[Senate Hearing 117-778]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]




                                                        S. Hrg. 117-778

                      NOMINATION TO THE DEPARTMENT
                  OF TRANSPORTATION, FEDERAL RAILROAD
                    ADMINISTRATION, AND THE FEDERAL
                  MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY ADMINISTRATION

=======================================================================

                                HEARING

                               before the

                         COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE,
                      SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
                          UNITED STATES SENATE

                    ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

                             FIRST SESSION

                               __________

                           SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

                               __________

    Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                             Transportation




                 [GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
               



                Available online: http://www.govinfo.gov


                               ______
                                 

                 U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE

54-182 PDF                WASHINGTON : 2023










       SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION

                    ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

                             FIRST SESSION

                   MARIA CANTWELL, Washington, Chair

AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota             ROGER WICKER, Mississippi, Ranking
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut      JOHN THUNE, South Dakota
BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii                 ROY BLUNT, Missouri
EDWARD MARKEY, Massachusetts         TED CRUZ, Texas
GARY PETERS, Michigan                DEB FISCHER, Nebraska
TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin             JERRY MORAN, Kansas
TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois            DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska
JON TESTER, Montana                  MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee
KYRSTEN SINEMA, Arizona              TODD YOUNG, Indiana
JACKY ROSEN, Nevada                  MIKE LEE, Utah
BEN RAY LUJAN, New Mexico            RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin
JOHN HICKENLOOPER, Colorado          SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West 
RAPHAEL WARNOCK, Georgia                 Virginia
                                     RICK SCOTT, Florida
                                     CYNTHIA LUMMIS, Wyoming

                    David Strickland, Staff Director
                 Melissa Porter, Deputy Staff Director
       George Greenwell, Policy Coordinator and Security Manager
                 John Keast, Republican Staff Director
            Crystal Tully, Republican Deputy Staff Director
                      Steven Wall, General Counsel








                            C O N T E N T S

                              ----------                              
                                                                   Page
Hearing held on September 22, 2021...............................     1
Statement of Senator Cantwell....................................     1
Statement of Senator Wicker......................................     3
Statement of Senator Klobuchar...................................    61
Statement of Senator Fischer.....................................    64
Statement of Senator Blackburn...................................    66
Statement of Senator Markey......................................    67
Statement of Senator Lummis......................................    68
Statement of Senator Sullivan....................................    71
Statement of Senator Rosen.......................................    73

                               Witnesses

Victoria Marie Baecher Wassmer, Nominee to be Chief Financial 
  Officer, Department of Transportation..........................     5
    Prepared statement...........................................     6
    Biographical information.....................................     7
Mohsin Raza Syed, Nominee to be Assistant Secretary of 
  Governmental Affairs, Department of Transportation.............    18
    Prepared statement...........................................    19
    Biographical information.....................................    20
Amitabha Bose, Nominee to be Administrator, Federal Railroad 
  Administration.................................................    28
    Prepared statement...........................................    29
    Biographical information.....................................    30
Meera Joshi, Nominee to be Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier 
  Safety Administration..........................................    41
    Prepared statement...........................................    42
    Biographical information.....................................    43

                                Appendix

Opposition Letter re: Meera Joshi from Members of NYC Taxi 
  Medallion Owner Driver Association.............................    79
Response to written questions submitted to Victoria Wassmer by:
    Hon. Kyrsten Sinema..........................................    80
    Hon. Mike Lee................................................    80
    Hon. Rick Scott..............................................    81
    Hon. Cynthia Lummis..........................................    82
Response to written questions submitted to Mohsin Raza Syed by:
    Hon. Kyrsten Sinema..........................................    82
    Hon. Raphael Warnock.........................................    83
    Hon. Rick Scott..............................................    84
Response to written questions submitted to Amitabha Bose by:
    Hon. Maria Cantwell..........................................    85
    Hon. Gary Peters.............................................    86
    Hon. Kyrsten Sinema..........................................    87
    Hon. Raphael Warnock.........................................    88
    Hon. Dan Sullivan............................................    89
    Hon. Marsha Blackburn........................................    90
    Hon. Mike Lee................................................    91
    Hon. Rick Scott..............................................    93
Response to written questions submitted to Meera Joshi by:
    Hon. Maria Cantwell..........................................    94
    Hon. Kyrsten Sinema..........................................    95
    Hon. Roger Wicker............................................    96
    Hon. Marsha Blackburn........................................    97
    Hon. Mike Lee................................................    98
    Hon. Rick Scott..............................................    99
    Hon. Cynthia Lummis..........................................   100








 
                      NOMINATION TO THE DEPARTMENT
                  OF TRANSPORTATION, FEDERAL RAILROAD
                    ADMINISTRATION, AND THE FEDERAL
                  MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY ADMINISTRATION

                              ----------                              


                     WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

                                       U.S. Senate,
        Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
                                                    Washington, DC.
    The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:28 a.m. in 
room SR-253, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. Maria 
Cantwell, Chairwoman of the Committee, presiding.
    Present: Senators Cantwell [presiding], Klobuchar, Schatz, 
Markey, Peters, Baldwin, Tester, Rosen, Warnock, Wicker, Thune, 
Blunt, Fischer, Sullivan, Blackburn, Scott, and Lummis.

           OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. MARIA CANTWELL, 
                  U.S. SENATOR FROM WASHINGTON

    The Chairwoman. We have a distinguished list of nominees 
before our committee today that will touch all parts of our 
Nation's transportation system. We welcome the nominees and 
their families.
    We live in an increasingly global economy where more than 
95 percent of consumers live outside our borders. Americans and 
businesses need world-class infrastructure to reach their 
customers. So the Investment and Infrastructure Jobs Act, $567 
billion investment, will help just do that.
    We will invest in historic building and rail, including 
significant funding to address the longstanding repair backlog 
at Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and across the National Network, 
three billion in dedicated funding to address blocked grade 
crossings, and in my state, this is a very big issue as we have 
at least 50 rail crossings that are blocked by trains for an 
average of 2 hours every day.
    The congestion they cause keep goods from getting to their 
market, not to mention the frustration it causes workers and 
consumers. So it's critical that we address this congestion 
issue.
    The movement of freight is in the news today and it's a key 
economic driver for our country. More efficient movement of 
goods to and from ports helps increase jobs and spurs economic 
growth.
    The Infrastructure Bill also includes investment to address 
environmental impacts of our highways, railroads, and other 
infrastructure. For example, the bill would create a new fund 
grant program aimed at restoring helping the other 
infrastructure and replacing old culverts and fish passage.
    This is a huge priority for the Pacific Northwest and many 
other parts of the country where Federal transportation 
infrastructure has challenged some of our other environmental 
impacts. So we have an opportunity to work with our local and 
regional partners to solve these issues, to bolster our 
economy, and help America recover.
    Today we will consider nominees that will play an important 
role in addressing these infrastructure issues.
    First, we will consider the nomination of Amitabha Bose to 
be the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration. 
Mr. Bose currently serves as Deputy Administrator for FRA and 
brings nearly two decades of public service on transportation 
rail issues. This includes serving in the senior level at the 
Department of Transportation and FRA.
    As the Administrator, Mr. Bose will be a principal advisor 
to the Secretary on railroad affairs and will lead the FRA in 
developing rail policy, including safety regulations and 
initiatives.
    The experience that Mr. Bose has gained in his years of 
service at FRA and the Department of Transportation make him 
uniquely qualified to fill this important role. I look forward 
to his confirmation.
    Next, we will consider the nomination of Meera Joshi to be 
the Administrator of Federal Motor Carrier Safety 
Administration. Mr. Joshi currently serves as the Deputy 
Administrator and senior official at the organization and 
brings to the position more than 16 years of experience leading 
government oversight agencies and primarily to prevent 
commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries.
    If confirmed, Mr. Joshi will be responsible for directing 
the agency's National Safety and Enforcement Program for Motor 
Carrier Safety and Mr. Joshi's experience regulating and 
ensuring the safety for hire of transportation in New York will 
provide valuable perspectives as the Administrator. I look 
forward to the confirmation.
    Next, we will consider the nomination of Victoria Wassmer 
to be the Chief Financial Officer of the Department of 
Transportation. Ms. Wassmer currently served as the Deputy 
Assistant Secretary for Finance and Budget of the Department of 
Transportation.
    Ms. Wassmer has a long history of public service, including 
at the FAA where she has held several senior positions, 
including serving as the Acting Deputy Administrator, Chief 
Next Gen Officer, and Chief Financial Officer.
    As CFO of the department, she brings considerable 
experience in managing the budget and I hope we'll have a 
chance to ask questions on those issues.
    And finally, we will consider the nomination of Mohsin Syed 
to be the Assistant Secretary of Government Affairs of the 
Department of Transportation. Mr. Syed's career in public 
service includes positions at the Department of Transportation, 
the Majority Chief Counsel for the House Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure, and Minority Staff Director 
for the Subcommittee on Aviation Safety and Security. So I look 
forward to working with him and ensuring this committee's 
priorities are communicated to the department and that we can 
achieve our shared goals of improving safety and fostering 
innovation.
    So thank you to the nominees for your willingness to serve.
    Senator Wicker, I don't know if you want to do likewise and 
make your statement.
    Senator Wicker. Yes, that would be fine.
    The Chairwoman. I would say to members at the end of that, 
if we don't have our quorum, I don't know if staff can give us 
an update on whether we're likely to see two more of our 
colleagues. If not, then we will have to consider moving the 
Executive Session to--off the Floor at some point in time.
    Senator Wicker.

                STATEMENT OF HON. ROGER WICKER, 
                 U.S. SENATOR FROM MISSISSIPPI

    Senator Wicker. Thank you, Madam Chair, for holding this 
hearing to consider four important nominations to posts within 
the Department of Transportation.
    Ms. Victoria Wassmer to be Assistant Secretary for Budget 
and Programs and Chief Financial Officer; Mr. Mohsin Syed to be 
the Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs; Mr. Amitabha 
Bose to be Administrator of the Federal Railroad 
Administration; and Ms. Meera Joshi to be the Administrator of 
the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
    I want to welcome Mr. Syed back to our committee where he 
once served as Professional Staff Member handling aviation 
issues, and I note for the Committee his further experience on 
transportation issues as the Chief Counsel on the House 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
    Additionally, he has been handling the job responsibilities 
of the Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs in an 
acting capacity since January of this year.
    These credentials are indicative of Mr. Syed's experience 
working with Congress and he should be prepared for the demands 
of this position.
    I also want to extend a welcome to Mr. Syed's wife, Sehar, 
and thank her for attending today's hearing.
    Ms. Wassmer has served in a number of financial and 
administrative positions in government and the private sector, 
including her current role as Deputy Assistant Secretary for 
Finance and Budget at the Department of Transportation.
    I look forward to hearing her testimony regarding her goals 
and plans if she is confirmed as an Assistant Secretary and the 
Chief Financial Officer at DOT.
    Mr. Bose has held numerous posts at the Federal Railroad 
Administration, including Senior Advisor, Chief Counsel, and 
Deputy Administrator, during the Obama Administration. The work 
he performed in these positions, along with his current service 
as Acting Administrator and Deputy Administrator, has been 
invaluable preparation for the Senate-confirmed position of FRA 
Administrator.
    I'm grateful for Mr. Bose's interest in restoring the 
passenger rail service of the Gulf Coast. After a 16-year 
interruption to service following Hurricane Katrina, I 
appreciate that he understands the vital economic impact that 
would result from restarting the passenger rail line on the 
Gulf Coast.
    Ms. Joshi is currently serving as Deputy Administrator at 
the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and she has 
worked for many years as General Counsel and then Chair and CEO 
of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission.
    I look forward to hearing from her today about how her 
experience has prepared her to lead the important safety 
initiatives that she would oversee if confirmed to be 
Administrator.
    I want to thank all the nominees for their willingness to 
serve and for their appearance before the Committee today and I 
yield back to you, Madam Chair.
    The Chairwoman. Thank you, Senator Wicker.
    I think we're just moments away from having the ability to 
mark up these nominees. So I would ask my colleagues for their 
indulgence here and turn to our motion script. We are just 
awaiting one further colleague who's making their way hopefully 
down the hallway, not Senator Tester. He's already here, which 
we very much appreciate.
    So I would say to our colleagues I know that, you know, we 
all are watching what's been going on with negotiations between 
our colleagues, but we clearly have a September 30 deadline on 
transportation infrastructure and hope that we can all work 
together on the good work that we were able to move out of this 
committee and continue to work together to meet those deadlines 
and pass infrastructure legislation.
    I think the work that this committee did on making 
investments in key areas, some of the nominees will be able to 
answer questions about these today, but our new programs that 
are really targeted at helping our investment in moving product 
and people and this is critically important as we see ships off 
the coast in the Pacific waiting, trying to get product into 
docks, as we see shortages of truck drivers getting product 
moved across the country, and again stories of people about 
whether they're going to be even able to deliver supplies for 
the Christmas holidays, and the infrastructure needs that we 
need to continue to just move products and services.
    So look forward very much for us to continuing to work 
together collectively to get that legislation over the goal 
line and get those new infrastructure investments helping our 
economy grow for the future and certainly hope that we can 
continue to address workforce issues as it relates to the 
transportation sector.
    While this isn't the prime responsibility of this 
committee, I do think that there is some oversight role that we 
have on transportation workforce and clearly growing a 
workforce in these transportation sectors will be critical to 
meeting the demand when we come out of the pandemic.
    So anyway, I just wanted to make that point because of our 
surface transportation deadlines of the end of this month.
    Any further comments by any of the Committee members?
    [No response.]
    [Pause.]
    The Chairwoman. I ask the nominees to come up to the 
witness table and take their seats.
    Since Senator Wicker and I used our time effectively 
already to make opening statements, we'll just refer the record 
to that point of the Executive Session and also file our 
comments for the hearing.
    Again, we're very pleased to have the nominees before us 
today and thank you for your willingness to serve.
    So, Ms. Wassmer, we're going to start with you.

          STATEMENT OF VICTORIA MARIA BAECHER WASSMER,

             NOMINEE TO BE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER,

                  DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

    Ms. Wassmer. Chair Cantwell, Ranking Member Wicker, and 
Members of the Committee, I'm honored to appear before you 
today as President Biden's Nominee to be the Chief Financial 
Officer for the Department of Transportation.
    If confirmed, I will work every day to support the work of 
our department in ensuring that all Americans have access to 
safe, reliable transportation systems that everyone deserves.
    I'm joined today by my husband Franklin and my son 
Alexander. My son Christophe and my parents, along with other 
family members are watching remotely.
    My family's steadfast support and commitment to community 
and public engagement grounds me every day in the work that I 
do on behalf of the American people.
    Commitment to public service is what propelled me to spend 
the majority of my 30-year career in public service, including 
20 years in management and leadership positions within the 
Federal Government.
    Throughout my career I have been fortunate to serve in 
public and private sector positions that have focused on 
transportation programs. These experiences have grounded me in 
a solid understanding of the vital role that transportation 
plays in supporting our economy and in providing Americans with 
access to opportunities and services that enrich our lives.
    Today our transportation systems are more connected than 
ever and are critical for our Nation's economic success and 
competitive positioning in a global economy.
    New technologies deliver efficiencies, conveniences, and 
new transportation options that done well will reduce the 
transportation sector's impact on the environment and ensure 
transportation safety.
    Transportation safety is a passion of mine and it remains 
the highest priority at the department. I look forward to 
working closely with the Secretary and the leadership team on 
new and innovative ways to make our current and future 
transportation systems more effective as well as safer for 
everyone.
    I'm also keenly aware of the important responsibilities 
that public servants have in safeguarding Federal resources. If 
confirmed as the Chief Financial Officer, I will do my best to 
provide Secretary Buttigieg and our leadership team with the 
tools, talents, and systems needed for wise resource 
stewardship. These include a top-notch financial management 
system that is transparent and accountable, in addition to a 
financial and budget management team of professionals that are 
second to none.
    In my previous roles I have learned the importance of 
establishing strong systems of enterprise risk management and 
internal controls so that checks and balances are built into 
our programs and financial systems in order to manage risk, 
maximize effectiveness, and provide transparency. Together, 
these tools are invaluable to wise management of the 
department's resources.
    They help ensure an effective control environment so that 
reliable information is available to assist all levels of the 
department in decisionmaking and project management.
    Early on in my Federal career, I learned firsthand the 
importance of how the Federal budget can demonstrate the 
department's strategic goals and direction. Ideally, the 
priorities and choices made in the department's Federal budget 
allows resources to deliver on strategic priorities.
    Likewise, a commitment to analyzing performance and program 
effectiveness and embedding a virtuous feedback loop are 
critical to any high-performing organization, especially 
public-serving institutions.
    Through program evaluation and performance reviews we can 
learn important lessons that confirm if our programs are 
operating as envisioned and to make adaptive changes if they 
are not.
    I believe by analyzing data and looking at spending trends 
we gain valuable insights that can help guide us in future 
planning. In my view, financial stewardship does not end when 
monies are spent.
    I'm committed to working collaboratively and accountably as 
a team and creating an environment that brings out the best in 
everyone as we work together to take the department and our 
programs to new levels in the years to come.
    Growing up my parents instilled in me the belief that 
public service is a noble calling and it's an honor to work in 
service of others.
    If confirmed, I will do my very best to serve the 
Department of Transportation with excellence and to safeguard 
its financial resources to the best of my ability.
    Thank you and I welcome any questions you may have.
    [The prepared statement and biographical information of Ms. 
Wassmer follow:]

            Prepared Statement of Victoria Baecher Wassmer,
Nominee for Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Budget 
              Programs, U.S. Department of Transportation
    Chair Cantwell, Ranking Member Wicker and members of the Committee, 
I am honored to appear before you today as President Biden's nominee to 
be the Chief Financial Officer at the Department of Transportation. If 
confirmed, I will work every day to support the work of our Department 
in ensuring that all Americans have access to safe and reliable 
transportation systems that everyone deserves.
    I am joined today by my husband Franklin and my son Alexander. My 
son Christophe along with my parents and other family members are 
watching remotely. My family's steadfast support and commitment to 
community and public engagement grounds me every day in the work I do 
on behalf of the American people.
    Commitment to public service is what propelled me to spend the 
majority of my 30-year professional career in public service, including 
twenty years in management and leadership positions within the Federal 
government. Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to serve in the 
public and private sector concentrating on transportation programs. 
These experiences have helped me gain a solid understanding of the 
vital role transportation plays in supporting our economy, and in 
providing Americans with access to opportunities and services that 
enrich our lives.
    Today, our transportation systems are more connected than ever and 
are critical for our Nation's economic success and competitive 
positioning in a global economy. New technologies deliver efficiencies, 
conveniences, and new transportation options that done well will reduce 
the transportation sector's impact on the environment and ensure 
transportation safety. Let me note that transportation safety is a 
passion of mine, and it remains the highest priority at the Department. 
I look forward to working closely with the Secretary and the leadership 
team on new and innovative ways to make our current and future 
transportation systems more effective as well as safer for everyone.
    I am also keenly aware of the important responsibilities public 
servants have in safeguarding Federal resources. If confirmed as the 
Department's Chief Financial Officer, I will do my best to provide 
Secretary Buttigieg and our leadership team with the tools, talent and 
systems needed for wise resource stewardship. These include a top-notch 
financial management system that is transparent and accountable, in 
addition to a financial and budget management team of professionals 
that are second to none. In my previous roles, I have learned the 
importance of establishing strong systems of enterprise risk management 
and internal controls so that checks and balances are built into our 
programs and financial systems in order to manage risk, maximize 
effectiveness and provide transparency. Together, these tools are 
invaluable to wise management of the Department's resources--they help 
ensure an effective control environment so that reliable information is 
available to assist all levels of the Department in decision-making and 
project management.
    Early on in my Federal career, I learned firsthand the importance 
of how the Federal budget can demonstrate the Department's strategic 
goals and direction. Indeed, done well, the priorities and choices made 
in a Department's Federal budget align resources to deliver on 
strategic priorities. Likewise, a commitment to analyzing performance 
and program effectiveness and embedding a virtuous feedback loop to 
future budget decisions are critical for any high performing 
organization, especially public serving institutions, to deliver on 
their goals and objectives.
    Through program evaluations and performance reviews, we can learn 
important lessons that confirm if our programs are operating as 
envisioned and to make adaptive changes if they are not. I believe by 
analyzing data and looking at spending trends, we gain valuable 
insights that can help guide us in future planning. In my view, 
financial stewardship responsibilities don't end when monies are spent.
    I am committed to working collaboratively and accountably as a team 
and creating an environment that brings out the best in everyone as we 
work together to take the Department and our programs to new levels in 
the years to come.
    Growing up, my parents instilled in me the belief that public 
service is a noble calling, and it is an honor to work in service of 
others. If confirmed, I will do my very best to serve the Department of 
Transportation with excellence and to safeguard its financial resources 
to the best of my ability.
    Thank you, and I welcome any questions you may have.
                                 ______
                                 
                      a. biographical information
    1. Name (Include any former names or nicknames used):

        Victoria Baecher Wassmer.
        Former name: Victoria Baecher (maiden name).

    2. Position to which nominated: Chief Financial Officer, Department 
of Transportation.
    3, Date of Nomination: 4/12/2021.
    4. Address (List current place of residence and office addresses):

        Residence: Information not released to the public.
        Office: 1200 New Jersey Ave, SE, Washington, DC 20590.

    5. Date and Place of Birth: 05/06/1967; Chicago, IL.
    6. Provide the name, position, and place of employment for your 
spouse (if married) and the names and ages of your children (including 
stepchildren and children by a previous marriage).

   Spouse--Franklin Wassmer, Director of Data, EL Haynes Public 
        Charter School.

   Child--Alexander Wassmer, 23.

   Child--Christophe Wassmer, 21.

    7. List all college and graduate degrees. Provide year and school 
attended.

   Bryn Mawr College, BA, degree received in 1990
   Harvard Kennedy School of Government, MPP, degree received 
        in 1995.

