lines, this program was undersubscribed and did not bring real relief to constituents like mine who are frustrated by the regulations imposed on state boundaries.

I am looking forward to working with the [Committee] to provide a pathway for 18- to 20-year-old CDL drivers to safely cross interstate lines. You learn how to drive log trucks safely by driving similar routes. …

I’d also like to mention an issue that draws the ire of thousands of Americans. If you spend any time on certain Subreddits, some of which have thousands and thousands and thousands of subscribers, you will know about overly bright headlights. This is something that draws ire from rural Americans, from older Americans, from law enforcement. 

I understand the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law tried to improve this issue by allowing manufacturers to make adaptive driving beams, but let’s be honest, it has not helped. I’m interested in working with the Committee to ensure that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration develops overall maximum brightness on the lumens, standardizing headlights for automobiles that retain visibility for drivers, but also reduce glare and increase safety for other drivers on the road. Thank you again to the Ranking Member and the Chair for the time to speak before this Committee. 

I look forward to working with you both to deliver for people in my community of Southwest Washington.“

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