WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), and Congressman Mark Takano (CA-41) relaunched the Future of Transportation Caucus, to continue creating a vision for the future of our transportation system that emphasizes equity, access, and sustainability. The caucus, which was originally launched by the lawmakers in October 2019, formally relaunched this morning and will feature a standing series of briefings and forums to generate awareness and policy discussions on issues including sustainability, safety, and improved connectivity for all communities.

“I’m thrilled to relaunch the Future of Transportation Caucus for the 117^th Congress with my partners in good, Congressmen Garcia and Takano. Now more than ever, our nation must reimagine our transportation systems to center equity, access and sustainability. The COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis has further exacerbated many of our nation’s deeply embedded inequities and disparities. Transit justice must be a key priority,” said Rep. Ayanna Pressley. As we continue the work of responding to this crisis and building towards just economic recovery, I look forward to working with my partners on the Future of Transportation Caucus to ensure that transit equity and bold transportation policies that meet the needs of our communities are part of these efforts.”

“It’s about time Congress got serious about our country’s transportation issues. Transportation policy is fundamentally an issue of racial and economic justice and the Future of Transportation Caucus seeks to disrupt the status quo and course correct,” said Rep Chuy García. “Working class communities, especially Latino and Black neighborhoods, continue to be carved up by physical and economic barriers to opportunity and suffer from chronic disinvestment. By injecting fresh thinking, innovation, and serious discourse about the consequences of neglecting transportation policy as the force for social justice it can be, we will achieve advanced equity, access, and sustainability. With a new Administration, Congress, and industry determined to pass a major infrastructure package, we have a huge opportunity to truly build back better.”

“I’m excited to relaunch the Future of Transportation Caucus with Rep. Chuy García and Rep. Ayanna Pressley in the 117^th Congress. This caucus was established to create a vision for the future of our transportation system that emphasizes equity, access, and sustainability – this mission is more important than ever,” said Rep. Mark Takano. “As we map out our plans for economic recovery, making improvements to our transportation system and our nation’s infrastructure must be a key part of that strategy. Addressing our transportation challenges should go beyond just funding, which is critical during the pandemic, and consider the impact that our transportation infrastructure and planning can have on communities, access to jobs and services, and the effects that it has on our environment. Along with my fellow co-Chairs, I look forward to working with Secretary Buttigieg and the Biden Administration to create bold, positive change in my community and in cities across America by reimagining our nation’s transportation system.”

“We need transformative change to our transportation policy to help our economy recover from COVID-19, bridge income and racial inequality, and reduce carbon emissions. But none of this is possible if Congress fails to fundamentally reform federal transportation policy this year,” said Scott Goldstein, Policy Director of Transportation for America. “We are thrilled to see the Future of Transportation Caucus continue its work prioritizing transformative policy over price tags. With the FAST Act expiring this September, these Caucus members are game changing advocates for aligning funding with the outcomes Americans deserve from their transportation system: getting where they need to go safely, affordably, and conveniently.”

The current members of the caucus include: Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Jesús “Chuy” García, Mark Takano, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Jim McGovern, Earl Blumenauer, Sharice Davids, Hank Johnson, Steve Cohen, Seth Moulton, Ann Kirkpatrick, Jared Huffman, Joe Morelle, Alan Lowenthal, André Carson, Lloyd Doggett, Rashida Tlaib, Raúl Grijalva, Mark DeSaulnier, Sheila Jackson Lee, Emanuel Cleaver, John Larson, Andy Levin, Donald M. Payne Jr., Sean Casten, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Bonnie Watson Coleman.

In October 2019, Congresswoman Pressley founded the Future of Transportation Caucus, a Congressional caucus focused on centering equity, access, and sustainability in our transportation systems. In June, in response to the COVID-19 crisis, she led a letter advocating for $50 billion in annual emergency funds to support and sustain our nations public transit systems. Later that month, she introduced the Freedom to Move Act, which would provide federal grants to transit agencies that move to a fare-free model. Rep. Pressley is also a co-chair of the Congressional Bike Caucus and a tireless advocate for sustainable and equity focused transportation and infrastructure policies.

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