    8. List all post-undergraduate employment, and highlight all 
management level jobs held and any non-managerial jobs that relate to 
the position for which you are nominated.
Nomination Position Related Management Level positions:
        Deputy Assistant Secretary for Finance and Budget, Office of 
        the Secretary, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, 1200 New Jersey 
        Avenue, SE, Washington, DC, January 2021 to present

        Managing Director, ERNST & YOUNG LLP, 1775 Tysons Blvd, Tysons, 
        VA, May 2019-January 2021

        Director of Agency Operations, Office of the City 
        Administrator, GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, 1350 
        Pennsylvania Ave, NW Washington, DC, February 2018-March 2019

        Assistant Administrator, Office of Finance and Management, 
        FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, 800 Independence Ave, SW, 
        Washington DC, August 2011-February 2018

        Acting Deputy Administrator & Chief NextGen Officer, Office of 
        Administrator, FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, 800 
        Independence Ave, SW, Washington, DC, July 2016-June 2017

        Vice President/CFO, Administration & Finance, MILLENNIUM 
        CHALLENGE CORPORATION, 875 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC, May 
        2010-August 2011

        FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, 800 Independence Ave, SW, 
        Washington DC, November 2004-May 2010 (Manager to Executive 
        roles listed below)

     Manager, Performance & Cost Analysis Division, Office of 
            Budget, November 2004 to September 2007

     Deputy Director, Office of Budget, September 2007 to 
            February 2009

     Deputy Assistant Administrator/CFO, Office of Finance 
            Services, February 2009 to May 2010
Nomination Position Related non-managerial positions Post Graduate 
        School:
        Senior Associate, CARMEN GROUP, 1301 K Street, NW, Washington, 
        DC, 20005, February 2003-November 2004

        Capital Program Analyst, Office of Capital Programming and 
        Oversight, WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITY, 600 5th 
        St, NW, Washington, DC, 20001, March 2002-February 2003

        OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET, 725 17th St, NW, Washington, 
        DC, 20503, January 1996-February 2002 (Listed in Chronological 
        Order)

                Policy Analyst/Special Assistant (GS 11, GS 12, GS 13), 
                Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, January 
                1996-November 1998

                Program Examiner/Acting Branch Chief Transportation 
                Branch (GS 13 & GS 14), Transportation Branch, November 
                1998-February 2002
Post Undergraduate Employment
        Research Assistant, DEVELOPMENT BANK OF SOUTHERN AFRICA, 1685 
        Midrand, South Africa, summer June-August 1994

        Research Assistant, INSTITUTE FOR POLICY STUDIES, Washington, 
        DC, May-August 1993

        Development Consultant, ALEXANDRA CIVIC ORGANIZATION, Alexandra 
        Township, South Africa, January-June 1992

        Project Manager, STEIN & COMPANY, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 
        October 1990-December 1991 & June-September 1992

        Job Developer, CHICAGO WOMEN IN TRADES, Chicago, Illinois, 
        August 1989-September 1990

    9. Attach a copy of your resume.
    See attached.
    10. List any advisory, consultative, honorary, or other part-time 
service or positions with Federal, State, or local governments, other 
than those listed above, within the last ten years.

        Commissioner (Alternate), Washington Metrorail Safety 
        Commission (August 2020-January 2021)

    11. List all positions held as an officer, director, trustee, 
partner, proprietor, agent, representative, or consultant of any 
corporation, company, firm, partnership, or other business, enterprise, 
educational, or other institution within the last ten years.

        Trustee, Maret School Board of Trustees, Washington, DC (June 
        2018 to present)

    12. Please list each membership you have had during the past ten 
years or currently hold with any civic, social, charitable, 
educational, political, professional, fraternal, benevolent or 
religiously affiliated organization, private club, or other membership 
organization. (For this question, you do not have to list your 
religious affiliation or membership in a religious house of worship or 
institution.). Include dates of membership and any positions you have 
held with any organization. Please note whether any such club or 
organization restricts membership on the basis of sex, race, color, 
religion, national origin, age, or disability.

        Member, Bryn Mawr College, Presidential Advisory Committee 
        (April 2012-October 2015)

    13. Have you ever been a candidate for and/or held a public office 
(elected, non elected, or appointed)? If so, indicate whether any 
campaign has any outstanding debt, the amount, and whether you are 
personally liable for that debt.
    No, I have not.
    14. List all memberships and offices held with and services 
rendered to, whether compensated or not, any political party or 
election committee within the past ten years. If you have held a paid 
position or served in a formal or official advisory position (whether 
compensated or not) in a political campaign within the past ten years, 
identify the particulars of the campaign, including the candidate, year 
of the campaign, and your title and responsibilities.
    Not applicable.
    15. Itemize all political contributions to any individual, campaign 
organization, political party, political action committee, or similar 
entity of $200 or more for the past ten years.

        Ernst & Young (EY) PAC, 2/29/2020, $300
        Kamala Harris for the People, 2/13/2019, $500

    16. List all scholarships, fellowships, honorary degrees, honorary 
society memberships, military medals, and any other special recognition 
for outstanding service or achievements.

   Federal Aviation Administration, Senior Executive Service 
        Member, 2009

   Office of Management and Budget, Special Achievement Award, 
        2001

   Harvard Institute for International Development, Summer 
        Travel Grant, 1994

    Please list each book, article, column, Internet blog posting, or 
other publication you have authored, individually or with others. 
Include a link to each publication when possible. Also list any 
speeches that you have given on topics relevant to the position for 
which you have been nominated. Do not attach copies of these 
publications unless otherwise instructed.

   December, 2020, Tracing My Roots, https://www.youtube.com/
        watch?v=WsSX
        29rlyw8, I created this video last year that's been shared at 
        work and with family.

   October, 2020, Perry House Histories, https://
        digitalproiects.brynmawr.edu/
        perryhousehistories/acknowledgements/, I participated in an 
        oral history project for Perry House at Bryn Mawr College.

   April, 2020, Government Matters: Transformation by Design, 
        https://govmat
        ters.tv/transformation-by-design/, I appeared as a guest on the 
        broadcast as part of my work at EY.

   April, 1995, Managing organizational change in a quasi-
        public organization: implementation of organizational reform at 
        Massport with labor as a partner, https://hollis.harvard.edu/
        primo-explore/search?tab=everything&search_scope=
        everything&vid=HVD2lang=en_US&mode=basic&offset=0&guery=lsr0l,co
        ntains
        ,990056915350203941, I published a Policy Analysis Exercise 
        with a partner for my graduate studies.
    17. List all digital platforms (including social media and other 
digital content sites) on which you currently or have formerly operated 
an account, regardless of whether or not the account was held in your 
name or an alias. Include the name of an ''alias'' or ``handle'' you 
have used on each of the named platforms. Indicate whether the account 
is active, deleted, or dormant. Include a link to each account if 
possible.

   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-wassmer/

    19. Please identify each instance in which you have testified 
orally or in writing before Congress in a governmental or non-
governmental capacity and specify the date and subject matter of each 
testimony.

   October 20, 2015, Senate Energy and Natural Resources 
        Committee, Nomination as the Under Secretary at the Department 
        of Energy: https://www
        .energy.senate.gov/services/files/1D449CD1-33C8-43D3-A1E7-
        9B221l0442E58

   December 17, 2013, Senate Environment and Public Works 
        Committee, Nomination as the Chief Financial Officer at the 
        Environmental Protection Agency: https://www.epa.gov/sites/
        production/files/2015-08/documents/2013_12.17
        _wassmer_nomination.pdf

    20. Given the current mission, major programs, and major 
operational objectives of the department/agency to which you have been 
nominated, what in your background or employment experience do you 
believe affirmatively qualifies you for appointment to the position for 
which you have been nominated, and why do you wish to serve in that 
position?
    I am eager to bring my mix of leadership skills and management 
experience to the Department of Transportation as the nominee for CFO. 
I have served in senior executive financial management roles at the 
Federal Aviation Administration (Deputy CFO, Assistant Administrator 
for Finance and Management, acting Deputy Administrator) and at the 
Millennium Challenge Corporation (Vice President for Administration and 
Finance & CFO). Those executive positions provide me a strong 
foundation for the role for which I have the honor to be nominated. I 
have worked with C-suite Management teams and Boards, advising on 
Federal budgets, financial management concerns, internal controls, 
enterprise risk management and program performance.
    And, I will also draw upon my first years of service in Federal 
government at the Office of Management and Budget, where I had 
oversight responsibilities for different surface transportation 
operating administrations, including the National Highway Traffic 
Safety Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration and the 
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
    21. What do you believe are your responsibilities, if confirmed, to 
ensure that the department/agency has proper management and accounting 
controls, and what experience do you have in managing a large 
organization?
    In the position that I am nominated for, I will be directly 
responsible for the management and accounting controls at the 
Department. My experience in Federal service, particularly at the FAA, 
where I was responsible for the Finance and Management organization, 
provide me with a strong foundation for this nomination. At the FAA, I 
was responsible for its $16 billion annual budget and all financial 
management services of the agency. This included the Franchise Fund and 
the Federal financial shared service provider, the Enterprise Service 
Center, which serves as a provider for all of the Department's 
financial accounting along with other Federal customers, including the 
SEC and GAO. I have worked with senior teams and third party auditors, 
as they performed the financial statement audits. I have also worked to 
improve the internal controls and enterprise risk management practices, 
including updating agency practices based upon the latest Office of 
Management and Budget guidance.
    22. What do you believe to be the top three challenges facing the 
department/agency, and why?
    Three challenges at DOT that I am mindful of are:

  (1)  Managing the significant emergency COVID-l9 relief funds 
        provided by Congress in response to the pandemic.

  (2)  The structural imbalance of the Highway Trust Fund in relation 
        to the receipts coming into the fund and the planned 
        expenditures from the fund.

  (3)  Succession planning of the Federal workforce, including in our 
        safety, financial and program organizations.
                   b. potential conflicts of interest
    1. Describe all financial arrangements, deferred compensation 
agreements, and other continuing dealings with business associates, 
clients, or customers. Please include information related to retirement 
accounts.
    My arrangements are fully described in Part 3 of my Public 
Financial Disclosure Report.
    2. Do you have any commitments or agreements, formal or informal, 
to maintain employment, affiliation, or practice with any business, 
association or other organization during your appointment? If so, 
please explain.
    No, I do not.
    3. Indicate any investments, obligations, liabilities, or other 
relationships which could involve potential conflicts of interest in 
the position to which you have been nominated. Explain how you will 
resolve each potential conflict of interest.
    In connection with the nomination process, I have consulted with 
the Office of the Government Ethics and the Department of 
Transportation's Designated Agency Ethics Official to identify 
potential conflicts of interest. Any potential conflicts of interest 
will be resolved in accordance with the terms of the ethics agreement I 
have entered into with DOT's Designated Agency Ethics Official and that 
has been provided to this Committee. I am not aware of any other 
potential conflicts of interest.
    4. Describe any business relationship, dealing, or financial 
transaction which you have had during the last ten years, whether for 
yourself, on behalf of a client, or acting as an agent, that could in 
any way constitute or result in a possible conflict of interest in the 
position to which you have been nominated. Explain how you will resolve 
each potential conflict of interest.
    In connection with the nomination process, I have consulted with 
the Office of the Government Ethics and the Department of 
Transportation's Designated Agency Ethics Official to identify 
potential conflicts of interest. Any potential conflicts of interest 
will be resolved in accordance with the terms of the ethics agreement I 
have entered into with DOT's Designated Agency Ethics Official and that 
has been provided to this Committee. I am not aware of any other 
potential conflicts of interest.
    5. Identify any other potential conflicts of interest, and explain 
how you will resolve each potential conflict of interest.
    In connection with the nomination process, I have consulted with 
the Office of the Government Ethics and the Department of 
Transportation's Designated Agency Ethics Official to identify 
potential conflicts of interest. Any potential conflicts of interest 
will be resolved in accordance with the terms of the ethics agreement I 
have entered into with DOT's Designated Agency Ethics Official and that 
has been provided to this Committee. I am not aware of any other 
potential conflicts of interest.
    6. Describe any activity during the past ten years, including the 
names of clients represented, in which you have been engaged for the 
purpose of directly or indirectly influencing the passage, defeat, or 
modification of any legislation or affecting the administration and 
execution of law or public policy. None.
                            c. legal matters
    1. Have you ever been disciplined or cited for a breach of ethics, 
professional misconduct, or retaliation by, or been the subject of a 
complaint to, any court, administrative agency, the Office of Special 
Counsel, professional association, disciplinary committee, or other 
professional group?
    No, I have not.
    If yes:

  a.  Provide the name of agency, association, committee, or group;

  b.  Provide the date the citation, disciplinary action, complaint, or 
        personnel action was issued or initiated;

  c.  Describe the citation, disciplinary action, complaint, or 
        personnel action;

  d.  Provide the results of the citation, disciplinary action, 
        complaint, or personnel action.

    2. Have you ever been investigated, arrested, charged, or held by 
any Federal, State, or other law enforcement authority of any Federal, 
State, county, or municipal entity, other than for a minor traffic 
offense? If so, please explain.
    No, I have not.
    3. Have you or any business or nonprofit of which you are or were 
an officer ever been involved as a party in an administrative agency 
proceeding, criminal proceeding, or civil litigation? If so, please 
explain.
    No, I have not.
    4. Have you ever been convicted (including pleas of guilty or nolo 
contendere) of any criminal violation other than a minor traffic 
offense? If so, please explain.
    No, I have not.
    5. Have you ever been accused, formally or informally, of sexual 
harassment or discrimination on the basis of sex, race, religion, or 
any other basis? If so, please explain.
    No, I have not.
    6. Please advise the Committee of any additional information, 
favorable or unfavorable, which you feel should be disclosed in 
connection with your nomination. None.
                     d. relationship with committee
    1. Will you ensure that your department/agency complies with 
deadlines for information set by congressional committees, and that 
your department/agency endeavors to timely comply with requests for 
information from individual Members of Congress, including requests 
from members in the minority?
    Yes, I commit to timely compliance.
    2. Will you ensure that your department/agency does whatever it can 
to protect congressional witnesses and whistle blowers from reprisal 
for their testimony and disclosures?
    Yes, I commit to doing so.
    3. Will you cooperate in providing the Committee with requested 
witnesses, including technical experts and career employees, with 
firsthand knowledge of matters of interest to the Committee?
    Yes, I will cooperate with the Committee.
    4. Are you willing to appear and testify before any duly 
constituted committee of the Congress on such occasions as you may be 
reasonably requested to do so?
    Yes, I agree.
                                 ______
                                 
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
                                 

    The Chairwoman. Thank you, Ms. Wassmer. Thank you so much.
    Mr. Syed, thank you for being here.

          STATEMENT OF MOHSIN RAZA SYED, NOMINEE TO BE

          ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS,

                  DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

    Mr. Syed. Thank you, Chair Cantwell, Ranking Member Wicker, 
and Members of the Committee.
    It is an honor to appear before you today as the Nominee 
for Assistant Secretary of Governmental Affairs at the U.S. 
Department of Transportation.
    I am grateful to President Biden for the nomination and to 
Secretary Buttigieg for his trust in me to fulfill the duties 
of this position.
    Here with me today is my wife Sehar Siddiqi whose love and 
support means everything. Sehar keeps me grounded and is a 
wonderful mother to our two young boys, Jafar and Babur. Jafar 
had a birthday on Monday, so Happy Birthday, Jafar, and Babur 
has a birthday coming up next week, so Happy Birthday, Babur, 
and we have another boy on the way this fall, so it's going to 
be a very busy couple of weeks.
    I'm also here today because of the love, hard work, and 
sacrifices of my parents, Shaukat and Ruby Syed, who left their 
loved ones in Pakistan to seek a better life in America. 
Together they raised three children, including my brother 
Hassan and sister Fatima, who are both physicians and like me 
are doing their best to give back to the country that has given 
our family so much.
    As a former congressional staffer, I am indebted to the 
opportunities provided to me by Senator Bill Nelson, 
Congressman Peter DeFazio, Senator Brian Schatz, and their 
leadership staffers, including Kim Lipsky, Susie Perez Quinn, 
Kathy Dedrick, and Arun Revana.
    Assisting me in my current role as the Principal Deputy 
Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs at the department 
has been a truly talented team of career and non-career 
professionals. Thank you for being such wonderful teammates.
    As a veterinarian trained in Pakistan, my father's 
professional background led to a 42-year career with the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture. Having been raised in the
    Washington, D.C., suburbs, my neighbors, like my father, 
worked for agencies across the Federal Government. This was my 
community, a community in which working in government was a 
meaningful way to serve our country and provide for our 
families.
    Growing up in a family and community grounded in public 
service has greatly influenced the opportunities I have pursued 
throughout my career, including serving as a civilian 
intelligence officer with the Defense Intelligence Agency, a 
career attorney at the U.S. Department of Transportation, and a 
staffer in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.
    These are the public service values and experiences I will 
bring to the position of Assistant Secretary of Governmental 
Affairs if confirmed.
    As a career attorney in the Office of the General Counsel, 
I learned about the many different aspects of the work done 
within the department and its operating administrations. I 
subsequently had the honor of working for two of the 
department's congressional authorizing committees, the Senate 
Commerce Committee and it's great to be home and the House 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
    In both positions I worked on key legislative and oversight 
priorities for then Ranking Member Bill Nelson and Chair Peter 
DeFazio, respectively. I cherish the bipartisan relationships 
that I developed during my tenure on both committees, our 
collective accomplishments, and the opportunity to work on 
every aspect of the department's mission.
    Working previously at the department and later for its key 
congressional authorizing committees helped me to understand 
how important it is for the Administration and Congress to have 
a close working relationship. I recognize that Congress has a 
constitutional duty to conduct oversight and legislate policy 
and it is my responsibility in the role for which I have been 
nominated to be available, responsive, and helpful to your 
efforts.
    If confirmed, my experience will help me serve the needs of 
Congress at the department as well as those of states and local 
governments and tribal communities.
    I also want to address the dedicated teams of staffers and 
public servants who help make Congress run, who serve Governors 
and mayors and local leaders and who support tribal communities 
across the country. I am one of you. I know what it is like to 
need timely information from a government agency to inform a 
principal, to assist constituents, conduct agency oversight, 
and enact good policy.
    If confirmed, my team and I will clearly communicate 
department wide, meeting statutory deadlines, responding 
robustly to oversight requests, and implementing laws passed by 
Congress is essential to achieving the department's mission of 
ensuring the safety and efficiency of the country's 
transportation system.
    In closing, thank you again for this opportunity to appear 
before you today. If confirmed, I look forward to continuing my 
work with this committee and being your direct link to the U.S. 
Department of Transportation. Thank you and I'm happy to answer 
your questions.
    [The prepared statement and biographical information of Mr. 
Syed follow:]

    Prepared Statement of Mohsin Raza Syed, Nominee to be Assistant 
 Secretary for Governmental Affairs, U.S. Department of Transportation
    Chair Cantwell, Ranking Member Wicker, and Members of the 
Committee. It is an honor to appear before you today as the nominee for 
Assistant Secretary of Governmental Affairs at the U.S. Department of 
Transportation. I am grateful to President Biden for the nomination and 
to Secretary Buttigieg for his trust in me to fulfill the duties of 
this position.
    Here with me today is my wife, Sehar Siddiqi, whose love and 
support means everything. Sehar keeps me grounded and is a wonderful 
mother to our two young boys--Jafar and Babur. And we have another boy 
on the way this fall.
    I am also here today because of the love, hard work, and sacrifices 
of my parents, Shaukat and Ruby Syed, who left their loved ones in 
Pakistan to seek a better life in America. Together they raised three 
children, including my brother Hasan and sister Fatima, who are both 
physicians and like me are doing their best to give back to the country 
that has given our family so much.
    As a former congressional staffer, I am indebted to the 
opportunities provided to me by Senator Bill Nelson, Congressman Peter 
DeFazio, Senator Brian Schatz, and their leadership staffers, including 
Kim Lipsky, Susie Perez Quinn, Kathy Dedrick, and Arun Revana.
    Assisting me in my current role as Principal Deputy Assistant 
Secretary for Governmental Affairs at the Department has been a truly 
talented team of career and non-career professionals. Thank you for 
being such wonderful teammates.
    As a veterinarian trained in Pakistan, my father's professional 
background led to a 42-year career with the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture. Having been raised in the Washington, D.C. suburbs, my 
neighbors, like my father, worked for agencies across the Federal 
government. This was my community--a community in which working in 
government was a meaningful way to serve our country and provide for 
our families. Growing up in a family and community grounded in public 
service has greatly influenced the opportunities I have pursued 
throughout my career, including serving as a civilian intelligence 
officer with the Defense Intelligence Agency, a career attorney at the 
U.S. Department of Transportation, and a staffer in the U.S. Senate and 
U.S. House of Representatives. These are the public service values and 
experiences I will bring to the position of Assistant Secretary for 
Governmental Affairs, if confirmed.
    As a career attorney in the Office of the General Counsel, I 
learned about the many different aspects of the work done within the 
Department and its Operating Administrations. I subsequently had the 
honor of working for two of the Department's congressional authorizing 
committees--the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation (Senate Commerce) as well as the House Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure (House T&I). In both positions, I 
worked on key legislative and oversight priorities for then-Ranking 
Member Bill Nelson and Chair Peter DeFazio, respectively. I cherish the 
bipartisan relationships that I developed during my tenure on both 
committees, our collective accomplishments, and the opportunity to work 
on every aspect of the Department's mission--from aviation with Senate 
Commerce to aviation, surface, and maritime transportation matters with 
House T&I.
    Working previously at the Department and later for its key 
congressional authorizing committees helped me to understand how 
important it is for the administration and Congress to have a close 
working relationship. I recognize that Congress has a constitutional 
duty to conduct oversight and legislate policy, and it is my 
responsibility in the role for which I have been nominated to be 
available, responsive, and helpful to your efforts. If confirmed, my 
experience will help me serve the needs of Congress at the Department, 
as well as those of states and local governments and Tribal 
communities.
    I also want to address the dedicated teams of staffers and public 
servants who help make Congress run, who serve Governors, Mayors, and 
local leaders, and who support Tribal communities across the country. I 
am one of you--I know what it is like to need timely information from a 
government agency to inform a principal, assist constituents, conduct 
agency oversight, and enact good policy. If confirmed, my team and I 
will clearly communicate Department-wide that meeting statutory 
deadlines, responding robustly to oversight requests, and implementing 
laws passed by Congress is essential to achieving the Department's 
mission of ensuring the safety and efficiency of the country's 
transportation system.
    In closing, thank you again for the opportunity to appear before 
you today. If confirmed, I look forward to continuing my work with this 
committee and being your direct link to the U.S. Department of 
Transportation. Thank you, and I am happy to answer your questions.
                                 ______
                                 
                      a. biographical information
    1. Name (Include any former names or nicknames used): Mohsin Raza 
Syed.
    2. Position to which nominated: Assistant Secretary for 
Governmental Affairs, U.S. Department of Transportation.
    3. Date of Nomination: April 12, 2021.
    4. Address (List current place of residence and office addresses):

        Residence: Information not released to the public.
        Office: 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590.

    5. Date and Place of Birth: July 9, 1980; Morganton, NC.
    6. Provide the name, position, and place of employment for your 
spouse (if married) and the names and ages of your children (including 
stepchildren and children by a previous marriage).

        Wife--Sehar Siddiqi, Director, Fair Housing Policy and 
        Valuation, National Association of Realtors.

    7. List all college and graduate degrees. Provide year and school 
attended.

        B.A., University of Virginia, 2002.
        J.D., University of Virginia School of Law, 2008.

    8. List all post-undergraduate employment, and highlight all 
management level jobs held and any non-managerial jobs that relate to 
the position for which you are nominated.
Management-Level Jobs Related to Nominated Position
   January 2021 to present
     Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional 
            Affairs (Acting Assistant Secretary for Governmental 
            Affairs), U.S. Department of Transportation

   January 2019-January 2021
     Chief Counsel, House Committee on Transportation and 
            Infrastructure, Chair Peter DeFazio

   July 2016-January 2019
     Staff Director/Senior Counsel, for the Senate 
            Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, 
            Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security, 
            Ranking Member Bill Nelson
Non-Management-Level Jobs
   October 2014-July 2016; February 2018-March 2018
     Legislative Counsel, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson

     From February 2018 to March 2018, I briefly served as 
            Legislative Counsel in addition to my duties on the Senate 
            Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation as the 
            previous Legislative Counsel had left and Senator Nelson's 
            personal office needed assistance.

   February 2014-August 2014
     Legislative Fellow, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz

     During this time, I was employed and paid by the U.S. 
            Department of Transportation (DOT). However, I was assigned 
            as a Legislative Fellow to Senator Schatz's office for six 
            months as part of a congressional detail assignment. Once 
            that assignment ended in August 2014, I returned to DOT.

   October 2011-October 2014
     Attorney Advisor, U.S. Department of Transportation, 
            Office of the General Counsel, Office of Operations

   January 2011-Oetober 2011
     Associate, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

   September 2008-December 2010
     Associate, Arnold & Porter LLP

   May 2007-August 2007
     Summer Associate, Arnold & Porter LLP

   May 2006-August 2006
     Legal Intern, U.S. Department of Justice, 
            Counterterrorism Section

   July 2003-July 2005
     Intelligence Officer, Defense Intelligence Agency

   July 2002-July 2003
     Honors Paralegal, Federal Trade Commission, Bureau of 
            Competition

    9. Attach a copy of your resume.
    See attached.
    10. List any advisory, consultative, honorary, or other part-time 
service or positions with Federal, State, or local governments, other 
than those listed above, within the last ten years. None.
    11. List all positions held as an officer, director, trustee, 
partner, proprietor, agent, representative, or consultant of any 
corporation, company, firm, partnership, or other business, enterprise, 
educational, or other institution within the last ten years. None.
    12. Please list each membership you have had during the past ten 
years or currently hold with any civic, social, charitable, 
educational, political, professional, fraternal, benevolent or 
religiously affiliated organization, private club, or other membership 
organization. (For this question, you do not have to list your 
religious affiliation or membership in a religious house of worship or 
institution.).Include dates of membership and any positions you have 
held with any organization. Please note whether any such club or 
organization restricts membership on the basis of sex, race, color, 
religion, national origin, age, or disability.

   Member of Virginia Bar and District of Columbia Bar
   April 2013-April 2016--served on the board of the Allan and 
        Asian Pacific American Alumni Network (AAPAAN) at the 
        University of Virginia

    13. Have you ever been a candidate for and/or held a public office 
(elected, non elected, or appointed)? If so, indicate whether any 
campaign has any outstanding debt, the amount, and whether you are 
personally liable for that debt. No.
    14. List all memberships and offices held with and services 
rendered to, whether compensated or not, any political party or 
election committee within the past ten years. If you have held a paid 
position or served in a formal or official advisory position (whether 
compensated or not) in a political campaign within the past ten years, 
identify the particulars of the campaign, including the candidate, year 
of the campaign, and your title and responsibilities.

   Biden-Harris Campaign Infrastructure Policy Committee, 
        (battleground states subcommittee), 2020, Member/Volunteer

   Biden-Harris Campaign, GOTV volunteer, 2020

   Nelson for Senate Campaign, Voter Protection volunteer, 2018

   Clinton-Kaine Campaign, Voter Protection volunteer, 2016

   McAuliffe Virginia Gubernatorial Campaign, GOTV volunteer, 
        2013

    15. Itemize all political contributions to any individual, campaign 
organization, political party, political action committee, or similar 
entity of $200 or more for the past ten years.
    No individual or aggregate political contributions of $200 or more
    16. List all scholarships, fellowships, honorary degrees, honorary 
society memberships, military medals, and any other special recognition 
for outstanding service or achievements. None.
    17. Please list each book, article, column, Internet blog posting, 
or other publication you have authored, individually or with others. 
Include a link to each publication when possible. Also list any 
speeches that you have given on topics relevant to the position for 
which you have been nominated. Do not attach copies of these 
publications unless otherwise instructed.

   Articles--I have a memory of submitting a letter to the 
        editor in the fall of 2007 while attending the University of 
        Virginia School of Law to the school's newspaper, The Cavalier 
        Daily. However, no such letter to the editor is available in 
        the online archives. I reached out to a UVA librarian for 
        assistance, and the librarian could not find it either. I am 
        unclear if it was published but mentioning here out of an 
        abundance of caution.

   Speeches--As a Senate and House staffer, I had on occasion 
        participated in panel discussions involving question-and-answer 
        sessions. Because I lack access to my former Senate and House 
        calendars, I do not recall the exact times and panel hosts but 
        am happy to discuss further with the Committee.

    18. List all digital platforms (including social media and other 
digital content sites) on which you currently or have formerly operated 
an account, regardless of whether or not the account was held in your 
name or an alias. Include the name of an ``alias'' or ``handle'' you 
have used on each of the named platforms. Indicate whether the account 
is active, deleted, or dormant. Include a link to each account if 
possible.

   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=15l3142

   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohsin-syed-162299175/

   Pinterest: @mrsyed.6865 (not active--0 followers and 0 
        following)

   Yelp: Mohsin S. (not active--0 friends and 0 reviews)

    19. Please identify each instance in which you have testified 
orally or in writing before Congress in a governmental or non-
governmental capacity and specify the date and subject matter of each 
testimony. None.
    20. Given the current mission, major programs, and major 
operational objectives of the department/agency to which you have been 
nominated, what in your background or employment experience do you 
believe affirmatively qualifies you for appointment to the position for 
which you have been nominated, and why do you wish to serve in that 
position?
    My father immigrated to the United States in the 1970s. As a 
veterinarian trained in Pakistan, his professional background led to a 
42-year career in public service with the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture and an inspirational life for his kids in the suburbs of 
Washington, D.C. Like my father, my neighbor worked for agencies across 
the Federal government. This was my community-a community In which 
public service was a meaningful way to serve our country and provide 
for our families.
    This commitment to public service bas been a constant theme 
throughout my professional career--whether as an intelligence officer 
with the Defense Intelli1ence Agency, a career attorney at the U.S. 
Department of Transportation (DOT), and over six years of service in 
the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. This is the 
experience I will bring to the position of Assistant Secretary for 
Governmental Affairs at DOT.
    Speclftcally, I served for over three years as an Attorney-Advisor 
within DOT, where I learned about the many different aspects of the 
work done within the Department and its Operating Administrations. I 
also served with dedicated public servants, many of whom are thankfully 
still with the Department and a source of help to me when I navigate my 
current position as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for 
Congressional Affairs.
    I also had the good fortune of working for two of the Department's 
congressional authorizing committees--the Senate Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation as well as the House Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure. In both positions, I worked on key 
legislative and oversight priorities for then-Ranking Member Bill 
Nelson and Chair Peter DeFazio respectively specific to DOT. I cherish 
the bipartisan relationships that I developed during my tenure on both 
committees, our collective accomplishments, and the opportunity to work 
on every aspect of DOT's mission--from aviation to surface to maritime 
and everything in between. If confirmed, I am confident my Capitol Hill 
experience will help me serve the needs of Congress here at the 
Department.
    While I have not matched my father's 42 years of public service nor 
that or my neighbors growing up in Dale City, VA, I believe I am 
playing a small part on giving back to the country that has given so 
much to my family. If confirmed, I hope to continue this tradition of 
public service as Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs at DOT.
    21. What do you believe are your responsibilities, if confirmed, to 
ensure that the department/agency has proper management and accounting 
controls, and what experience do you have in managing a large 
organization?
    Having worked on legislative and oversight matters in the Senate 
and House on matters affecting DOT, I am mindful of the statutory 
deadlines and mandates Congress expects departments and agencies to 
meet in authorizing legislation. And especially with regards to 
congressional oversight, ensuring timely and complete responses from 
the Department is essential to developing and maintaining a trustful 
relationship. My team and I will clearly communicate Department-wide 
that meeting statutory deadlines, responding robustly to congressional 
oversight requests, and implementing laws passed by Congress is 
essential to meeting the Department's mission of ensuring the safety 
and efficiency of the country's transportation system. Having clarity 
with regards to goals and mission is how I previously managed teams on 
Capitol Hill--especially when working on legislation that have and 
continue to Impact DOT.
    22. What do you believe to be the top three challenges facing the 
department/agency, and why?
    The Department's primary challenge and responsibility is ensuring 
the safety of the country's transportation system. No matter the 
strides made on safety in any mode of transportation, the challenge 
always remains. Remaining vigilant and one step ahead of the next 
safety crisis will maintain the Department's credibility, continue 
motivating its dedicated team, and more importantly keep Americans safe 
while preventing transportation-related tragedies.
    Along with safety, integrating new entrants into the country's 
transportation system remains a challenge. Be it unmanned aircraft 
systems helping to survey damage caused by natural disasters or 
delivering needed medical supplies or autonomous vehicles navigating 
our roads and streets safely, It is essential for the Department to 
ensure a thorough and robust regulatory framework is in place. This 
will require effective cooperation and clear communication with 
congressional committees of jurisdiction and interested Members, 
consumer, safety, and labor groups, and industry stakeholders.
    An overall challenge for the Department is managing over 55,000 
employees working on a diverse array of issues cutting across different 
modes of transportation. While a welcome challenge given DOT's mission, 
ensuring seamless execution requires clear and precise direction from 
managers, feedback from DOT's employees, and clear lines of 
communication within and among the Office of the Secretary and 
Operating Administrations. I am grateful to already be working with a 
wonderful group of public servants on this and other challenges and 
look forward to continuing to do so if confirmed for this role.
                   b. potential conflicts of interest
    1. Describe all financial arrangements, deferred compensation 
agreements, and other continuing dealings with business associates, 
clients, or customers. Please include information related to retirement 
accounts. None.
    2. Do you have any commitments or agreements, formal or informal, 
to maintain employment, affiliation, or practice with any business, 
association or other organization during your appointment? If so, 
please explain. No.
    3. Indicate any investments, obligations, liabilities, or other 
relationships which could involve potential conflicts of interest in 
the position to which you have been nominated. Explain how you will 
resolve each potential conflict of interest.
    In connection with the nomination process, I have consulted with 
the Office of the Government Ethics and the Department of 
Transportation's Designated Agency Ethics Official to identify 
potential conflicts of interest. Any potential conflicts of interest 
will be resolved in accordance with the terms of the ethics agreement I 
have entered into with DOT's Designated Agency Ethics Official and that 
has been provided to this Committee. I am not aware of any other 
potential conflicts of interest.
    4. Describe any business relationship, dealing, or financial 
transaction which you have had during the last ten years, whether for 
yourself on behalf of a client, or acting as an agent, that could in 
any way constitute or result in a possible conflict of interest in the 
position to which you have been nominated. Explain how you will resolve 
each potential conflict of interest.
    In connection with the nomination process, I have consulted with 
the Office of the Government Ethics and the Department of 
Transportation's Designated Agency Ethics Official to identify 
potential conflicts of interest. Any potential conflicts of interest 
will be resolved in accordance with the terms of the ethics agreement I 
have entered into with DOT's Designated Agency Ethics Official and that 
has been provided to this Committee. I am not aware of any other 
potential conflicts of interest.
    5. Identify any other potential conflicts of interest, and explain 
how you will resolve each potential conflict of interest.
    In connection with the nomination process, I have consulted with 
the Office of the Government Ethics and the Department of 
Transportation's Designated Agency Ethics Official to identify 
potential conflicts of interest. Any potential conflicts of interest 
will be resolved in accordance with the terms of the ethics agreement I 
have entered into with DOT's Designated Agency Ethics Official and that 
bas been provided to this Committee. I am not aware of any other 
potential conflicts of Interest.
    6. Describe any activity during the past ten years. including the 
names of clients represented, in which you have been engaged for the 
purpose of directly or indirectly influencing the passage, defeat, or 
modification of any legislation or affecting the administration and 
execution of law or public policy. None.
                            c. legal matters
    1. Have you ever been disciplined or cited for a breach of ethics, 
professional misconduct, or retaliation by, or been the subject of a 
complaint to, any court, administrative agency, the Office of Special 
Counsel, professional association, disciplinary committee, or other 
professional group? If yes:
    No, I have not.

  a.  Provide the name of agency, association, committee, or group;

  b.  Provide the date the citation, disciplinary action, complaint, or 
        personnel action was issued or initiated;

  c.  Describe the citation, disciplinary action, complaint, or 
        personnel action;

  d.  Provide the results of the citation, disciplinary action, 
        complaint, or personnel action.

    2. Have you ever been investigated, arrested, charged, or held by 
any Federal, State, or other law enforcement authority of any Federal, 
State, county, or municipal entity, other than for a minor traffic 
offense? If so, please explain.
    No, I have not.
    3. Have you or any business or nonprofit of which you are or were 
an officer ever been involved as a party in an administrative agency 
proceeding, criminal proceeding, or civil litigation? If so, please 
explain. No.
    4. Have you ever been convicted (including pleas of guilty or nolo 
contendere) of any criminal violation other than a minor traffic 
offense? If so, please explain. No.
    5. Have you ever been accused, formally or informally, of sexual 
harassment or discrimination on the basis of sex, race, religion, or 
any other basis? If so, please explain. No.
    6. Please advise the Committee of any additional information, 
favorable or unfavorable, which you feel should be disclosed in 
connection with your nomination. None.
                     d. relationship with committee
    1. Will you ensure that your department/agency complies with 
deadlines for information set by congressional committees, and that 
your department/agency endeavors to timely comply with requests for 
information from individual Members of Congress, including requests 
from members in the minority? Yes.
    2. Will you ensure that your department/agency does whatever it can 
to protect congressional witnesses and whistle blowers from reprisal 
for their testimony and disclosures? Yes.
    3. Will you cooperate in providing the Committee with requested 
witnesses, including technical experts and career employees, with 
firsthand knowledge of matters of interest to the Committee? Yes.
    4. Are you willing to appear and testify before any duly 
constituted committee of the Congress on such occasions as you may be 
reasonably requested to do so? Yes.
                                 ______
                                 
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]


    The Chairwoman. Thank you, Mr. Syed. I should have 
mentioned that in our statement of your former time here. Thank 
you so much.
    Mr. Syed. Thank you.
    The Chairwoman. Mr. Bose, thank you. Welcome.

   STATEMENT OF AMITABHA BOSE, NOMINEE TO BE ADMINISTRATOR, 
                FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION

    Mr. Bose. Chair Cantwell, Ranking Member Wicker, and 
Members of the Committee, I am honored to appear before you 
today as the Nominee for Administrator of the Federal Railroad 
Administration.
    I am grateful to President Biden and Secretary Buttigieg 
for selecting me to fill this important role.
    Allow me to thank my wife Gira Bose and our daughter Ilina. 
Without their support I would not be here today.
    I would also like to recognize my friends, extended family, 
and my parents, Nripendra and Sabita Bose, watching virtually, 
who brought me to this country at the age of five to begin my 
American dream.
    My thanks also go to the nearly 900 FRA employees. They are 
women and men who are passionate about their mission, keeping 
rail workers and the public safe while strengthening passenger 
and freight rail mobility now and in the future.
    I'm also indebted to Secretary Ray LaHood, Secretary 
Anthony Foxx, Deputy Secretaries John Porcari, Victor Mendez, 
and FRA Administrators Joe Szabo and Sara Feinberg.
    FRA's mission is one for which my over two decades of 
public service along with my private sector transportation 
experience have prepared me well.
    In the Obama-Biden Administration I served as FRA Deputy 
Administrator, Chief Counsel, Senior Advisor, and Director of 
Governmental Affairs. During those years I guided the agency 
through the early stages of positive train control 
implementation and the establishment, management, and oversight 
of the $10 billion Inner City Passenger Rail Program, among 
other issues.
    I also served in the Office of the Secretary of 
Transportation as Associate General Counsel and Deputy 
Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs. I carry these 
experiences with me today.
    Further, I bring a local perspective from my positions at 
New Jersey Transit and the New Jersey Department of 
Transportation as well as working as a land use attorney where 
I appeared before city councils, county commissions, and zoning 
boards, and I would be remiss not to mention my time serving on 
Senator Bob Menendez's staff in the Senate and the House. It is 
humbling now to return to the Senate as a nominee.
    If confirmed, the safety of the national rail network will 
remain the center of my focus. The possibility and urgency for 
growth and investment makes that duty of safety even more 
critical.
    I commit to strong collaboration with stakeholders and that 
includes the rail workers who are the backbone of our 
railroads, the companies, and the agencies that own and operate 
the system and the various other project sponsors that invest 
in the rail network. Communication is vital to carrying out the 
FRA's mission and ensuring the safety of the rail network, and 
I am focused on reinvigorating the Railroad Safety Advisory 
Committee to ensure all affected stakeholders have an open 
forum to discuss challenges and opportunities.
    I have heard continued concern from many of you about grade 
crossing safety and railroad trespass prevention. I want to 
assure the Committee that FRA will do everything possible to 
address these issues, including funding, education, 
enforcement, collaboration, technology, communication, and 
monitoring. This effort has to be addressed in partnership with 
our agencies, states, localities, law enforcement, and 
railroads.
    It is with humility that I approach the path ahead of us. I 
re-entered government service during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
Since then FRA took immediate action to disburse COVID-19 
relief funding from Congress, including to Amtrak. In 
conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
and the Transportation Security Administration, the department 
took several actions.
    As we recover from the pandemic, the bipartisan 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act outlines the investments 
needed to transform our Nation's infrastructure. Its proposed 
investments in rail would not only repair and replace aging 
infrastructure and achieve a state of good repair but also 
increase efficiency, expand capacity, and transportation 
options across the country.
    From the Gulf Coast to the West Coast, from the Pacific 
Northwest to the Northeast Corridor, from where I grew up in 
Georgia to the Heartland, and all across this country, people 
are eager for expanded rail options. I hear from them 
regularly.
    In closing, if this body honors me with confirmation I 
pledge to work with the Committee and Congress to strengthen 
America's rail network to ensure safety and build the future.
    The leadership of Congress and the voices of your 
constituents are critical to our joint success.
    Thank you again. I look forward to your questions.
    [The prepared statement and biographical information of Mr. 
Bose follow:]

Prepared Statement of Amitabha Bose, Nominee to be Administrator of the 
   Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation
    Chair Cantwell, Ranking Member Wicker and Members of the Committee, 
I am honored to appear before you today as the nominee for 
Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). I am 
grateful to President Biden and Secretary Buttigieg for selecting me to 
fill this important role.
    Allow me to introduce and thank my wife, Gira Bose, and our 
daughter, Ilina. Without their support, I would not be here today. I 
would also like to recognize my extended family and my parents, 
Nripendra and Sabita Bose, watching virtually, who brought me to this 
country at the age of five to begin my American Dream.
    My thanks also go to the nearly 900 FRA employees. They are women 
and men who are passionate about our mission: keeping rail workers and 
the public safe, while strengthening passenger and freight rail 
mobility, now and in the future.
    FRA's mission is one for which my over two decades of public 
service, along with my private sector transportation experience, have 
prepared me well. In the Obama-Biden Administration, I served as the 
FRA Deputy Administrator, Chief Counsel, Senior Advisor, and Director 
of Governmental Affairs. During those years, I guided the agency 
through the early stages of Positive Train Control implementation and 
the establishment, management and oversight of the $10 billion 
intercity passenger rail program, among other issues. I also served in 
the Office of the Secretary of Transportation as Associate General 
Counsel and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs.
    I carry these experiences with me today. Further, I bring a local 
perspective from my positions at New Jersey Transit and the New Jersey 
Department of Transportation, as well working as a land use attorney. 
And, I would be remiss not to mention my time serving on Senator Bob 
Menendez's staff in the Senate and House. It is humbling to now return 
to the Senate as a nominee.
    If confirmed, the safety of the national rail network will remain 
the center of my focus. The possibility, and the urgency, for growth 
and investment makes that duty of safety even more critical. I commit 
to strong collaboration with stakeholders--that includes the rail 
workers who are the backbone of our railroads, the companies and 
agencies that own and operate the system, and the various other project 
sponsors that invest in the rail network. Communication is vital to 
carrying out the FRA's mission and ensuring the safety of the rail 
network, and I am focused on reinvigorating the Railroad Safety 
Advisory Committee to ensure all affected stakeholders have an open 
forum to discuss challenges and opportunities.
    I have heard continued concern from many of you about grade 
crossing safety and railroad trespass prevention. I want to assure the 
Committee that FRA will do everything possible to address these issues, 
including funding, education, enforcement, collaboration, technology, 
communication, and monitoring. This effort has to be addressed in 
partnership with other agencies, states, localities, law enforcement, 
and railroads.
    It is with humility that I approach the path ahead of us. I 
reentered government service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, 
FRA took immediate action to disperse COVID-19 relief funding from 
Congress, including funding to Amtrak. In conjunction with the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention and the Transportation Security 
Administration, the Department took several actions to ensure the 
health and safety of rail workers and the traveling public, including 
issuance of an FRA Emergency Order.
    As we recover from the pandemic, the Bipartisan Infrastructure 
Investment and Jobs Act outlines investments needed to transform our 
Nation's infrastructure. Its proposed investments in rail would not 
only repair and replace aging infrastructure and achieve a state of 
good repair, but also increase efficiency, expand capacity and 
transportation options across our country. It will enable safe, high 
quality, and reliable rail service with competitive travel times and 
increased frequencies.
    From the Gulf Coast to the West Coast; from the Pacific Northwest 
to the Northeast Corridor; from where I grew up in Georgia to the 
heartland--and all across this country--people are eager for expanded 
rail options. I hear from them regularly. These efforts will create 
good-paying union jobs, promote economic growth, combat the climate 
crisis, and advance equity--including increased access for people with 
disabilities and opportunities for disadvantaged business enterprises.
    In closing, if this body honors me with confirmation, I pledge to 
work with the Committee to strengthen America's rail network--to ensure 
safety and build the future. The leadership of Congress and the voices 
of your constituents are critical to our joint success. Thank you again 
for your consideration and the opportunity to appear before you. I look 
forward to your questions.
                                 ______
                                 
                      a. biographical information
    1. Name (Include any former names or nicknames used): Amitabha 
Bose, Amit, Dabbu.
    2. Position to which nominated: Federal Railroad Administration 
Administrator.
    3. Date of Nomination: 04/27/2021.
    4. Address (List current place of residence and office addresses):

        Residence: Information not released to the public.
        Office: 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC 
        20590.

    5. Date and Place of Birth: 4/6/1972; Laheriasarai, Bihar, India.
    6. Provide the name, position, and place of employment for your 
spouse (if married) and the names and ages of your children (including 
stepchildren and children by a previous marriage).
    Gira Bose, Legislative Counsel, National Credit Union 
Administration
    7. List all college and graduate degrees. Provide year and school 
attended.

        University of Georgia School of Law, 2001-2004

        Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, 
        1994-1995

        Columbia College, AB, 1990-1994

    8. List all post-undergraduate employment, and highlight all 
management-level jobs held and any non-managerial jobs that relate to 
the position for which you are nominated.
    See Attachment 1.
    9. Attach a copy of your resume.
    See Attachment 2.
    10. List any advisory, consultative, honorary, or other part-time 
service or positions with Federal, State, or local governments, other 
than those listed above, within the last ten years.
    Member, New Jersey Recovery and Restart Advisory Council
    11. List all positions held as an officer, director, trustee, 
partner, proprietor, agent, representative, or consultant of any 
corporation, company, firm, partnership, or other business, enterprise, 
educational, or other institution within the last ten years.

        Associate Vice President, HNTB

        Board Chair, Coalition for the Northeast Corridor

    12. Please list each membership you have had during the past ten 
years or currently hold with any civic, social, charitable, 
educational, political, professional, fraternal, benevolent or 
religiously affiliated organization, private club, or other membership 
organization. (For this question, you do not have to list your 
religious affiliation or membership in a religious house of worship or 
institution.). Include dates of membership and any positions you have 
held with any organization. Please note whether any such club or 
organization restricts membership on the basis of sex, race, color, 
religion, national origin, age, or disability.

        GA Bar Association, 2004 to present

        American Bar Association, approximately 2014-2017

        Asian-American Bar Association, approximately 2014-2017

        American Society of Quality, 2018-2019

    13. Have you ever been a candidate for and/or held a public office 
(elected, non-elected, or appointed)? If so, indicate whether any 
campaign has any outstanding debt, the amount, and whether you are 
personally liable for that debt. No.
    14. List all memberships and offices held with and services 
rendered to, whether compensated or not, any political party or 
election committee within the past ten years. If you have held a paid 
position or served in a formal or official advisory position (whether 
compensated or not) in a political campaign within the past ten years, 
identify the particulars of the campaign, including the candidate, year 
of the campaign, and your title and responsibilities.

        Biden-Harris GOTV 2020, made phone calls and sent text messages

        Clinton-Kaine GOTV 2016, made phone calls and sent text 
        messages

        Obama-Biden GOTV 2012, made phone calls, sent text messages, 
        went door to door

    15. Itemize all political contributions to any individual, campaign 
organization, political party, political action committee, or similar 
entity of $200 or more for the past ten years.
    Please see below, which reflects the best of my recollection. 
Should any additional contributions be identified, I will promptly let 
the Committee know.

        Biden for President 10/27/2020 $1,001

        2021 HNTB PAC $150

        2020 HNTB PAC $1,350

        2019 HNTB PAC $1,300

        2018 HNTB PAC $1,300

        2017 HNTB PAC $600

        Chaudhuri for New North Carolina 6/30/2016 $301; 5/18/2015 
        $1001

        Hillary for America 12/17/2015 $275; 4/20/2016: $400; 7/31/2016 
        $125; 10/10/2016

        $200; 10/30/2016 $25; 11/1/2016 $425

        Carter for Governor 11/7/2013 $501; 12/11/2013 $500; 7/10/2014 
        $500; 9/19/2014 $250; 9/19/2014 $48.75

        Aneesh Chopra for Virginia 5/2/2013 $250

        Obama for America 12/31/2011 $201; 7/5/2012 $500

    16. List all scholarships, fellowships, honorary degrees, honorary 
society memberships, military medals, and any other special recognition 
for outstanding service or achievements.
    Secretary's Safety Award for Safety Posture Review Team, Secretary 
Certificate of Appreciation High Hazard Flammable Train Team, 
President's Leadership Workshop 2013-2014, Land Use Clinic Award 2004, 
Ed Sumner Memorial Scholar 2003, Columbia College-School of 
International and Public Affairs 5-Year MIA Program, Senior Class 
Marshal 1994, Senior Society of Sachems 1993-1994, Michael Jupka 
Scholarship 1993, Joseph Buhler Scholarship 1992.
    17. Please list each book; article, column, Internet blog posting, 
or other publication you have authored, individually or with others. 
Include a link to each publication when possible. Also list any 
speeches that you have given on topics relevant to the position for 
which you have been nominated. Do not attach copies of these 
publications unless otherwise instructed.
    Please see below for the most up-to-date list of publications--to 
the best of my ability. If additional publications are identified 
following the submission of this questionnaire, I will promptly let the 
Committee know.

        Amitabha Bose, Dennis J. Webb, Jr., Marcia McCrory Ernst, 
        Victor A. Ellis, Amitabha Bose, and Joseph Cooley, Zoning and 
        Land Use Law, Mercer Law Review 477-506 (2006).

        Amitabha Bose, Do All Roads Lead to Islamic Radicalization? A 
        Comparison of Islamic Laws in India and Nigeria, Georgia 
        Journal oflntemational and Comparative Law 780-812 (2004).

        Amitabha Bose and Florian Stamm, Stuck on a Launchpad: Lucas' 
        Lack of Influence on Georgia Takings Jurisprudence, The Georgia 
        League Report (2001).

    Please see below for the most up-to-date list of speeches and non-
congressional hearings I have been able to compile--to the best of my 
ability. If additional speeches or remarks are identified following the 
submission of this questionnaire, I will promptly let the Committee 
know.

        Virginians for High Speed Rail June 16, 2021

        APTA-UITP Rail Conference June 8, 2021

        BLET State Legislative Board Chairs May 27, 2021

        Women's Chamber of Commerce May 13, 2021

        COMTO Leadership Conference May 13, 2021

        Association of State Rail Safety Managers April 22, 2021

        Railroad Safety Advisory Committee Public Forum April 16, 2021

        APTA High-Speed Rail Conference April 7, 2021

        Southeast Rail Forum March 24, 2021

        AASHTO Federal Leadership Roundtable, February 25, 2021

        AASHTO Rail Council, February 17, 2021

        States for Passenger Rail Coalition, February 16, 2021

        One Rail February 11, 2021

        North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority May 13, 2019

        APTA Annual Rail Conference 2016

        AASHTO Annual Rail Committee Conference 2016

        Transportation Research Board Lawyers Committee 2016

        National Association of Counties 2015

    18. List all digital platforms (including social media and other 
digital content sites) on which you currently or have formerly operated 
an account, regardless of whether or not the account was held in your 
name or an alias. Include the name of an ``alias'' or ``handle'' you 
have used on each of the named platforms. Indicate whether the account 
is active, deleted, or dormant. Include a link to each account if 
possible.

        Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amit-bose-277aa1

        Twitter: Bosetranspo and Abose2 (old handle)

        Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amit.bose.75

    19. Please identify each instance in which you have testified 
orally or in writing before Congress in a governmental or non-
governmental capacity and specify the date and subject matter of each 
testimony. None.
    20. Given the current mission, major programs, and major 
operational objectives of the department/agency to which you have been 
nominated, what in your background or employment experience do you 
believe affirmatively qualifies you for appointment to the position for 
which you have been nominated, and why do you wish to serve in that 
position?
    Transportation is a part of our daily lives. Working on an issue 
that affects all Americans is an honor. I have worked on transportation 
policy and projects since 1997, including work on the Transportation 
Equity Act for the 21st Century, Rail Safety Improvement Act, Moving 
Ahead for Progress-21, and Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act. 
My first projects included putting together the legislation and funding 
to deepen New York Harbor, delivering the Full Funding Grant Agreement 
for the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Project, and funding improvements to 
Newark Liberty Airport.
    I know the Federal Railroad Administration and Department of 
Transportation well and have served as FRA Deputy Administrator, Chief 
Counsel and Director of Governmental Affairs. I have also served as the 
Department's Associate General Counsel, and Deputy Assistant Secretary 
for Governmental Affairs. I have worked in Congress, state, and local 
levels of government. I have worked with a wide range of stakeholders, 
and with a major transit agency on safety issues and capital program 
delivery.
    When I worked at DOT, FRA, and Congress, I knew how important 
working with all stakeholders from different parts of the country was. 
I incorporated that approach into my daily work, and it enabled me to 
foster a collegial environment where I delivered results. In addition, 
I worked on drafting legislation and implementing it. I also have 
experience on both the safety and passenger sides of FRA. Since I have 
previously served as FRA Deputy Administrator, Senior Advisor, and 
Chief Counsel, I worked on a number of key issues, such as positive 
train control and system safety, and FRA and its staff are familiar to 
me. I also know that safety, freight, and passenger rail can work 
together.
    In addition to my time in government, I have worked at a major 
state rail agency, New Jersey Transit. While there, I worked to advance 
specific projects, such as the Access to the Region's Core project.
    My legal experience in administrative and governmental law, 
including land use, give me a perspective of how transportation and 
infrastructure affect communities, cities, towns, counties, states, and 
regions.
    21. What do you believe are your responsibilities, if confirmed, to 
ensure that the department/agency has proper management and accounting 
controls, and what experience do you have in managing a large 
organization?
    I would have accountability and responsibility over FRA and its 
staffs performance. My responsibilities would cover working with FRA's 
staff, including senior staff, along with working with the Secretary's 
office. I would work closely with the FRA Executive Director, FRA Chief 
Financial Officer, and Associate Administrator for Administration to 
use best practices and implement lessons learned.
    I would assess whether FRA's existing controls are effective to 
help FRA deliver its priorities and meet demands. These controls also 
must have the ability to assess risks. My duties would include 
responding to Congressional oversight and inquiries, and implementing 
recommendations from the Department's Office of Inspector General and 
National Transportation Safety Board. As Deputy Administrator, I was 
second in command and helped the Administrator manage FRA. As FRA Chief 
Counsel, I ran an office with approximately 50 staff. At HNTB, I 
oversaw a group of approximately 30-40 staff.
    22. What do you believe to be the top three challenges facing the 
department/agency, and why?
    I am committed to successfully delivering FRA's mission to enable 
the safe, reliable, and efficient movement of people and goods for a 
strong America, now and in the future.
    The primary challenge FRA faces is safety. The public expects 
safety to be top of mind at FRA. The safety of the national rail 
system, its workers, and public is FRA's primary responsibility. This 
includes combatting the continuing COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring FRA is 
playing its role in making the United States' rail network function 
effectively and helping the Department and Administration's with their 
efforts. Safety also means ensuring compliance with existing 
regulations and enforcement.
    Another challenge is the economic recovery. To compete globally and 
provide travel options for the public, the United States needs to build 
the next generation ofrail projects across the country. In addition to 
freight rail, passenger rail can be one of the pillars of improving the 
economy, rethinking the way we move around the country to address our 
changing climate, and creating good-paying middle-class jobs. FRA needs 
to help Amtrak and passenger rail providers return to full service 
safely in the context of broader efforts to combat the pandemic. 
Progressing and successfully delivering mega-projects, such as the 
Hudson Tunnel Project, Gulf Coast Rail Project, and California High-
Speed Rail Project, is a priority because delivering those means 
helping with economic recovery.
    At the moment, climate change remains a threat to our well-being. 
Freight and passenger rail can and must play their roles in addressing 
climate change. Eliminating congestion at key bottlenecks in our rail 
networks can be part of rail's efforts along with innovation to further 
reduce emissions.
                   b. potential conflicts of interest
    1. Describe all financial arrangements, deferred compensation 
agreements, and other continuing dealings with business associates, 
clients, or customers. Please include information related to retirement 
accounts.
    My arrangements are described in Part 3 of my Public Financial 
Disclosure Report.
    2. Do you have any commitments or agreements, formal or informal, 
to maintain employment, affiliation, or practice with any business, 
association or other organization during your appointment? If so, 
please explain. None.
    3. Indicate any investments, obligations, liabilities, or other 
relationships which could involve potential conflicts of interest in 
the position to which you have been nominated. Explain how you will 
resolve each potential conflict of interest.
    In connection with the nomination process, I have consulted with 
the Office of the Government Ethics and the Department of 
Transportation's Designated Agency Ethics Official to identify 
potential conflicts of interest. Any potential conflicts of interest 
will be resolved in accordance with the terms of the ethics agreement I 
hc;1ve entered into with DOT's Designated Agency Ethics Official and 
that has been provided to this Committee. I am not aware of any other 
potential conflicts of interest.
    4. Describe any business relationship, dealing, or financial 
transaction which you have had during the last ten years, whether for 
yourself, on behalf of a client, or acting as an agent, that could in 
any way constitute or result in a possible conflict of interest in the 
position to which you have been nominated. Explain how you will resolve 
each potential conflict of interest.
    In connection with the nomination process, I have consulted with 
the Office of the Government Ethics and the Department of 
Transportation's Designated Agency Ethics Official to identify 
potential conflicts of interest. Any potential conflicts of interest 
will be resolved in accordance with the terms of the ethics agreement I 
have entered into with DOT's Designated Agency Ethics Official and that 
has been provided to this Committee. I am not aware of any other 
potential conflicts of interest.
    5. Identify any other potential conflicts of interest, and explain 
how you will resolve each potential conflict of interest.
    In connection with the nomination process, I have consulted with 
the Office of the Government Ethics and the Department of 
Transportation's Designated Agency Ethics Official to identify 
potential conflicts of interest. Any potential conflicts of interest 
will be resolved in accordance with the terms of the ethics agreement I 
have entered into with DOT's Designated Agency Ethics Official and that 
has been provided to this Committee. I am not aware of any other 
potential conflicts of interest.
    6. Describe any activity during the past ten years, including the 
names of clients represented, in which you have been engaged for the 
purpose of directly or indirectly influencing the passage, defeat, or 
modification of any legislation or affecting the administration and 
execution of law or public policy.
    I was board chair of the Coalition for the Northeast Corridor and 
advocated for Federal funding for the Northeast Corridor.
                            c. legal matters
    1. Have you ever been disciplined or cited for a breach of ethics, 
professional misconduct, or retaliation by, or been the subject of a 
complaint to, any court, administrative agency, the Office of Special 
Counsel, professional association, disciplinary committee, or other 
professional group? No.
    If yes:

  a.  Provide the name of agency, association, committee, or group;

  b.  Provide the date the citation, disciplinary action, complaint, or 
        personnel action was issued or initiated;

  c.  Describe the citation, disciplinary action, complaint, or 
        personnel action;

  d.  Provide the results of the citation, disciplinary action, 
        complaint, or personnel action.

    2. Have you ever been investigated, arrested, charged, or held by 
any Federal, State, or other law enforcement authority of any Federal, 
State, county, or municipal entity, other than for a minor traffic 
offense? If so, please explain.
    I was arrested on 11/21/1989 at the age of 17 on a charge of 
disorderly conduct. I paid a $200 collateral the night of my arrest. I 
did not have to appear in court as my collateral became my fine.
    3. Have you or any business or nonprofit of which you are or were 
an officer ever been involved as a party in an administrative agency 
proceeding, criminal proceeding, or civil litigation? If so, please 
explain.
    Not to my knowledge.
    4. Have you ever been convicted (including pleas of guilty or nolo 
contendere) of any criminal violation other than a minor traffic 
offense? If so, please explain. No.
    5. Have you ever been accused, formally or informally, of sexual 
harassment or discrimination on the basis of sex, race, religion, or 
any other basis? If so, please explain. No.
    6. Please advise the Committee of any additional information, 
favorable or unfavorable, which you feel should be disclosed in 
connection with your nomination. None.
                     d. relationship with committee
    1. Will you ensure that your department/agency complies with 
deadlines for information set by congressional committees, and that 
your department/agency endeavors to timely comply with requests for 
information from individual Members of Congress, including requests 
from members in the minority? Yes.
    2. Will you ensure that your department/agency does whatever it can 
to protect congressional witnesses and whistle blowers from reprisal 
for their testimony and disclosures? Yes.
    3. Will you cooperate in providing the Committee with requested 
witnesses, including technical experts and career employees, with 
firsthand knowledge of matters of interest to the Committee? Yes.
    4. Are you willing to appear and testify before any duly 
constituted committee of the Congress on such occasions as you may be 
reasonably requested to do so? Yes.
                                 ______
                                 

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]                                 


                              Attachment 2


    The Chairwoman. Thank you, Mr. Bose. Thank you so much. 
We'll definitely have questions on those subjects.
    Ms. Joshi, thank you so much, appreciate your willingness 
to serve in this capacity.

                   STATEMENT OF MEERA JOSHI,

                  NOMINEE TO BE ADMINISTRATOR,

          FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY ADMINISTRATION

    Ms. Joshi. Thank you very much, Chair Cantwell, Ranking 
Member Wicker, and Members of the Committee.
    I'm deeply honored to appear before you today as President 
Biden's nominee to be the Administrator of the Federal Motor 
Carrier Safety Administration, FMCSA, at the U.S. Department of 
Transportation.
    Thank you, President Biden and Secretary Buttigieg, for 
your support and leadership.
    Thanks to the professional women and men of FMCSA whose 
deep commitment to reducing commercial motor vehicle crashes 
and fatalities is unparalleled. It would be an honor to lead 
them in this life-saving mission.
    Thank you to my family, my husband who's here today, my 
anchor, Charlie, our children Louise, David, Marco, and Ava, my 
sister Shyamala, for their support of my career in public 
service, and thank you to my parents Susan and Aravind whose 
marriage, though controversial at first, exemplifies the beauty 
of diversity.
    Commercial motor vehicles, aka large trucks and buses, are 
not only essential to America's thriving economy, transporting 
over 70 percent of our Nation's freight as well as our loved 
ones, they're critical in crisis. Throughout COVID, the 
trucking industry has been at the forefront moving vaccines, 
testing supplies, and oxygen.
    When the Colonial Pipeline was breached, tank trucks 
transported gas to stations and ultimately into Americans' 
cars. Most recently, during Hurricane Ida, large trucks brought 
emergency supplies to our hardest-hit regions.
    Our nation's motorcoach industry likewise remains a 
critical transportation mode. Pre-COVID, the industry safely 
and sustainably transported over 500 million passengers across 
the Nation each year. The entire industry is now hard at work 
re-establishing itself as the preferred mode of interstate 
passenger travel.
    Ensuring the safety of the women and men that literally are 
driving the commercial motor vehicle industry and all those 
they share the road with is my personal and utmost priority. 
Sadly, since 2009 commercial motor vehicle-related roadway 
fatalities in the United States have steadily risen, resulting 
in the loss of thousands of lives of men, women, and children, 
and every year over 800 of these victims are large truck or bus 
drivers. I'm deeply committed to the undisputed work ahead 
reversing this fatal trend.
    I'm no stranger to roadway tragedy and implementing 
strategies to improve safety. As Head of the New York City Taxi 
and Limousine Commission I was at the forefront of the city's 
Vision Zero Campaign, setting rules of the road for over 
150,000 professional taxi and for-hire drivers. I witnessed 
firsthand the pain of families who'd lost loved ones to traffic 
violence and ensured that all new drivers knew their names and 
knew the names of those that they had lost.
    It was also important to me to publicly acknowledge the 
city's highly skilled professional drivers, women and men who 
year after year safely transported passengers through congested 
streets. I led pilots to integrate innovative vehicle safety 
technology. I increased the effectiveness of roadway 
enforcement and inspections, and I used data analytics to 
identify and remove the most dangerous drivers from the road 
and operators from the industry.
    I worked collaboratively with drivers, large and small 
operators, tech companies, safety and labor advocates, elected 
officials and their constituents, passengers, as well as the 
general public. The result of these productive relationships 
was balanced policy that raised safety and accountability 
standards for all.
    This experience is the source of my desire and belief that 
I can make a positive difference nationwide in roadway safety 
as Administrator of the FMCSA.
    My mission is further strengthened by this committee's 
historic investment in commercial motor vehicle safety through 
the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.
    IIJA funding creates American jobs, allowing FMCSA state 
partners to hire additional personnel for roadside inspections 
and reach the true breadth of the vast commercial motor vehicle 
industry.
    It provides FMCSA and states the opportunity to increase 
investigative and enforcement resources focused on high-risk 
motor carriers and in high-crash zones.
    IIJA supports essential upgrades to states' IT 
infrastructure to improve critical commercial motor vehicle 
driver data collection and transfer and allows for the 
integration of safety technology in commercial motor vehicle 
fleets.
    In short, IIJA investment in commercial motor vehicle 
safety will save lives.
    If I have the honor of being confirmed as the Administrator 
of the FMCSA, I commit to working with members of this 
committee to strengthen the safety of the commercial motor 
vehicle sector.
    All of us using our Nation's roadways are someone's loved 
ones and we all deserve to get to where we're going unharmed.
    In closing, thank you again for your consideration and the 
opportunity to appear before you, and I look forward to your 
questions.
    [The prepared statement and biographical information of Ms. 
Joshi follow:]

                   Prepared Statement of Meera Joshi,
   Nominee to be Administrator for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety 
           Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation
    Chair Cantwell, Ranking Member Wicker, and Members of the 
Committee, I am deeply honored to appear before you today, during 
National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, as President Biden's nominee 
to be the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety 
Administration (FMCSA) at the U.S. Department of Transportation.
    Thank you President Biden and Secretary Buttigieg for your support 
and leadership. Thanks to the professional women and men of FMCSA whose 
deep commitment to reducing commercial motor vehicle crashes and 
fatalities is unparalleled. It would be an honor to lead them on this 
life saving mission.
    Thank you to my family, my husband, my anchor, Charlie, our 
children, Louise, David, Marco, and Ava, and my sister Shyamala for 
their support of my career in public service. Thanks to my parents, 
Susan and Aravind who instilled in me the importance of people centered 
purpose.
    Commercial motor vehicles, aka large trucks and buses, are not only 
essential to America's thriving economy, transporting over 70 percent 
of the Nation's freight as well as our loved ones, they are critical in 
crisis. Throughout COVID, the trucking industry has been at the 
forefront, moving vaccines, testing supplies and oxygen. When the 
Colonial Pipeline was breached, tank trucks transported gas to stations 
and, ultimately, into Americans' cars. Most recently, during Hurricane 
Ida, large trucks brought emergency supplies to our hardest hit 
regions.
    Our Nation's motorcoach industry likewise remains a critical 
transportation mode. Pre-COVID, the industry safely and sustainably 
transported well over 500 million passengers across the Nation each 
year. The entire industry is now hard at work reestablishing itself as 
a preferred mode of interstate passenger travel.
    Ensuring the safety of the women and men literally driving the 
commercial motor vehicle industry and all those that they share the 
road with is my personal and utmost priority.
    Sadly, since 2009, commercial motor vehicle-related roadway 
fatalities in the United States have steadily risen, resulting in the 
loss of thousands of lives of men, women, and children. And, every 
year, over 800 of these victims are large truck or bus drivers.
    I am deeply committed to the undisputed work ahead, reversing this 
fatal trend.
    I am no stranger to roadway tragedy and implementing strategies to 
improve safety. As head of the New York City Taxi and Limousine 
Commission, I was at the forefront of the city's Vision Zero Campaign, 
setting the rules of the road for over 150,000 professional taxi and 
for hire drivers. I witnessed firsthand the pain of families who had 
lost loved ones to traffic violence and ensured that all new drivers 
knew their names and the names of those they lost. It was also 
important to me to publicly acknowledge the city's highly skilled 
professional drivers, women and men, who, year after year safely 
transported passengers throughout congested city streets. I initiated 
an annual driver honor roll to recognize these drivers and to motivate 
newer drivers to prioritize safety. I led pilots to integrate 
innovative vehicle safety technology, increased the effectiveness of 
roadway enforcement and inspections, and used data analytics to 
identify and remove the most dangerous drivers from the road and 
operators from the industry. I worked collaboratively with drivers, 
large and small operators, tech companies, safety and labor advocates, 
elected officials, their constituents, passengers as well as the 
general public. The result of these productive relationships was 
balanced policy that raised safety and accountability standards for 
all. This experience is the source of my desire and belief that I can 
make a positive difference nationwide in roadway safety as 
Administrator of the FMCSA.
    My mission is further strengthened by this committee's historic 
investment in commercial motor vehicle safety through the Bipartisan 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (``IIJA''). IIJA funding 
creates American jobs, allowing FMCSA's State partners to hire 
additional personnel for roadside inspections and reach the true 
breadth of the vast commercial motor vehicle industry; it provides 
FMCSA and States the opportunity to increase investigative and 
enforcement resources focused on high risk motor carriers and in high 
crash zones. IIJA supports essential upgrades to State's IT 
infrastructure to improve critical commercial motor vehicle driver data 
collection and transfer and allows for the integration of safety 
technology in the commercial motor vehicle fleet. In short, IIJA 
investment in commercial motor vehicle safety will save lives.
    If I have the honor of being confirmed as the Administrator of 
FMCSA, I commit to working with members of this Committee to strengthen 
the safety of the commercial motor vehicle sector. All of us using our 
Nation's roadways are someone's loved ones, and we all deserve to get 
to where we are going unharmed.
    In closing, thank you again for your consideration and the 
opportunity to appear before you. I look forward to your questions.
                                 ______
                                 
                      a. biographical information
    1. Name (Include any former names or nicknames used):

        Current name: Meera Catherine Joshi.
        Former name: Meera Joshi Cattafesta.

    2. Position to which nominated: Administrator Federal Motor Carrier 
Safety Administration.
    3. Date of Nomination: April 14, 2021.
    4. Address (List current place of residence and office addresses):

        Residence: Information not released to the public.
        Office: 1200 New Jersey Avenue S.E., Washington DC, 20003.

    5. Date and Place of Birth: February 26, 1969; Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania.
    6. Provide the name, position, and place of employment for your 
spouse (if married) and the names and ages of your children (including 
stepchildren and children by a previous marriage).

        Spouse: Charles Bodt, Project Manager, Future Communications, 
        Virtual Service
        Children: Marco Cattafesta, age 24; David Bodt, age 25; Louise 
        Bodt, age 29.

    7. List all college and graduate degrees. Provide year and school 
attended.

        BA 1992--University of Pennsylvania
        JD 1995--University of Pennsylvania Law School

    8. List all post-undergraduate employment, and highlight all 
management level jobs held and any non-managerial jobs that relate to 
the position for which you are nominated.
Related Managerial Experiences

        Deputy Administrator, USDOT Federal Motor Carrier Safety 
        Administration (1/2021 to present)

        General Manager New York Office of Sam Schwaitz Transportation 
        Consultants (2020-2021)

        Chair and CEO, NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) (2014-
        2019)

        General Counsel, NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission (2011-2014)

        First Deputy for NYC Civilian Complaint Review Board with 
        oversight over the NYC Police Department (2008-2011)

        First Deputy Inspector General and Inspector General, NYC 
        Department of Investigations, with oversight over the NYC 
        Department of Corrections and Probation (2002-2008)
Related Non-Managerial Experiences
Transportation:
        Visiting Scholar NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public 
        Service (2019-2020)

        Policy Advisor/Consultant Remix (2019-2020)

        MJ LLC, Consultant (2019-1/2021)
Legal:
        Associate: Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello PC (2000-
        2002)

        Associate: Latham & Watkins, New York (1996-2000, includes 
        maternity and clerkship leave)

        Law Clerk: District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania 
        (1997)

        Law Clerk: Third Circuit Court of Appeals, Pro Se Office (1995)

    9. Attach a copy of your resume.
    Please see Attachment A.
    10. List any advisory, consultative, honorary, or other part-time 
service or positions with Federal, State, or local governments, other 
than those listed above, within the last ten years.
    As CEO and Chair of the NYC TLC, I was a non-voting member of NYC & 
Company. My membership ended simultaneously with my tenure as CEO and 
Chair of the NYC TLC.
    11. List all positions held as an officer, director, trustee, 
partner, proprietor, agent, representative, or consultant of any 
corporation, company, firm, partnership, or other business, enterprise, 
educational, or other institution within the last ten years.

        Sole owner of Meera Joshi LLC, a consulting entity I formed in 
        2019 and is currently inactive. (4/2019-1/2021)

        General Manager and Principal, Sam Schwartz Transportation 
        Consultants. (2/2020-1/2021)

        Advisor to City Tech Collaborative. (2019-1/2021)

        Advisor to Remix (purchased by Via in March 2021.) (Advisor 
        from 04/2019-01/2020 through Meera Joshi LLC; Advisory Council 
        Member 3/2020-1/2021)

        Expert in Residence, Grand Central Tech aka The Company. (9/
        2020-1/2021)

        Visiting Scholar to New York University Rudin Center. (2/2019-
        2/2020)

    12. Please list each membership you have had during the past ten 
years or currently hold with any civic, social, charitable, 
educational, political, professional, fraternal, benevolent or 
religiously affiliated organization, private club, or other membership 
organization. (For this question, you do not have to list your 
religious affiliation or membership in a religious house of worship or 
institution.). Include dates of membership and any positions you have 
held with any organization. Please note whether any such club or 
organization restricts membership on the basis of sex, race, color, 
religion, national origin, age, or disability.

        City Coach Multisport, member (2013 to present)

        Prospect Park Alliance, member (2017 to present)

        Prospect Park Track Club, member (2019-2020)

        New York Road Runners, member (2011 to present)

        Brooklyn Bar Association, Chair of Administrative Law 
        Committee. (9/2019-1/2021)

    13. Have you ever been a candidate for and/or held a public office 
(elected, non-elected, or appointed)? If so, indicate whether any 
campaign has any outstanding debt, the amount, and whether you are 
personally liable for that debt.
    No
    14. List all memberships and offices held with and services 
rendered to, whether compensated or not, any political party or 
election committee within the past ten years. If you have held a paid 
position or served in a formal or official advisory position (whether 
compensated or not) in a political campaign within the past ten years, 
identify the particulars of the campaign, including the candidate, year 
of the campaign, and your title and responsibilities.
    Not Applicable
    15. Itemize all political contributions to any individual, campaign 
organization, political party, political action committee, or similar 
entity of $200 or more for the past ten years.
    Please see Attachment B. Response is the result of electronic 
searches (e.g., FEC.gov) and reflect the best of my recollection. 
Should any additional contributions be identified, I will promptly let 
the Committee know.
    16. List all scholarships, fellowships, honorary degrees, honorary 
society memberships, military medals, and any other special recognition 
for outstanding service or achievements.

  a.  NYU Visiting Scholar, Wagner School of Public Policy, Rudin 
        Center for Transportation Policy

  b.  2018--Newsmaker of the Year: Crain's New York Business

  c.  2020-100 People Transforming Business: Business Insider

    17. Please list each book, article, column, Internet blog posting, 
or other publication you have authored, individually or with others. 
Include a link to each publication when possible. Also list any 
speeches that you have given on topics relevant to the position for 
which you have been nominated. Do not attach copies of these 
publications unless otherwise instructed.
Publications
    Please see below for the most up-to-date list of publications I 
have been able to compile--to the best of my ability. If additional 
publications are identified following the submission of this 
questionnaire, I will promptly let the Committee know.

        Transportation During Coronavirus in NYC:
        https://wagner.nyu.edu/impact/research/publications/
        transportation-during-coronavirus-nyc

        E-Hail Regulation in Global Cities:
        https://wagner.nyu.edu/impact/research/publications/e-hail-
        regulation-global-cities

        Bye Bye Parking, Hello Progress, NY Daily News Oped:
        https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-parking-and-
        progress-20200804-rn4h27vnonrevdetc7yiibo6iru-story.html

        End of Tenure Remarks, Medium:
        https://medium.com/@NYCTLC/end-of-tenure-remarks-from-meera-
        joshi-the-outgoing-chair-of-the-new-york-city-taxi-and-
        limousine-a414eb3bd7f5

        What Makes a City Smart, Medium:
        https://medium.com/@NYCTLC/what-makes-a-city-street-smart-
        23496d92f60d

        Taxis: Yellow, Green and Black: Competition and Evolution:
        https://www.citylandnyc.org/taxis-yellow-green-and-black-
        competition-evolution/#more-23ll8

        What's the Data Point:
        https://www.gothamgazette.com/city/8507-what-s-the-data-point-
        125-323-with-former-taxi-commissioner-meera-joshi

        The Gig Podcast: Episode Two, Interview
        https://thegigpodcast.com/
Speeches
    Please see Attachment C for the most up-to-date list of speeches 
and non congressional hearings I have been able to compile to the best 
of my ability. If additional speeches or remarks are identified 
following the submission of this questionnaire, I will promptly let the 
Committee know.
    18. List digital platforms (including social media and other 
digital content sites) on which you currently or have formerly operated 
an account, regardless of whether or not the account was held in your 
name or an alias. Include the name of an ``alias'' or ``handle'' you 
have used on each of the named platforms. Indicate whether the account 
is active, deleted, or dormant. Include a link to each account if 
possible.

        Inactive Instagram account: instagram.com/mjoshi919/
        LinkedIn Account https://www.linkedin.com/in/meeracjoshi/

    19. Please identify each instance in which you have testified 
orally or in writing before Congress in a governmental or non-
governmental capacity and specify the date and subject matter of each 
testimony.
    None.
    20. Given the current mission, major programs, and major 
operational objectives of the department/agency to which you have been 
nominated, what in your background or employment experience do you 
believe affirmatively qualifies you for appointment to the position for 
which you have been nominated, and why do you wish to serve in that 
position?
    The primary mission of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety 
Administration (FMCSA) is to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities 
involving large trucks and buses. My professional expertise and 
personal commitment to public safety and public service, with a focus 
on transportation, provide the broad and solid foundation necessary, if 
confirmed, to lead the FMCSA as Administrator.
    I am an experienced transportation leader. For over seven years I 
have worked in the high-volume transportation sector, as General 
Counsel and then as CEO and Chair of the New York City Taxi and 
Limousine Commission (TLC). In that role, and relevant to leading the 
FMCSA, I focused on prioritizing safety through policymaking, 
education, training, implementing licensing standards and enforcement. 
I oversaw the uniform and effective investigation and prosecution of 
unsafe drivers and operators and worked closely with a broad range of 
industry stakeholders, drivers, large and small operators, tech 
companies as well as safety and labor advocates to develop balanced 
policy reflecting industry diversity and raising safety and 
accountability standards. I am well versed in the regulatory and 
rulemaking process, including the vital importance of information 
gathering and public input.
    I have over 16 years of experience as a government executive. Most 
recently, as CEO and Chair of the TLC, I managed a 600-person agency, 
which like FMCSA, includes licensing, field enforcement, and rulemaking 
components. I managed an annual budget of over $65 million, achieving 
cost savings while improving work product and standards. I have 
successfully managed a diverse workforce, increasing workplace morale 
and unity.
    In addition to my transportation experience, I served for over 16 
years in oversight capacities, monitoring the compliance of vast public 
facing services. For six years, I was an executive manager in the New 
York City Department of Investigations Correctional Services Unit, 
initially as Deputy Inspector General and then promoted to Inspector 
General. In these roles, I was responsible for oversight of the 
workforce of the Nation's largest jail, investigating complaints of 
corruption, criminality and the misuse of public funds. For three 
years, as First Deputy Executive Director of NYC's Civilian Complaint 
Review Board, I was responsible for oversight of investigation of 
civilian complaints of the Nation's largest police force.
    I am honored to be nominated by President Biden to be part of 
Secretary Pete Buttigieg's leadership team at USDOT. I truly believe my 
deep commitment to accountability and safety, my expertise in the 
transportation sector and my proven executive operational ability have 
prepared me, if confirmed, for the role of Administrator of the FMCSA.
    21. What do you believe are your responsibilities, if confirmed, to 
ensure that the department/agency has proper management and accounting 
controls, and what experience do you have in managing a large 
organization?
    It is a core duty of the FMCSA Administrator to ensure fiscal, 
operational and management controls are in place. As a former Inspector 
General, I have a deep appreciation for the need for internal controls 
as well as for the role and the ability of outside investigations and 
oversight to improve agency operations. I have worked both inside and 
outside of organizations to ensure that appropriate operational checks 
and balances are in place and are being utilized. As described above, I 
am experienced in managing large and complex organizations with a 
diverse workforce, including preparing and executing budgets and 
creating operational efficiencies when demands grow but budgets don't.
    22. What do you believe to be the top three challenges facing the 
department/agency, and why?
    The agency's top challenge and primary mission is safety. The 
Agency must reduce the number of fatalities involving commercial motor 
vehicles to make our roads safer for drivers of CMV and all road users. 
Since 2009 the number of CMV involved road fatalities has steadily 
increased, rising over 40 percent since 2010. Each of these are 
individual lives lost, families tom apart.
    The agency has a critical role in forging safety partnerships with 
state and local government and organizations to amplify our safety 
enforcement, messaging and training; modernizing inspection 
capabilities and ensuring the current and electronic exchange of vital 
safety information. Adequate financial and oversight support for these 
programs is integral to FMCSA's success.
    FMCSA must ensure that the agency's technology, staffing and 
regulatory changes keep pace with the rapidly changing commercial motor 
vehicle landscape. Advancing FMCSA's internal technology is critical. 
How the agency interfaces with the industry as well as our grant 
partners and states is increasingly dependent on the fast and accurate 
exchange of information. FMCSA's on-the-ground enforcement requires 
adequate staffing and strategic placement of this staff. Additionally, 
the agency's regulatory agenda must reflect technological changes in 
the commercial motor vehicle world.
                   b. potential conflicts of interest
    1. Describe all financial arrangements, deferred compensation 
agreements, and other continuing dealings with business associates, 
clients, or customers. Please include information related to retirement 
accounts.
    My arrangements are fully described in Part 3 of my Public 
Financial Disclosure Report.
    2. Do you have any commitments or agreements, formal or informal, 
to maintain employment, affiliation, or practice with any business, 
association or other organization during your appointment? If so, 
please explain.
    No.
    3. Indicate any investments, obligations, liabilities, or other 
relationships which could involve potential conflicts of interest in 
the position to which you have been nominated. Explain how you will 
resolve each potential conflict of interest.
    In connection with the nomination process, I have consulted with 
the Office of the Government Ethics and the Department of 
Transportation's Designated Agency Ethics Official to identify 
potential conflicts of interest. Any potential conflicts of interest 
will be resolved in accordance with the terms of the ethics agreement I 
have entered into with DOT's Designated Agency Ethics Official and that 
has been provided to this Committee. I am not aware of any other 
potential conflicts of interest.
    4. Describe any business relationship, dealing, or financial 
transaction which you have had during the last ten years, whether for 
yourself, on behalf of a client, or acting as an agent, that could in 
any way constitute or result in a possible conflict of interest in the 
position to which you have been nominated. Explain how you will resolve 
each potential conflict of interest.
    In connection with the nomination process, I have consulted with 
the Office of the Government Ethics and the Department of 
Transportation's Designated Agency Ethics Official to identify 
potential conflicts of interest. Any potential conflicts of interest 
will be resolved in accordance with the terms of the ethics agreement I 
have entered into with DOT's Designated Agency Ethics Official and that 
has been provided to this Committee. I am not aware of any other 
potential conflicts of interest.
    5. Identify any other potential conflicts of interest, and explain 
how you will resolve each potential conflict of interest.
    In connection with the nomination process, I have consulted with 
the Office of the Government Ethics and the Department of 
Transportation's Designated Agency Ethics Official to identify 
potential conflicts of interest. Any potential conflicts of interest 
will be resolved in accordance with the terms of the ethics agreement I 
have entered into with DOT's Designated Agency Ethics Official and that 
has been provided to this Committee. I am not aware of any other 
potential conflicts of interest.
    6. Describe any activity during the past ten years, including the 
names of clients represented, in which you have been engaged for the 
purpose of directly or indirectly influencing the passage, defeat, or 
modification of any legislation or affecting the administration and 
execution of law or public policy.
    During my tenure as Chair and CEO of the NYC Taxi and Limousine 
Commission, I have been involved in legislative and public policy 
issues at the local and State level on behalf of my agency and mayoral 
administration. In my capacity as a consultant I was retained by the 
Law Department of the City of Seattle to assist in the drafting of 
legislation to establish a minimum pay standard for rideshare drivers.
                            c. legal matters
    1. Have you ever been disciplined or cited for a breach of ethics, 
professional misconduct, or retaliation by, or been the subject of a 
complaint to, any court, administrative agency, the Office of Special 
Counsel, professional association, disciplinary committee, or other 
professional group?
    No. Please see, however, response to question 3 on lawsuits in 
which I have been named in my official capacity.

  a.  If yes:

  b.  Provide the name of agency, association, committee, or group;

  c.  Provide the date the citation, disciplinary action, complaint, or 
        personnel action was issued or initiated;

  d.  Describe the citation, disciplinary action, complaint, or 
        personnel action;

  e.  Provide the results of the citation, disciplinary action, 
        complaint, or personnel action.

    2. Have you ever been investigated, arrested, charged, or held by 
any Federal, State, or other law enforcement authority of any Federal, 
State, county, or municipal entity, other than for a minor traffic 
offense? If so, please explain. No.
    3. Have you or any business or nonprofit of which you are or were 
an officer ever been involved as a party in an administrative agency 
proceeding, criminal proceeding, or civil litigation? If so, please 
explain.
    As CEO and Chair of the NYC taxi and Limousine Commission, I have 
been named in several lawsuits in my official capacity. Please see 
Attachment D for the most up-to-date list as compiled by the NYC Law 
Department, which handles these cases on behalf of NYC officials. If 
additional lawsuits are identified following submission of this 
questionnaire, I will promptly let the Committee know.
    4. Have you ever been convicted (including pleas of guilty or nolo 
contendere) of any criminal violation other than a minor traffic 
offense? If so, please explain. No.
    5. Have you ever been accused, formally or informally, of sexual 
harassment or discrimination on the basis of sex, race, religion, or 
any other basis? If so, please explain.
    No. However, please see Attachment D for a list of lawsuits in my 
official capacity some of which may contain allegations that policy or 
agency determinations resulted in unequal treatment.
    6. Please advise the Committee of any additional information, 
favorable or unfavorable, which you feel should be disclosed in 
connection with your nomination. None.
                     d. relationship with committee
    1. Will you ensure that your department/agency complies with 
deadlines for information set by congressional committees, and that 
your department/agency endeavors to timely comply with requests for 
information from individual Members of Congress, including requests 
from members in the minority? Yes.
    2. Will you ensure that your department/agency does whatever it can 
to protect congressional witnesses and whistle blowers from reprisal 
for their testimony and disclosures? Yes.
    3. Will you cooperate in providing the Committee with requested 
witnesses, including technical experts and career employees, with 
firsthand knowledge of matters of interest to the Committee? Yes.
    4. Are you willing to appear and testify before any duly 
constituted committee of the Congress on such occasions as you may be 
reasonably requested to do so? Yes.
                                 ______
                                 

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                                 ______
                                 
                              Attachment B

------------------------------------------------------------------------
          Date             Total Amount              Recipient
------------------------------------------------------------------------
October 20, 2020                    $250  Alvin Bragg: Manhattan
                                           District Attorney
------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 15, 2020                       $205  Ritchie Torres: Congress
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Various dates                       $250  Brad Lander: NYC Comptroller
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Various dates                       $250  Katheryn Garcia: NYC Mayor
------------------------------------------------------------------------
August 15, 2020                     $400  Eric Adams: NYC Mayor
------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 24, 2019                       $250  Kamala Harris: President
------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 9, 2019                        $250  Corey Johnson: NYC Mayor
------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                 ______
                                 
                              Attachment C

                          Meera Joshi Speeches
------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Date       Sponsor       Event Description     Location       Role
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2014
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4/3/2014   New York City  Confirmation          New York, NY  Hearing
            Council        Hearing: Meera                      Witness
            Committee on   Joshi--Taxi and
            Rules,         Limousine
            Privileges     Commission
            and
            Elections
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4/30/2014  New York City  Vision Zero Intros    New York, NY  Hearing
            Council                                            Witness
            Committee on
           Transportatio
            n
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4/30/2014  New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5/15/2014  New York City  Executive Budget      New York, NY  Hearing
            Council        Hearings--Transport                 Witness
            Committee on   ation
           Transportatio
            n
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5/19/2014  New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
6/19/2014  New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
8/7/2014   New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
9/3/2014   New York City  Intros re: Requiring  New York, NY  Hearing
            Council        signs regarding                     Witness
            Committee on   penalties for
           Transportatio   assaulting taxi and
            n              livery drivers
------------------------------------------------------------------------
9/18/2014  New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
9/23/2014  International  Vision Zero &         New York, NY  Panelist
           Association     Traffic Safety
            of             Initiatives
           Transportatio
            n
           Regulators
            (IATR)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
10/16/     New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
 2014       Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
10/21/     New York City  Intros re: Requiring  New York, NY  Hearing
 2014       Council        signs regarding                     Witness
            Committee on   penalties for
           Transportatio   assaulting taxi and
            n              livery drivers
------------------------------------------------------------------------
11/20/     New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
 2014       Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
12/3/2014  New York City  Oversight--App Tech   New York, NY  Hearing
            Council        and Taxi and For-                   Witness
            Committee on   Hire Industries
           Transportatio
            n
------------------------------------------------------------------------
12/18/     New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
 2014       Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2015
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/12/2015  New York City  Intros re: parking,   New York, NY  Hearing
            Council        overcharges,                        Witness
            Committee on   trouble lights,
           Transportatio   base station
            n              agreements
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/27/2015  New York Law   Center for New York   New York, NY  Keynote
            School         City Law Breakfast
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2/12/2015  New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2/26/2015  New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
3/5/2015   New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
3/19/2015  New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4/2/2015   New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4/23/2015  New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5/28/2015  New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
6/22/2015  New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
7/16/2015  New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
9/17/2015  New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
9/29/2015  IATR           New Approaches to     New York, NY  Panelist
                           Regulation in a TNC
                           World
------------------------------------------------------------------------
10/15/     New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
 2015       Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
10/20/     New York       Rideshare Roundtable  New York, NY  Speaker
 2015       State
           Assembly
------------------------------------------------------------------------
11/2/2015  Women in       New York Chapter      New York, NY  Keynote
           Transportatio   Annual Dinner
            n (WTS)
           New York
            Chapter
------------------------------------------------------------------------
12/1/2015  Brooklyn       Newsmakers: Brooklyn  New York, NY  Speaker
            Chamber of     Chamber of Commerce
           Commerce
------------------------------------------------------------------------
12/3/2015  New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2016
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/14/2016  Crain's        Breakfast Forum       New York, NY  Keynote
            Business
           Breakfast
            Forum
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/21/2016  New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2/25/2016  New York City  Commisson Meeting     New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
3/2/2016   New York City  Preliminary Budget    New York, NY  Hearing
            Council        Hearing--Transporta                 Witness
            Committee on   tion
           Transportatio
            n
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4/6/2016   New York City  Intros re: for-hire   New York, NY  Hearing
            Council        fare quotes,                        Witness
            Committee on   retirements, TLC
           Transportatio   driver's license,
            n              illegal street
                           hails
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4/21/2016  New York City  Commisson Meeting     New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5/17/2016  New York City  Executive Budget      New York, NY  Hearing
            Council        Hearings--Transport                 Witness
            Committee on   ation
           Transportatio
            n
------------------------------------------------------------------------
6/1/2016   New York City  Executive Budget      New York, NY  Hearing
            Council        Hearings--Transport                 Witness
            Committee on   ation
           Transportatio
            n
------------------------------------------------------------------------
6/23/2016  New York City  Commisson Meeting     New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
7/18/2016  New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
9/15/2016  New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
11/10/     New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
 2016       Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
12/8/2016  New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2017
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/5/2017   New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2/1/2017   Ford Mobility  City of Tomorrow      New York, NY  Panelist
                           Discussion
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2/2/2017   New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4/6/2017   New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5/4/2017   Challens &     Taxi & Mobility       Belgium       Speaker
            Farber         Update 2017
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5/17/2017  New York City  Executive Budget      New York, NY  Hearing
            Council        Hearings--Finance                   Witness
            Committee on
            Finance
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5/17/2017  New York City  Executive Budget      New York, NY  Hearing
            Council        Hearings--Finance                   Witness
            Committee on
            Finance
------------------------------------------------------------------------
6/8/2017   New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
7/13/2017  New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
9/25/2017  New York City  Taxi Medallion        New York, NY  Hearing
            Council        Oversight                           Witness
            Committee on
           Transportatio
            n
------------------------------------------------------------------------
9/28/2017  New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
10/31/     National       Blueprint for         New York, NY  Speaker
 2017       Association    Autonomous Urbanism
            of City
            Transportati
            on
           Officials
            (NACTO)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
12/13/     New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
 2017       Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2018
------------------------------------------------------------------------
3/8/2018   New York City  Preliminary Budget    New York, NY  Hearing
            Council        Hearing--For-Hire                   Witness
            Committee on   Vehicles
            For-Hire
           Vehicles
------------------------------------------------------------------------
3/29/2018  New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4/13/2018  New York Law   Center for New York   New York, NY  Keynote
            School         City Law Breakfast
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4/25/2018  New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4/26/2018  New York City  Administrative        New York, NY  Hearing
            Council        Prosecution                         Witness
            Committee on
           Government
            Operations
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4/30/2018  New York City  Intros re: High       New York, NY  Hearing
            Council        Volume For-Hire,                    Witness
            Committee on   Accessibility,
            For-Hire       Driver Pay
           Vehicles
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5/7/2018   New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5/10/2018  New York City  Executive Budget      New York, NY  Hearing
            Council        Hearings--For-Hire                  Witness
            Committee on   Vehicles
            For-Hire
           Vehicles
------------------------------------------------------------------------
6/25/2018  New York City  Intros re: Commuter   New York, NY  Hearing
            Council        vans and illegal                    Witness
            Committee on   street hails
            For-Hire
           Vehicles
------------------------------------------------------------------------
7/2/2018   Transit        An Earnings Standard  New York, NY  Panelist
            Center         for App-Based
                           Drivers
------------------------------------------------------------------------
8/7/2018   New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
9/17/2018  New York City  Taxi Medallion        New York, NY  Hearing
            Council        Valuation                           Witness
            Committee on
            For-Hire
           Vehicles
------------------------------------------------------------------------
10/1/2018  NACTO          Unsustainable? What   New York, NY  Panelist
                           the Growth in App-
                           Based Ride Services
                           Means for our
                           Cities
------------------------------------------------------------------------
10/3/2018  New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
10/15/     New York City  Oversight--Accessibi  New York, NY  Hearing
 2018       Council        lity in the Taxi                    Witness
            Committee on   and For-Hire
            For-Hire       Vehicle Industries
           Vehicles
------------------------------------------------------------------------
10/16/     The Century    On the Road to Fair   New York, NY  Panelist
 2018      Foundation      Wages for All
------------------------------------------------------------------------
11/28/     New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
 2018       Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
12/4/2018  New York City  Commission Meeting    New York, NY  Meeting
            Taxi and                                           Chair
            Limousine
           Commission
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2019
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/8/2019   Crain's        Breakfast Forum       New York, NY  Keynote
            Business
           Breakfast
            Forum
------------------------------------------------------------------------
3/14/2019  New York City  Preliminary Budget    New York, NY  Hearing
            Council        Hearing--Transporta                 Witness
            Committee on   tion
           Transportatio
            n
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5/1/2019   Transportatio  Vision Zero Cities    New York, NY  Panelist
            n              2020
           Alternatives
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5/7/2019   United         UN Seminar on Labor   New York, NY  Speaker
            Nations
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5/9/2019   Gotham         Whats the [DATA]      New York, NY  Interview
            Gazette        point
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5/10/2019  The City       Building Bridges      New York, NY  Keynote
            University     CUNY Disability
            of New York
            (CUNY)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5/13/2019  Rudin Center   Women Leaders in      New York, NY  Panelist
                          Transportation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5/29/2019  We Work Town   What is the future    New York, NY  Panelist
            Hall           of e-bikes
                           &scooters in NY
------------------------------------------------------------------------
8/8/2019   Open House     Transportation        New York, NY  Speaker
            New York       Conversation: Meera
                           Joshi
------------------------------------------------------------------------
9/10/2019  NACTO          Caught in a Ride-     New York, NY  Panelist
                           Hail Storm
------------------------------------------------------------------------
9/17/2019  C2SMART/NYU    For Hire Vehicles &   New York, NY  Panelist
                           Passengers with
                           Disabilities
------------------------------------------------------------------------
9/24/2019  Workers Info   Digital Rights for    Brighton,     Panelist
           Exchange        Digital Workers       United
                                                 Kingdom
------------------------------------------------------------------------
12/13/     Rideshare Guy  Meera Joshi on How    New York, NY  Speaker
 2019      Podcast 115     Cities can Regulate
                           Uber and Lyft
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2020
------------------------------------------------------------------------
6/17/2020  Transportatio  Whats Next For Our    New York, NY  Panelist
            n              Streets
           Alternatives
------------------------------------------------------------------------
9/23/2020  Reshaping      Advancing Decent      New York, NY  Panelist
            Work           Work in the
                           Platform Economy
------------------------------------------------------------------------
9/29/2020  City & State   Virtual Rebuilding    New York, NY  Panelist
            New York       New York Summit
------------------------------------------------------------------------
10/20/     Business       Ignition              New York, NY  Speaker
 2020       Insider        Transportation:
                           Shifting Gears,
                           Innovation Ahead
------------------------------------------------------------------------
10/21/     The Company    The Disability Data   New York, NY  Speaker
 2020                      Deficit
------------------------------------------------------------------------
10/28/     Remix Webinar  Tell-All Career       New York, NY  Panelist
 2020                      Development Series,
                           Non-traditional
                           Careers in
                           Transportation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/14/2021  The Company    Show me the Money!    New York, NY  Speaker
                           The Transportation
                           Enthusiast's Top
                           Ten Ways to
                           Generate Revenue
                           while Promoting
                           Mobility
------------------------------------------------------------------------
3/4/2021   Keystone       Building Forward      Virtual       Speaker
            Research       Better in the
           Center          Distribution Sector
------------------------------------------------------------------------
3/4/2021   NYU Rudin      Annual Excellence in  Virtual       Guest
            Center for     Transportation
           Transportaion   Breakfast
            Policy &
           Management
------------------------------------------------------------------------
3/10/2021  New York       Guest Lecture at      Virtual       Speaker
            University     NYU's Topics in
           Rudin Center    Urban
                           Transportation
                           Studies and
                           Practice Course
------------------------------------------------------------------------
3/19/2021  CUNY           CUNY Career Compass   Virtual       Keynote
                           for Women Leaders
                           Conference:
                           Developing Your
                           Executive Presence
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4/6/2021   Trucking       NYS Truck Safety &    Virtual       Panelist
            Association    Education Symposium
            of
           New York
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4/14/2021  American Bus   ABA Fly-in Event      Virtual       Speaker
           Association
            (ABA)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4/22/2021  American       AAMVA Board of        Virtual       Speaker
            Association    Directors Meeting
            of
           Motor Vehicle
           Administrator
            s (AAMVA)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4/22/2021  National       NCBA Agency Meeting:  Virtual       Speaker
            Cattleman's    FMCSA
           Beef
            Association
           (NCBA)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
4/29/2021  Commercial     CVSA Board Of         Virtual       Speaker
            Vehicle        Directors Meeting
           Safety
            Alliance
            (CVSA)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5/11/2021  WTS            Advancing Women       Virtual       Panelist
            Internationa   Advancing
            l              Transportation
           Conference
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5/19/2021  Together for   Vision Zero Fleet     Virtual       Keynote
            Safer          Forum
           Roads
------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                 ______
                                 
                              Attachment D

                      Meera Joshi Legal Proceedings
------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Matter Name              Court           Docket #      Article 78
------------------------------------------------------------------------
MINTZ & GOLD LLP, VS     Supreme Court--      101306/2013             X
 TAXI & LIMOUSINE         New York
 COMMISSION, NYC, ET
 AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMMITTEE FOR TAXI       Supreme Court--      100417/2014             X
 SAFETY INC., ET AL. VS   New York
 CITY OF NEW YORK, ET
 AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
EMILE, ROSIAS, ET AL.    U.S. District                 14CV02866
 VS CITY OF NEW YORK,     Court--Southern
 ET AL.                   District NY
------------------------------------------------------------------------
GREATER NEW YORK TAXI    Supreme Court--      100484/2014             X
 ASSOCIATION, ET AL. VS   New York
 TAXI & LIMOUSINE
 COMMISSION, NYC, ET AL
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEW YORK MASTER CABBIE   Supreme Court--      100522/2014             X
 CORP VS TAXI &           New York
 LIMOUSINE COMMISSION,
 NYC, ET AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BURTON, WILLIAM VS       Supreme Court--      010439/2014             X
 JOSHI, MEERA, ET AL.     Queens
------------------------------------------------------------------------
HARRELL, MICHAEL, ET     U.S. District                 14CV07246
 AL. VS CITY OF NEW       Court--Southern
 YORK, ET AL.             District NY
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BAIG, MIRZA T. VS TAXI   Supreme Court--      100581/2015             X
 & LIMOUSINE              New York
 COMMISSION, NYC, ET
 AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
GLYKA TRANS LLC, ET AL.  Supreme Court--      008962/2015             X
 VS CITY OF NEW YORK,     Queens
 ET AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
XYZ TWO WAY RADIO        Supreme Court--       0056932015             X
 SERVICE, INC., ET AL.    Queens
 VS CITY OF NEW YORK,
 ET AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
MELROSE CREDIT UNION,    Supreme Court--      006443/2015             X
 ET AL. VS CITY OF NEW    Queens
 YORK, ET AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
SINGH, JASWINGER, ET     U.S. District                 15CV05496
 AL. VS JOSHI, MEERA,     Court--Eastern
 ET AL.                   District NY
------------------------------------------------------------------------
SALAM, ABDUL VS TAXI &   Supreme Court--      101987/2015             X
 LIMOUSINE COMMISSION,    New York
 NYC, ET AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
MELROSE CREDIT UNION,    U.S. District                 15CV09042
 ET AL. VS CITY OF NEW    Court--Southern
 YORK, ET AL.             District NY
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CLAIR, SUSAN, ET AL. VS  Supreme Court--      102277/2015
 CITY OF NEW YORK, ET     New York
 AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BAPTISTE, LERONES, ET    Supreme Court--      100391/2016
 AL. VS CITY OF NEW       New York
 YORK, ET AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
SMITH, JEFF VS CITY OF   Supreme Court--      100525/2016             X
 NEW YORK, ET AL.         New York
------------------------------------------------------------------------
DECASTRO, ANGEL, ET AL.  U.S. District                 16CV03850
 VS CITY OF NEW YORK,     Court--Southern
 ET AL.                   District NY
------------------------------------------------------------------------
SHEIKH, IMRAN ET AL. VS  Supreme Court--      004606/2016             X
 TAXI & LIMOUSINE         Kings
 COMMISSION, NYC, ET
 AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
B., A. VS TAXI &         Supreme Court--      008049/2016             X
 LIMOUSINE COMMISSION,    Queens
 NYC, ET AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CAPITAL ONE EQUIPMENT    Supreme Court--      656019/2016
 FINANCE CORP. VS 44TH    New York
 ROAD TRANS INC., ET
 AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CAPITAL ONE EQUIPMENT    Supreme Court--      656501/2016
 FINANCE CORP., ET AL.    New York
 VS DEE-DEE TAXI CORP.,
 ET AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
KONSTANTOPOULOS,         Supreme Court--      100043/2017             X
 PANAYIOTIS, ET AL. VS    New York
 TAXI & LIMOUSINE
 COMMISSION, NYC, ET
 AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PEREZ, ERIC ANDREW VS    Supreme Court--      100392/2017             X
 MEERA, JOSHI             New York
------------------------------------------------------------------------
HERVIAS, MARCELINO, ET   Supreme Court--      154059/2017             X
 AL. VS CITY OF NEW       New York
 YORK, ET AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CAPITAL ONE EQUIPMENT    Supreme Court--      652245/2017
 FINANCE CORP. VS         New York
 AMALIA-MOLLY LLC, ET
 AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FRAIDEN, DAVID ALAN VS   Supreme Court--      157989/2017
 CITY OF NEW YORK, ET     New York
 AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CAPITAL ONE EQUIPMENT    Supreme Court--      157159/2017
 FINANCE CORP., ET AL.    New York
 VS NEBULA CAB CORP.,
 ET AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
JEANTY, VLADIMIR VS      Supreme Court--      152280/2018
 CITY OF NEW YORK ET      New York
 AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
STALLWORTH, ANTHONY, ET  U.S. District                 17CV07119
 AL. VS JOSHI, MEERA,     Court--Southern
 ET AL.                   District NY
------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASHRAF, IRFAN VS         U.S. District                 17CV05956
 LABORATORY CORPORATION   Court--Eastern
 OF AMERICA HOLDINGS,     District NY
 ET AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
LIVERY ROUND TABLE,      U.S. District                 18CV02349
 INC., ET AL VS NEW       Court--Southern
 YORK CITY TAXI &         District NY
 LIMOUSINE COMMISSION,
 ET AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRI-CITY, ET AL. VS      Supreme Court--      153369/2018
 TAXI & LIMOUSINE         New York
 COMMISSION, NYC, ET
 AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
OWNERS TRANSPORT         Supreme Court--      153424/2018
 COMMUNICATION, INC. VS   New York
 TAXI AND LIMOUSINE
 COMMISSION, NYC, ET
 AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
JEANTY, VLADIMIR VS      U.S. District                 18CV05920
 CITY OF NEW YORK, ET     Court--Southern
 AL.                      District NY
------------------------------------------------------------------------
EL BOUTARY, AHMAD VS     U.S. District                 18CV03996
 CITY OF NEW YORK, ET     Court--Eastern
 AL.                      District NY
------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARAUJO, VICENTE O. VS    Supreme Court--      451843/2018             X
 TAXI AND LIMOUSINE       New York
 COMMISSION, NYC, ET
 AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PALIOTTA, GIOVANNI VS    Supreme Court--      159692/2018
 DE BLASIO, MAYOR BILL,   New York
 ET AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAXIFLEET MANAGEMENT     Supreme Court--      161920/2018
 LLC, ET AL. VS THE       New York
 STATE OF NEW YORK, ET
 AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEW YORK MASTER CABBIE   Supreme Court--      162032/2018
 CORPORATION VS TAXI      New York
 AND LIMOUSINE
 COMMISSION, NYC, ET
 AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BSD TWO, INC. D/B/A      Supreme Court--      150513/2019
 SUPERIOR SERVICE         New York
 GROUP, LTD., ET AL. VS
 TAXI AND LIMOUSINE
 COMMISSION, NYC, ET
 AL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
OMAHA LLC, ET AL. VS     Supreme Court--      650574/2019
 TAXI AND LIMOUSINE       New York
 COMMISSION, NYC, ET
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TRI-CITY, LLC, ET AL.    Supreme Court--      151037/2019
 VS TAXI AND LIMOUSINE    New York
 COMMISSION, NYC, ET
 AL.
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NWACHUKWU, IKENNA VS     Supreme Court--      000372/2019
 ADMINISTRATIVE TRIALS    Kings
 AND HEARINGS, OFFICE
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SINGH, BALDEV VS CITY    U.S. District                 19CV05030
 OF NEW YORK, ET AL.      Court--Eastern
                          District NY
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SOYBEL, ALEC, ET AL VS   U.S. District                 21CV01846
 CITY OF NEW YORK, ET     Court--Eastern
 AL                       District NY
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    The Chairwoman. Thank you, Ms. Joshi.
    I think it's safe to say that we all intend to make sure 
resources get to all of you and so definitely our questions are 
going to focus around implementation of those resources. We may 
have a few questions for the record, as well, on that.
    But, Mr. Syed and Ms. Wassmer, aviation is a particular 
area of importance for the state of Washington and I would say 
for the Nation with over two million jobs in aviation 
manufacturing.
    During the COVID pandemic, we lost in my state alone over 
30,000 aerospace jobs as part of manufacturing and the supply 
chain and that's why we worked so hard on the Aviation 
Manufacturing Jobs Protection Program. The first support just 
went out the door issuing tranches in awards of 482 million, 
including 40 million to companies in the state of Washington. 
So these are small machine shops to large suppliers that are 
all part of the process of keeping us competitive in 
manufacturing.
    What will the two of you do to commit to make sure that 
this program continues to get the resources out the door, 
advocates, because obviously there are a lot of small 
businesses that aren't paying attention to our hearings, 
they're paying attention to meeting the bottom line of their 
companies, and yet we know that we need this competitive 
workforce to continue to produce product?
    Mr. Syed. I can go first. Well, first of all, thank you so 
much, Chair Cantwell, for your question and absolutely you have 
our commitment to continue being a voice here. Both Victoria 
Wassmer and I serve on the Senior Review Team for the AMGP 
Program. So making sure that it is being run responsibly is a 
priority of ours, really proud of the dedicated career 
professionals, including Elliott Black, who is heading the 
program, and Elliott keeps himself available for anybody, 
whether it's a company, whether it's the congressional staff 
with questions about making sure that the money is getting out 
to the companies, and not to mention that folks are aware of 
the opportunities available with this program.
    Then what we plan to do is, as the money goes out and as 
the program administration continues, we plan to conduct some 
degree of program evaluation which may yield some additional 
insights on how we can continue helping the sector and I'm also 
proud of the work that DOT and FAA's doing generally on 
workforce development in aviation and careers, including 
careers in aviation manufacturing.
    I mean, these are such important jobs obviously in your 
state and in states across the country. So you have our 
commitment to stay focused on this.
    The Chairwoman. Well, I think Senator Moran probably had 
more resource, again given some of the supply chain that exists 
in his state, but the point is we even had a roundtable to 
discuss this with many of the suppliers in our state and then 
at the end of it, people said, well, when are you going to get 
this legislation passed, and we're like, well, it already is 
passed. We're telling you so that you might, you know, apply.
    So people are just so heads down running their companies, I 
think we have to think about how DOT can continue to talk about 
the program and make sure people are aware because we're at 
this critical juncture of having gotten to this point of 
surviving. The companies are still there or barely still there 
and yet we're still probably two quarters away from what we 
think is a recovery in aviation.
    Ms. Wassmer, any ideas about how to get that message out?
    Ms. Wassmer. Thank you, Senator, for that question. Just 
sort of building on this importance that you are stressing and 
that Mohsin was also reflecting on for aviation manufacturers, 
you know, there is a strong commitment to ensuring that we're 
administering this program effectively.
    I know that the initial first round had 313 businesses who 
were successful in applications. Many of them had never worked 
with the Federal Government before and that's something that 
we're mindful in terms of how to ensure that we can do the 
engagement necessary to get the education out there about these 
opportunities.
    Likewise, 60 percent of them were small businesses. So to 
your point, you know, this is a very complex system of 
manufacturing and the supply chains are also complex and so 
that's the area that we want to ensure as we continue to learn 
and work with these companies what's happening with the 
industry.
    So we have talked with FAA. There is a commitment on the 
program evaluation and indeed I do believe the second round, 
which was closed September 1st, also yielded several 
additional--I think it was 191 additional applicants and so 
those applications will be reviewed and the resources will be 
swiftly given based upon the review process that is happening.
    I think the other thing that's been a strong commitment of 
ours related to all of the COVID funding is that we have strong 
internal controls in place. We want to be mindful of the 
oversight of those emergency funds to ensure that they're going 
to the right recipients.
    There have been instances not in DOT programs but with 
other Federal bureaus where there has been waste, fraud, and 
abuse and there's been an emphasis in the CFO community about 
how we can make sure that those things don't happen.
    I'm really proud of what has happened at the Department of 
Transportation in standing up this program because we worked 
early. We met also with the IG. We tried to ensure that all 
those things were built up front. To have a smooth and 
successful program stood up within 6 months being able to 
disburse funds for a new program is pretty remarkable.
    The Chairwoman. Well, I just want to--my time has expired, 
but I just want to get a commitment from both of you that as it 
relates to the bill Senator Wicker and I worked on together, 
the Aircraft Certification and Safety Accountability Act, which 
strengthens the safety oversight and improving safety culture 
at FAA, that you'll work on the implementation of those reforms 
and make sure that they are a priority within the department.
    Mr. Syed. Absolutely, and that's personal to me, given 
especially my work on House and negotiating with your committee 
on that bill and then my own personal relationship with this. 
Absolutely.
    Ms. Wassmer. Yes, absolutely, and it's also making sure 
that the resources are there in our budget submissions.
    The Chairwoman. Exactly. Yes, thank you.
    Senator Wicker.
    Senator Wicker. Thank you, Ms. Wassmer and Mr. Syed, for 
that assurance to the Committee Chair.
    Let me ask Mr. Bose to talk about innovative rail 
technology and I understand sometimes when the innovative 
approaches are suggested, they run up against regulations which 
favor doing it the old way. One example would be automated 
track inspections as opposed to or compared to the existing 
inspection methods.
    If confirmed, I hope you'll continue forward thinking and 
deliberate approach to providing regulatory relief and 
consideration to test programs that could demonstrate how new 
technologies can improve safety.
    Would you discuss that for just a moment, Mr. Bose?
    Mr. Bose. Thank you for your question, Senator. I agree, 
absolutely, that current technology and technology advances can 
improve safety and at the FRA, particularly through our Office 
of Railroad Systems and Technology, we make an effort to keep 
up with the technology changes that are occurring in the 
industry.
    We're absolutely aware that we need to give careful 
consideration to waivers and make sure they're in the public 
interest and are consistent with rail safety and when you're 
talking about track inspections and testing programs, those are 
ongoing and exist right now and we want to see the results from 
those and you absolutely have my commitment in making sure that 
we're carrying the industry forward to meet the needs of today 
and the future.
    Senator Wicker. Your ability, should you be confirmed, to 
grant these waivers and implement these test programs is 
already there and you don't need anything more from the 
Congress or from this committee, do you?
    Mr. Bose. Senator, I can't think of anything at the moment 
that we need additional. We do review those in a thorough 
manner and there is sometimes a back and forth in terms of 
information gathering. So I will make sure we do that on a 
timely basis.
    Senator Wicker. OK. Well, just let us know what you need 
because obviously some new concept comes up that will 
immediately begin to create more safety, provide more safety, 
you need the flexibility to go ahead and do that.
    You know, the Infrastructure Bill that passed the Senate 
was bipartisan, had 19 Republicans and 18 or 19 or so 
Republicans vote for it, major expansion of discretionary grant 
programs. Of course, it is highways, bridges, but a lot of 
rail, unprecedented Federal investments in railroad 
infrastructure, including more than $40 billion for 
discretionary grant programs administered by FRA.
    Now we can spend--you know, $40 billion is a lot of money, 
but we can spend most of it on just a few big major programs or 
we can use it to fund a greater number of more modest projects 
that have positive impacts on many communities that rely on 
freight and passenger rail service.
    So how do you balance that out, Mr. Bose?
    Mr. Bose. Senator, thanks for that question, and it's 
absolutely a historic time for rail and the trust that the 
Congress is placing in the Federal Railroad Administration 
through your work on the bipartisan bill is reflective, I 
think, of the efforts of the public and how much they want rail 
to be a travel option for the country.
    The United States has a chance to lead the world once more 
through investment in infrastructure and connecting our 
communities is absolutely an important part of that, and if you 
would have noticed in the American Jobs Plan that the President 
put forward, there were a variety of rail programs offered.
    It wasn't only focused on high-speed rail. It wasn't only 
focused on connecting big cities to each other or one part of 
the country or another. We know that these needs are throughout 
the country. So you absolutely have my commitment that the 
programs that FRA institutes will go to the communities that 
support passenger rail throughout the country.
    Senator Wicker. Thank you very much, and thank you, Madam 
Chair.
    The Chairwoman. Thank you, Senator Wicker, and again thank 
you for those focused questions. I'll have some on rail for the 
record, as well.
    So Senator Klobuchar.

               STATEMENT OF HON. AMY KLOBUCHAR, 
                  U.S. SENATOR FROM MINNESOTA

    Senator Klobuchar. Thank you very much, Madam Chair and 
Senator Wicker.
    I'm excited about all the work you're doing and the 
possibilities at the department and the funding that we hope 
will be coming your way soon to pay for them.
    Recreational trails, Mr. Syed. This is going to be like a 
rapid round here. I have led a lot of those efforts because my 
state and the Chair is also very interested in recreational 
trails, but we have trails for hikers, snowmobilers, ATVs, 
cyclists, and they've actually been able to work together on 
this which is really good, kind of unprecedented, on the 
Recreation Trail Program.
    Will you commit to working with us on this program and can 
you just talk maybe very briefly about your interest in it?
    Mr. Syed. Yes. Absolutely. You have my commitment on that 
and you have a wonderful team that I work with regularly and I 
look forward to working with them on this issue, as well, and 
on recreational trails, it's actually personal because 
especially during the pandemic, getting our kids----
    Senator Klobuchar. Yes.
    Mr. Syed.--outside safely and having some activity for 
them. Here in Northern Virginia and Maryland I've discovered so 
many beautiful trails and just sort of reconnecting with 
nature. So it's very personal in that way too.
    Senator Klobuchar. OK. Mr. Bose, we have in Minnesota, of 
course, the Empire Builder goes through our state. We're really 
interested in making that even stronger.
    We're also really interested in a rail up to Duluth, 
Minnesota, aptly named the Northern Lights Express is our 
proposal, and some inner city passenger rail and other things, 
as well.
    Can you talk about the importance of rail not just to 
Chicago and New York and L.A. but also to places like Minnesota 
and Duluth?
    Mr. Syed. Absolutely, Senator. Thank you for your 
longstanding support for rail and for the question.
    There's no doubt that rail has a chance to connect 
communities throughout the United States and places like 
Minnesota that have service but want to expand that service and 
look for new opportunities, the FRA definitely wants to support 
those efforts through technical assistance, going out to the 
communities, talking to them, making sure that the planning 
efforts and construction and deliver those projects are all 
done. So you have my assurance on that, Senator.
    Senator Klobuchar. One other thing we can talk about later, 
but in your testimony you highlighted grade safety as one of 
your priorities. Senator Fischer and I have a bill on this.
    In 2020 alone, 217 people were killed at railroad 
crossings. We've had issues, not just inconvenience, with them. 
Do you agree that more data, this is our bill, on rail grade 
crossings is important for improving public safety?
    Mr. Syed. I do, Senator.
    Senator Klobuchar. OK. Very good. Ms. Joshi, thank you so 
much for your work.
    I didn't know this until I read the questions from our 
intrepid staff, but Minnesota has three of the top 100 trucking 
traffic bottlenecks. OK. That's not good. So we understand that 
the efficient flow of freight across our transit system is 
crucial to the competitiveness of our economy.
    In your view, what investments can Congress make to improve 
supply chain efficiency at ports?
    Ms. Joshi. Thank you very much for the question, and that's 
a topic that, as you probably know, the department as a whole 
has been putting----
    Senator Klobuchar. Yes.
    Ms. Joshi.--increased scrutiny on. At ports in particular, 
the pain point for truckers is the reduction in turn times. 
Turn times equals money. The less turn times they have, the 
less money that they make.
    So understanding the unpaid detention times, so that's the 
time that they're held, creating the financial incentives for 
shippers and port operators to decrease that time, so that that 
financial burden doesn't fall on truckers and it creates a 
better throughput is essential, I believe, to increasing the 
throughput for truckers at the ports.
    Senator Klobuchar. OK. Thorough answer. Thank you.
    We also know that truckers can be the first line of defense 
against human trafficking, something I've been working on with 
our truckers in Minnesota. I've done a lot of work in this area 
in my role on the Judiciary Committee, and Senator Thune and I 
introduced the Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial 
Vehicles Act which would require the DOT to designate a human 
trafficking prevention coordinator to increase outreach efforts 
at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Our 
legislation was actually signed into law, so don't worry about 
that, in January 2018.
    Can you speak to the efforts of FMCSA to educate drivers on 
how to detect and prevent human trafficking and will you work 
with me in the future on that issue?
    Ms. Joshi. Thank you for the important question and 
absolutely will work with you as well as the other modes of the 
department.
    It's twofold. One is making sure that our inspectors and 
the inspectors with our state partners are aware of the signs 
of human trafficking and so that they're on the lookout for 
that when they do their roadway work and, second, as you 
mentioned, is the education and outreach that goes to truckers 
directly and their, my emphasis on that outreach as well as our 
safety outreach is to understand how are we best communicating. 
Are we using the best measures? Is our message getting across, 
and are we giving the information at locations and in modes 
that makes it receptive to the audience because that's key. We 
need to make sure that our outreach is effective.
    So we absolutely look forward to working with you in this 
extremely important work.
    Senator Klobuchar. The last topic very quickly, I was last 
weekend driving and there was a car kind of swerving around and 
I looked and this woman was literally driving with her phone on 
the steering wheel and texting while she was driving and we 
know what a problem this is. Eight people die and more than a 
thousand are injured every single day from distracted driving. 
I go back to Secretary LaHood and I know Secretary Buttigieg is 
very interested in this issue, as well, when he really took 
this on and I hope we do more.
    I've got a bill included encouraging states to implement 
laws banning all non-navigational mobile devices viewing while 
driving and you agree it's important to continue this work, 
educate drivers, and do everything we can to call attention to 
this and stop these practices?
    Ms. Joshi. Absolutely. It's one of the most heartbreaking 
incidence because it's preventable.
    Senator Klobuchar. Mm-hmm.
    Ms. Joshi. It takes a quick decision not to use your phone 
while you're driving, to put on the return text message that 
says do not disturb me, I'm driving, I will not respond. It's 
those slight changes that make huge differences.
    In New York City we had a complete ban on the use of cell 
phones even with the earpiece for the professional drivers, but 
our work at FMCSA is really focused on outreach and working 
with state partners and I applaud every effort of every state 
to increase those penalties and laws, the effectiveness of 
them, to really change the culture around even having any 
acceptability of using a cell phone while driving.
    Senator Klobuchar. Great. It involves a lot of agencies. So 
thank you and congratulations to you, Ms. Wassmer.
    I'll turn it back to our Chair. Thank you.
    The Chairwoman. Thank you. Thank you.
    Senator Fischer, joining us remotely.

                STATEMENT OF HON. DEB FISCHER, 
                   U.S. SENATOR FROM NEBRASKA

    Senator Fischer. Well, Chair Cantwell, I appreciate you 
hosting this hearing today on these nominees.
    Ms. Joshi, when we met earlier this year we discussed my 
bipartisan call to action, an effort I have been a leader on 
since 2018. I was excited to see the provision that this bill 
included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that 
would provide livestock haulers with an additional 150 air 
miles on the destination of a haul.
    Secretary Buttigieg outlined this problem well when he 
said, ``Sometimes our policies cannot tell the difference 
between live animals and other cargo.'' Do you agree with the 
Secretary and will you work with me to provide livestock 
haulers with regulatory flexibilities?
    Ms. Joshi. Thank you for the question, and I did enjoy our 
discussion earlier on this topic. I've had the pleasure of 
meeting with several livestock trade associations and have made 
a commitment which I think will be really important to my role 
which is to go and watch what it takes to load and unload a 
truck with livestock, and it is absolutely a different 
commodity than, say, paper towels. There's so much more 
sensitivity involved.
    We must be flexible. We must be understanding of the 
businesses we regulate, and I commit to working with you and 
the agricultural and livestock industry to make sure that our 
rules never undermine safety but allow them to operate.
    Senator Fischer. Thank you very much.
    Mr. Bose, we previously discussed my bipartisan legislation 
to authorize FRA's blocked crossing portal which was ultimately 
included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. You'll 
recall that the portal would allow the public to report 
instances of blocked crossings to the FRA.
    Do you support the permanent authorization of this program?
    Mr. Bose. Senator, yes, I do.
    Senator Fischer. If confirmed, how will you continue using 
the data from the portal to address the blocked crossings 
issues that we have?
    Mr. Bose. Senator, we actually have the blocked crossings 
portal going right now and what we do is we take the data from 
that and we have certain thresholds and we communicate with the 
communities and also the railroad companies that the blocked 
crossings affect and the railroad companies that are part of 
it. So we have an open communication with them and then if 
there's a pattern, we talk further with the railroad company 
and make sure it doesn't continue.
    Senator Fischer. Oh, great. Ms. Joshi, our country is 
experiencing extreme freight backlog and I appreciate your 
efforts to extend the hours of service waiver to try and 
address some of the issues here. I've heard from many 
Nebraskans about the continued toll that this backlog is taking 
on their businesses.
    In your opinion, are there any additional steps that FMCSA 
can take to help alleviate that freight backlog?
    Ms. Joshi. Thank you for the question, and these are 
certainly unprecedented times when it comes to freight 
transportation.
    One action that we recently took is we added to the most 
recent extension of the hours of service exemptions, the point 
where motor carriers using those exemptions will provide to us 
some more detail about how they're using them.
    In gathering that information, I think it'll be able to 
help us formulate whether there are longer-term and more 
narrowly tailored solutions that we can put in place given the 
freight constraints that our Nation is currently experiencing.
    Senator Fischer. Also, we see current regulations that 
allow a 20-year-old truck driver to drive 517 miles from Omaha 
on the east side of Nebraska across the state to Harrison, 
which is on the west side of the state. That's 517 miles for a 
20-year-old driving a truck across the state.
    However, that same driver cannot drive four and a half 
miles from Omaha across the bridge into Council Bluffs, Iowa. 
The Infrastructure Bill that we passed, it would establish a 
pilot program at the FMCSA to allow 18-to-21-year-old drivers 
to participate in interstate commerce after completing an 
apprenticeship.
    Are you supportive of this effort?
    Ms. Joshi. Thank you for the question, and this is a topic 
that has come up very frequently with regards to driver 
retention and the driver capacity.
    So we are absolutely committed to following the letter of 
the law. I want to note several important provisions. One, they 
have to have a CDL license to begin with. There's an hours 
requirement which is important, and there's a safeguard within 
the legislation if there's any safety concerns for termination, 
and, finally, it requires us to do a very important study on 
driver compensation more broadly, including paid and unpaid 
detention time.
    Senator Fischer. Thank you very much. Thank you, Madam 
Chair.
    The Chairwoman. Thank you, Senator Fischer.
    I think Senator Markey is joining us remotely. If not 
Senator Markey, Senator Blackburn.

              STATEMENT OF HON. MARSHA BLACKBURN, 
                  U.S. SENATOR FROM TENNESSEE

    Senator Blackburn. Thank you, Madam Chairman, and thank you 
to each of you for being here for the hearing today and for 
your patience while we did our Executive Session.
    Ms. Joshi, I want to come to you if I may. First of all, 
thank you for mentioning the motor coach industry. We 
appreciate that. That is indeed, as you said, a critical mode 
of transportation and to those of us in Tennessee it is very 
important.
    I do have some concerns about your time as Head of the New 
York Taxi and Limo Commission and New York doesn't have a 
consumer privacy law which would have given protections to the 
app-based companies in the share economy and what you did was 
to require these app-based companies, you indeed mandated that 
the larger app-based companies share trip data with the city.
    So since there's not a privacy law, what protections did 
you put in place when you scooped this data and what did you 
intend to gain from this data?
    Ms. Joshi. Thank you very much for the question. The data 
that was collected and is still collected in New York City 
about app trips does not include passenger data. It does not 
include consumer data. It includes start and end time, date and 
location, vehicle identifier, and driver identifiers, and this 
information is used to develop policy around congestion, 
accessibility, safety policy, and also to establish a minimum 
pay requirement for drivers who are found by 2018 90 percent of 
them were making less than minimum wage.
    The information itself is hosted within the New York City 
DOT environment with cybersecurity protocols and privacy 
protocols. Some of that information is made public and the app 
companies actually compare and keep track of that public 
because they use that public dissemination because they use it 
in their own operations, but what is made public is stripped of 
all vehicle identifiers, all specific location identifiers, and 
all driver identifiers.
    Senator Blackburn. So you do not feel like this is an 
invasion of privacy for these individual drivers that are 
working with one of the app-based companies?
    Ms. Joshi. The drivers themselves heartily support the 
effort because it was through this mandate on trip records and 
pay information that the city was able to support them in an 
effort to create minimum pay standards, allowing them to at 
least make minimum wage. This is about 80,000 workers in New 
York City who drive full time.
    Senator Blackburn. So are you saying that your concern was 
over wages and what they were able to make?
    Ms. Joshi. One of the concerns answered through the trip 
data collection was wages, yes.
    Senator Blackburn. OK. So do you feel like that the New 
York City Government should be the one in charge of setting 
those wages or mandating a minimum wage for these drivers who 
are choosing to work as independent contractors?
    Ms. Joshi. The New York City Council and the New York City 
TLC working with the New York City Council did not set an 
hourly wage. As you mentioned correctly, these are independent 
contractors. What was set was a minimum mile and a minimum 
minute pay standard which allowed those that were working to 
make the equivalent of a minimum wage.
    Senator Blackburn. OK. So what you're trying to do--I just 
want to be sure I understand your intent on this. So by 
collecting this data, what you were trying to do was put the 
rate per mile or minute closer to what taxis were charging, is 
that right?
    Ms. Joshi. It was a mile and is a mile and minute rate that 
is benchmarked against the minimum pay per hour, the city's 
minimum wage requirement. That's the benchmark.
    Senator Blackburn. Well, this causes me more concern having 
heard your answers to this. So I will submit--I'm over my time. 
I will submit a follow up question to you to allow for a little 
bit more clarification on what the limits are.
    Mr. Bose, I have a question that I will submit to you, 
also.
    Thank you so much, Madam Chairman.
    The Chairwoman. Yes, thank you.
    I'm just trying to go back and forth here. I don't know 
whether Senator Markey or Senator Peters is available.

               STATEMENT OF HON. EDWARD MARKEY, 
                U.S. SENATOR FROM MASSACHUSETTS

    Senator Markey. Yes, I'm right here. Senator Markey is 
here.
    The Chairwoman. Thank you, Senator Markey.
    Senator Markey. Can you hear me?
    The Chairwoman. Yes. Go ahead, Senator.
    Senator Markey. Beautiful. Thank you.
    Fatal truck crashes continue to occur at an alarmingly high 
rate. In 2020 nearly 5,000 people were killed in crashes 
involving a large truck. Since 2009 the number of fatalities in 
large truck crashes has increased by 45 percent.
    Additionally, 159,000 people were injured in crashes 
involving a large truck in 2019 and injuries of large truck 
occupants increased by 18 percent.
    Last year an investigation by the Boston Globe detailed 
these disturbing trends and revealed how the Federal Motor 
Carrier Safety Administration has repeatedly failed to provide 
proper oversight of America's commercial trucking industry.
    In response to this alarming story, I wrote a letter to the 
FMCSA that urged the agency to implement stronger procedures 
for certifying new trucking companies, conducting regular 
oversight of the industry, and enforcing Federal safety 
regulations.
    Unfortunately, the response I received back from the Trump 
Administration was woefully insufficient. It failed to commit 
to the major reforms we need and showed how our truck safety 
regulators have been asleep at the wheel.
    Moving forward, the Biden Administration must now do better 
to address these safety concerns.
    Ms. Joshi, as the next head of FMCSA, what specific actions 
will you take to strengthen Federal oversight of America's 
commercial trucking industry?
    Ms. Joshi. Thank you, Senator Markey, for that question. 
I'm familiar with the Boston Globe articles, Pulitzer Prize-
winning articles, and familiar with the issues raised in those 
articles which are incredibly important to the safety of 
commercial motor vehicles.
    I'm going to go through a few of the priority items for us 
that I think are aligned with the issues that are raised in 
those articles.
    Number One. It's an interstate industry and the licensing 
data around those that drive large trucks must also function in 
an interstate manner. That means there needs to be swift and 
current data transfer between states around CDL licensure.
    This is a rulemaking that we are in the final months of 
getting published. It would mandate that states electronically 
transfer this data and we would like to also accelerate 
adoption of this new rulemaking through grant-making and other 
incentives that we can work with AAMVA to encourage.
    I also want to point out that our Drug and Alcohol 
Clearinghouse, which the FMCSA staff work tirelessly to stand 
up, has been essential to identify risky drivers pre-
employment.
    The rulemaking that's forthcoming will also require states 
to downgrade licenses if there is a positive in the drug and 
alcohol clearinghouse, another important enforcement tool to 
get risky drivers off the roads.
    We're also committed to strengthening our New Entrant 
Program. Motor carriers that have a risky behavior need to be 
investigated and when they come newly into the industry, we 
need to have a closer eye on them.
    So also I just want to and finally broaden the scope of 
those motor carriers that we do investigations of to encompass 
more at-risk behavior. I tremendously look forward to working 
with you and your staff on how we can improve the safety of the 
entire industry and reverse the trends.
    Senator Markey. Good. Thank you. I think it's very clear 
that this entire industry fell into a regulatory black hole 
where it escaped the level of scrutiny which it absolutely has 
to have if the public safety is going to be protected.
    We need an agency which is not a lap dog but a watchdog to 
protect those who have been endangered by the lack of Federal 
oversight to the level which we know the safety of our country 
absolutely is dependent.
    So I thank you for your willingness to serve and I'm going 
to be closely focusing upon what the agency does after your 
confirmation. I think it's absolutely essential that business 
as usual be ended.
    Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair.
    The Chairwoman. Thank you. Thank you, Senator Markey, and I 
wholeheartedly agree with your comments.
    I don't know if Senator Young is available or Senator 
Johnson. If not, Senator Lummis.

               STATEMENT OF HON. CYNTHIA LUMMIS, 
                   U.S. SENATOR FROM WYOMING

    Senator Lummis. Thank you, Madam Chairman.
    My first questions will be for Mr. Syed and Ms. Wassmer and 
it's very specific to the capital City of my home state of 
Wyoming. The Cheyenne Airport is facing serious challenges and 
they're threatening the long-term viability of commercial air 
service.
    Now, right now Cheyenne has absolutely no commercial air 
service. That's been the case since last spring due to runway 
repairs that are overdue and due to a variety of factors, 
including certain FAA regulations. Cheyenne may lose commercial 
air service for the next several years as it attempts to 
complete those repairs.
    Now the message my staff has received from the airport is 
that without certain FAA funds being expedited, the airport 
will not be able to offer commercial air service for the 
foreseeable future, maybe a year or 2 years or more. That would 
make it the only state in the Nation whose capital city has no 
commercial air service and I try to fly out of there as often 
as I can. I haven't been able to. The roads between Cheyenne 
and Denver are heavily trafficked. It is not a long-term 
solution for the City of Cheyenne to be without air service.
    In addition to that, it's a huge problem for Cheyenne's 
economy. It will jeopardize our state's efforts to combat 
wildfires and it jeopardizes procurement for F.E. Warren Air 
Force Base which is at Cheyenne. They don't have an airport at 
F.E. Warren because it's an ICBM base, a missile base as 
opposed to a fixed wing aircraft base.
    So it's my hope, Mr. Syed and Ms. Wassmer, that you will 
use your positions at DOT to help solve these pressing issues.
    So, Mr. Syed, I think you're aware my staff has been in 
contact with you about this. Ms. Wassmer, hopefully you'll 
recall that, as well.
    Will you commit, Mr. Syed, to continue to relay our message 
throughout the FAA and the Office of the Secretary, as well, so 
that we can identify some opportunities to work with you to 
resolve this issue?
    Mr. Syed. Thank you, Senator Lummis, for the question, and 
absolutely you have my commitment on that, and you also have a 
very effective staffer in Holt Edwards who keeps me on my toes 
on this issue. So you have my absolute commitment there.
    Senator Lummis. Well, thank you, and we intend to kind of 
be a broken record on this because it's a really pivotal issue 
for Wyoming.
    Ms. Wassmer, if you are confirmed, you're going to have a 
lot of influence over funding decisions throughout the modal 
offices at DOT, including the FAA.
    Will you commit to use your role as the CFO to work with us 
to secure adequate funding so we can resolve this issue?
    Ms. Wassmer. Thank you, Senator Lummis, and I absolutely do 
commit. I have been in touch with FAA's Office of Airports 
about this project and understand more and also will work 
closely to identify other opportunities associated with the 
funding for the runway improvement projects that are happening 
there at Cheyenne.
    Senator Lummis. As you know, each airport district office 
receives discretionary funds for airport projects and although 
the funds needed would use up a large portion of those 
discretionary funds for the Denver ADO, it's my understanding 
that the full amount of funds needed to complete the project 
are available.
    So what information can my office and the airport in 
Cheyenne provide to your team in order to prioritize the 
airport receiving those funds?
    Ms. Wassmer. So I do believe that there has been with the 
Office of Airports, Shannetta Griffin as well as Winsome 
Lenfert, conversations about the necessary information to help 
support and I do think that through those conversations as well 
as we look at the bipartisan infrastructure deal, with the 
Investments in Infrastructure and Jobs Act, there are 
additional monies and resources that would be coming to Wyoming 
and specifically to Cheyenne that could be supportive of that 
work.
    Senator Lummis. Well, I want to thank you both and assure 
you that we will be in contact with you about this and 
appreciate your responses to this.
    Mr. Bose, when you and I spoke earlier this year, I 
expressed my concern with FRA pursuing a rulemaking on minimum 
crew size. In the most recent regulatory agenda, DOT indicated 
that there would be a rulemaking to address the potential 
safety impacts of one-person train operations.
    Given that FRA has previously said there is no safety data 
to justify such a regulation, could you please share with the 
Committee what new information DOT has collected to justify 
such a regulation?
    Mr. Bose. Thank you for the question, Senator. As you may 
be familiar, a court found against FRA's actions in the past 
and vacated the agency's Preemption Order and remanded the rule 
back to FRA. So we are in the process of a Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking which will be a public and open process and what 
we're doing--one reason we're doing it is because if there is 
not a rulemaking, then we believe that states would have a 
patchwork of laws. So that's just one thing to keep in mind.
    We are going to look at the potential safety impacts of 
crew size on train operations and make sure that there is a 
reason to do it. Again, we'll go through the NPRM process and 
there definitely will be a lot of input from the industry and 
from their stakeholders in rail.
    Senator Lummis. Thank you, and thank you all for responding 
to my questions. I might submit a question in writing to you, 
Ms. Joshi, with regard to dedicated truck parking on our 
interstate highways, but if we do that, we'll send it to you in 
writing. You've been on the hot seat a lot today.
    Thank you all. Madam Chairman, thank you very much.
    The Chairwoman. Thank you. Thank you, Senator Lummis. So 
appreciate you being here in person.
    Is Senator Peters available? Senator Sinema? Or Senator 
Rosen? If not, we're going to take a short recess. I do think 
we have a couple members who still want to ask questions. So 
we'll take a short recess and allow me to vote and allow other 
people to get here and we'll be back in hopefully about 10 
minutes.
    Thank you.
    [Recess.]
    The Chairwoman. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation will come back to order.
    Our hearing will resume on our nominees before us today, 
Ms. Wassmer, Mr. Syed, Mr. Bose, Ms. Joshi. Thank you so much.
    Senator Sullivan.

                STATEMENT OF HON. DAN SULLIVAN, 
                    U.S. SENATOR FROM ALASKA

    Senator Sullivan. Madam Chair, thank you very much for 
being flexible here on this. This is an important hearing and I 
wanted the opportunity to ask some questions. So thank you for 
your flexibility there and to the nominees, congratulations. 
It's great that you want to serve our country, so appreciate 
that, and look forward to working with you on a number of 
issues.
    I want to begin on the issue as it relates to the Alaska 
Railroads Authorization for LNG and ISO Tankers on Flat Cars.
    So, Mr. Bose, you know this is an important issue you and I 
have discussed and that authority was granted originally in 
2015. We had a good discussion in May on this in our meeting. 
The request for the extension, as you know, has languished for 
10 months prior to any movement from the FRA and it predated 
this Administration, as you and I talked about.
    So I appreciated some movement, but here's the issue and as 
you know, it's for clean burning Alaskan natural gas into the 
interior of Alaska and that's for our communities there. That's 
for our military bases there, and I'm interested in having that 
authorization to transport LNG and ISO tankers on flat cars be 
extended and provide to commercially viable amounts, and I 
think that's the big issue right now.
    Will you commit to me that FRA will continue to work toward 
the authorization of right-size shipments? We've been a little 
frustrated on the size that they've been allowing to provide 
for a needed alternative for Interior Alaska's energy needs and 
again an environmentally sound alternative that we, as you 
know, have in abundance in Alaska.
    Mr. Bose. Thank you, Senator, for raising this important 
issue, and I look forward to visiting Alaska hopefully in the 
upcoming months.
    I understand that Alaska Railroad has had a very productive 
and longstanding relationship with the Federal Railroad 
Administration. So I want to make sure to continue that.
    As you alluded to, this has been a longstanding request 
from Alaska Railroad going from the last Administration to this 
Administration. So I'm glad we made some progress.
    Senator Sullivan. It actually started with the Obama 
Administration, if you remember. So it's been really 
longstanding.
    Mr. Bose. Yes, yes, and we absolutely want to work with you 
and your office on this issue, and I know that the level that 
we approved, you would like for that to be, as you put it, 
commercially viable.
    Senator Sullivan. Yes. That's the key issue.
    Mr. Bose. We were working with Alaska Railroad and we 
thought we had addressed what their peak demand was going to 
be, but we will absolutely look at that and talk to Alaska 
Railroad again and happy to do that.
    Senator Sullivan. Good. Thank you. And, look, I want to get 
everybody's commitment. This is usually an easy one. I ask it 
of every single Senate-confirmed person in the U.S. Senate to 
come up to Alaska, visit Alaska, see our unique state. We have 
a lot of challenges, a lot of opportunities, but you got to 
come to Alaska, see it, on the ground to understand, you know, 
our wonderful state.
    Can I get a commitment from all of you to commit to doing 
that sometime in your tenure?
    Ms. Wassmer. Yes, absolutely.
    Mr. Syed. Yes.
    Ms. Joshi. Yes, please.
    Mr. Bose. Absolutely.
    Senator Sullivan. I won't make it in the winter when it's, 
you know, 40 below zero, maybe you can do it in the summer, but 
it's important.
    The Chairwoman. Senator Sullivan, I heard Mr. Bose say he 
would come in the next couple of months.
    Senator Sullivan. Yes. That's right.
    The Chairwoman. I wondered if he wanted to revise that.
    Senator Sullivan. Let's do that. Let's do that in February 
when it's 50 below and you can see a little bit.
    I want to talk about very quickly for Ms. Wassmer a really 
important issue for me. I would say I don't want to speak for 
the Chairman but I think it's an important issue for her, as 
well, and it deals with the Port of Alaska, Port of Anchorage, 
and that we've had some big challenges there. It's really 
important for our economy.
    I've had discussions with Secretary Buttigieg about this 
where we've had, you know, some challenges on design, on 
earthquakes, and this is a really important port for my entire 
state's economy, for the military there, I would say for parts 
of the Washington State economy, and can I just get your 
commitment to really help us and focus on that issue? I've 
raised it a number of times with the Secretary.
    I was home, of course, over August and did a tour with our 
mayor of the port. It's got a lot of challenges and I'd really 
like your commitment on that.
    Ms. Wassmer. Yes, Senator, I do commit to doing that. I 
think there are some exciting opportunities with the Investment 
and Infrastructure and Jobs Act associated with port 
infrastructure.
    Senator Sullivan. Well, we agree with you on that and 
actually the Chairman and I, she and I were working on some 
potential amendments that related to that, so for her ports and 
our ports, so we want to continue to work with you on that.
    The Chairwoman. Senator Sullivan, if I could interject, 
what percentage of product delivered to Alaskans comes through 
that port?
    Senator Sullivan. Well, Madam Chair, it's amazing that you 
asked that because that was just--if you can indulge me, I was 
going to mention that as the beginning of my next question, and 
that is for Ms. Joshi.
    85 percent of the freight coming into Alaska comes through 
the Port of Anchorage. So we are very, very dependent on this 
port. It's also one of the Department of Defense's 18 strategic 
DoD ports. There's only 18, one in Alaska, one in Washington 
State. So it's really important from that perspective.
    The question I wanted to ask you, Ms. Joshi, and I know I'm 
going over my time here, is as it relates to the Chair's 
question, that also means that we're one of the biggest 
intermodal states in the Union, meaning that freight comes into 
the port obviously via sea and then it is delivered in another 
mode of transportation, more often than not on a truck.
    We have almost 14,000 people, that's a lot, in my state 
employed in the trucking industry, great workers, Teamsters, 
others who do a phenomenal job, big impacts on our economy.
    I just want to get your commitment that the regulatory 
decisions that you make will have strong stakeholder engagement 
because you, of course, have to balance things with 
regulations. You want to make sure this is a really robust 
employment and jobs sector, but there are other things that 
regulations look at.
    But can I get your commitment to work with stakeholders, 
the men and women who drive the trucks, whether it's Teamsters 
or others, and the industry, but it's important, critically 
important in my state?
    Ms. Joshi. Yes, thank you for your interest. You have my 
commitment and I also firmly believe it's the only way we can 
make solid regulations. So I've had the pleasure of visiting 
New York New Jersey Port and meeting with several port 
operators, motor carriers, and plans to meet with drivers, 
groups that also work at ports and extend that invitation to 
Alaska, as well, but we absolutely cannot make informed policy 
decisions without driver and motor carrier input.
    Senator Sullivan. Good. Well, when you come up to Alaska, 
we'll make sure we get meetings with all those stakeholders. 
Great.
    Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair.
    The Chairwoman. Thank you, Senator Sullivan, and thank you 
for bringing up this important issue. We are fighting for $2.5 
billion for port infrastructure investment as part of our 
reconciliation efforts and very much have the Port of Anchorage 
in mind and, I mean, people just don't think about it. I could 
have asked you how much product is delivered by road.
    Senator Sullivan. It's not much.
    The Chairwoman. Yes. And not much by aviation either 
because it----
    Senator Sullivan. Not much.
    The Chairwoman.--is so expensive. So basically if something 
happens to that port, that's basically all the resource for 
Alaska. So it's ridiculous that we're in this position, in my 
opinion. We should be making--this is a major priority for the 
Nation and certainly we're going to work with you, Senator.
    Senator Sullivan. I appreciate that, Madam Chair,----
    The Chairwoman. Yes.
    Senator Sullivan.--very much.
    The Chairwoman. OK. So I think Senator Peters is next. If 
Senator Peters is not available, Senator Rosen.

                STATEMENT OF HON. JACKY ROSEN, 
                    U.S. SENATOR FROM NEVADA

    Senator Rosen. Thank you, Chairwoman Cantwell, appreciate 
it, and I'm sorry we don't have any ports in the battle but we 
support your ports. We have other things, other ways we get our 
goods into Nevada, and we appreciate everything that does come 
in to our ports all across the country.
    I want to thank you for holding the Nominations Hearing 
today and, of course, all the nominees for your commitment to 
public service.
    I want to switch a little bit over into AI technology. So, 
of course, Ms. Joshi, as you know, the mission of FMCSA's 
Office of Analysis, Research, and Technology is to reduce the 
number and the severity of commercial motor vehicle crashes and 
enhance the efficiency of CMV operation, and so as our Nation 
incorporates more artificial intelligence in transportation, if 
confirmed to lead FMCSA, how do you intend to use your position 
to adapt how the agency overseas and analyzes the safety of 
increasingly more technology-based platforms?
    We know all of our vehicles are getting smarter and smarter 
all the time and so when FMCSA has been historically overseeing 
more mechanical operations and we need to move forward to the 
future.
    Ms. Joshi. Thank you, Senator Rosen, for that important 
question and for pointing out that we are indeed in a time of 
incredible transition within the industry.
    The transition from mechanical to AI occurs but for FMCSA, 
the mission of safety as the Number 1 priority stays the same. 
So our challenge is to ensure that our regulations to uphold 
roadway safety translate into an AI world.
    The principles remain the same and we're embarking on that 
work now to stand up a regulatory framework for AV trucking so 
that safety is Number 1. There is room for innovation so the 
crash prevention technology that AI brings can benefit road 
users and there are accountability measures so we understand 
critical things in an automated world like when does a crash 
occur, when is there a dis-engagement.
    There are questions that are new for the industry to have 
to answer in the AI world and we intend to work closely with 
stakeholders to find the right way to make sure those 
accountability measures are in place.
    Senator Rosen. Thank you. I appreciate that. I want to move 
over and talk with you, Mr. Bose, about transporting nuclear 
waste by rail because, if confirmed, you would be in charge of 
developing and enforcing rail safety regulations.
    For Nevadans, the transportation of hazardous waste to our 
state by road and rail is something we've been fighting since 
the 1980s. For over 30 years we've opposed Yucca Mountain 
Nuclear Waste Disposal Project in part because it would require 
transporting nearly 9,500 rail casks of hazardous radioactive 
waste in 2,800 trains and over 2,600 trucks from across the 
country, all across the country to Nevada. This is a major 
transportation safety crisis waiting to happen.
    Actually to move all the waste they currently want to do it 
would take three loads by truck or rail 50 years to complete. 
So it puts major metropolitan areas in 44 states, their 
railways, their roadways, millions of Americans at risk. This 
proposal is not only dangerous, it's unrealistic.
    Like I said, it would require 300 miles of new railroad, 
take over 50 years to move the current volume of nuclear waste. 
We already have an aging rail system and the consistent 
shipments of heavy casks of nuclear waste will definitely cause 
wear and tear on our railroads and have an economic impact on 
our commercial rail, as well.
    So, Mr. Bose, if confirmed, will you commit to working with 
me to address the rail safety concerns of Nevadans who don't 
want to live along railways unsafely transporting waste and I 
can tell you those other 44 states, I'm sure they don't want it 
coming through there either.
    Mr. Bose. Yes, Senator, absolutely commit to that.
    Senator Rosen. And I want to follow up on that and to your 
knowledge, Mr. Bose, are positive rail control, the PRC, 
systems required for trains carrying nuclear waste and if they 
aren't, do you think it's beneficial to apply them to trains 
transporting nuclear waste and can you look into this, if 
confirmed, if it's not already the practice?
    Mr. Bose. Senator, there's no specific requirement of the 
use of positive rail control, positive train control on trains 
carrying nuclear waste, but positive train control may be 
generally required based on trains operating on a Class 1 
mainline.
    I commit to examining whether specific requirements here 
may be beneficial to enhancing safety in this area. FRA also 
works closely with the Department of Energy and the Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission and their stakeholders in shipping 
radioactive materials.
    Senator Rosen. Thank you. I appreciate that, and I just 
think that there'd be broad support to be sure that we make any 
train carrying nuclear waste, hazardous waste be the safest 
trains that there are so we can avoid any obviously unfortunate 
accidents that could put many in our towns and cities at peril.
    Thank you, Madam Chair. I see my time is up.
    The Chairwoman. Thank you, Senator Rosen.
    Do we have Senator Peters or Senator Sinema? OK. We have a 
bunch of people who are listed as wanting to join remotely. So 
sorry for calling out your names. If not, we'll give it a few 
minutes, I have a couple of questions I'd like to ask.
    Mr. Bose, I wanted to ask you about crude by rail. 
Obviously this is a very big issue for the state of Washington. 
In December of last year, a mile-long train derailed in Custer, 
Washington, causing a town to be evacuated and spilling 30,000 
gallons of crude oil despite only going seven miles per hour.
    So we're seeing these incidents. 10 tank cars derailed and 
three of them caught on fire. No one was injured but this 
incident is a reminder of the danger that crude oil and LNG 
trains pose to communities near rail.
    What will you be doing to ensure that hazardous materials 
are operated in a safe manner and will you commit to reviewing 
whether current safety standards need to be enhanced in light 
of this?
    Mr. Bose. Senator, I'll start out by saying that for 
enhancements, absolutely commit to looking at that, and in my 
short time at DOT this time around we're absolutely working 
with the Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, as 
well, on this issue because it involves hazardous materials.
    Regarding the Custer, Washington, derailment, we issued our 
investigation report a few weeks ago. FRA understands the 
potential risk associated with the movement of energy products 
and other hazardous materials and we will absolutely be 
continuing to work with state and local governments and the 
industry to advance safety in all parts of rail transportation 
when it involves hazardous materials, and we also are going to 
continue to work closely on tank car safety, as well.
    The Chairwoman. Thank you. There's a lot to continue to be 
done on rail safety and rail car safety.
    On the ports issue, I so appreciate my colleague, Senator 
Sullivan, bringing this up and many members of this committee 
do have big port economies, but right now we are seeing 
unbelievable congestion at our ports and so I would like to ask 
all of you, I guess, might as well since, Ms. Wassmer, you'll 
have a role, but our ports are experiencing unprecedented 
congestion really.
    Now we are seeing pictures every day of ports with ships 
and the amount of congestion. What do each of you think we 
should be doing to help relieve congestion at our ports? Maybe 
we'll start at this end.
    Ms. Joshi. Thank you, Chair Cantwell, for the question. 
From the perspective of the trucking industry, I think it's 
critical that there be transparency and that the financial 
incentives be aligned because there are so many moving parts at 
a port in order to make the trucking experience of moving 
freight in and out as efficient as possible, there has to be 
transparency on appointment systems, flexible hours, and more 
certainty on when containers need to be dropped off and picked 
up as well as aligning the financial incentives.
    So if the trucking community is bearing the brunt of wait 
times and that time is not compensated, either because they 
have to hold containers or because truck drivers have to wait 
for loading and unloading, then the congestion and the downtime 
is felt by them and there's no incentive to disburse that among 
the whole system which therefore will have the overall effect 
of improving throughput.
    The Chairwoman. Do you think we should do a pilot program 
right now on something? You know, we just had a big focus with 
the Deputy Secretary Trottenberg coming to the Seattle Port to 
look at that issue and look at the West Seattle Bridge, but 
more specifically there's an opportunity to demonstrate that 
there is a faster way and a cleaner way to get those truck 
drivers back on the roads and move the products more 
effectively through the ports. Do you think there's a 
demonstration that could show this?
    Ms. Joshi. I would certainly love to work on exploring that 
idea. We've been operating in a certain way for many, many 
decades. So I think it's high time to try to change things and 
look at them differently and if there's an isolated place where 
we could have a demonstration project that's working for the 
industry and for the ports, then I'd be happy to explore that 
with you and your staff.
    The Chairwoman. OK. Thank you. Mr. Bose, what do you think 
we should do about this problem?
    Mr. Bose. Well, Senator, excellent question, and it's 
something that I, along with Deputy Administrator Jarashi, we 
have been tasked by the Secretary because he's on the Supply 
Chain Disruption Task Force from the White House, and the White 
House, as you know, issued an Executive Order about supply 
chain disruption. So it's absolutely on our radar.
    When looking at it from the rail industry perspective, we 
know that there's congestion at the ports, logistical 
equipment, scarcity, labor shortages, a combination of things, 
and we all have a different role to play in that.
    FRA, for our part, is definitely going to look at the rail 
issues in collaboration with other transportation modes and 
also other agencies across government to look for any 
opportunity we can to help alleviate the situation.
    The Chairwoman. Thank you. Mr. Syed.
    Mr. Syed. Thank you, Chair Cantwell. Building off what Mr. 
Bose just said about the Executive Order, the department 
recently issued a Request for information in the Federal 
Register seeking comments from stakeholders to figure out how 
to address these challenges and the department anticipates 
releasing this assessment early next year. So hopefully that 
will inform some of the efforts here.
    The department also recently had former Deputy Secretary of 
Transportation John Bakory join as a Port Envoy and we look 
forward to having him and his expertise at the department to 
find near-term opportunities to address port congestion.
    The Chairwoman. Maybe we should have Mr. Bakory come before 
the Committee if he's the person in charge of this, but I 
definitely--yes, OK. Well, let's hear from Ms. Wassmer.
    Ms. Wassmer. Senator Cantwell, this has been a really big 
issue and, interestingly enough, I remember being in Seattle 
and going to the museum there on Port and Shipment Containers 
and it was when my sons were very young, so over 20 years ago, 
and just being amazed at all of what happens, both on our 
import and export side, the criticality of the port 
infrastructure.
    Again, we've talked about the investments that are 
anticipated in the Infrastructure Bill. We also made it a point 
this year in the President's Budget for 2022 to request 
resources. We do take this strongly at the department and in 
this Administration and look forward to working with you on 
that.
    The Chairwoman. Well, and you mentioned workforce in your 
opening statement.
    I think we're doing the right things as it relates to the 
budget reconciliation efforts and the transportation 
infrastructure bills that we've passed. We're making or want to 
make the major investments, but I would just remind people 
we're seeing this and you can say it's a supply chain issue, 
you can say it's, you know, a lot of different things, COVID 
impact on the work force.
    We've obviously had serious longshoremen deaths as it 
related to people being essential workers trying to do their 
job. It's a very, very sad situation.
    So, there are lots of issues, but, you know, my state is a 
very big trade state, one in three jobs related to trade, and 
so this isn't going to go away. If we recover from the pandemic 
and we continue to see the growth around the globe in economic 
opportunity, we've got to get this infrastructure flow right 
and if it means getting the workforce to go with it or the 
innovation on cleaner port emissions which will be part of the 
issue, we just have to realize that this is, just as Senator 
Sullivan was saying, these are really critical economic 
development issues on the ground for our states and if you look 
at our U.S. economy, I think it's something like 80 percent of 
our economic activity comes out of these coastal states.
    So that's, you know, not to say we don't ship a lot of 
stuff from the Midwest through the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma, 
we do, but in reality, these states represent big economic 
activities and so making the investment, getting the work 
force, thinking about the supply chain, thinking about the 
growth around the country and I would ask us to think about 
this particularly as it relates to Canada.
    I mean, Canada made some major alignments to make all of 
this easier. I mean, they basically said we're open for 
business and we'll make it easier for you and that's what we 
have to compete with and that same kind of activity is going to 
continue around the globe as more and more people obviously 
join our economies.
    OK. Well, I take it we have no other members wishing to ask 
questions.
    I again want to thank the witnesses for their willingness 
to serve and their statements here and questions that they've 
answered.
    We have one more question to Ms. Wassmer, Mr. Syed, Mr. 
Bose, Ms. Joshi. If confirmed, will you pledge to work 
collaboratively with this committee, provide thorough and 
timely responses to our requests for information as we put 
together and address important policy issues, and appear before 
the Committee when requested?
    Ms. Wassmer. Yes, I will.
    Mr. Syed. Yes.
    Mr. Bose. Absolutely.
    Ms. Joshi. Yes, I will.
    The Chairwoman. Thank you.
    So the Senators have 72 hours to submit questions for the 
Committee record. Witnesses will have one week to respond to 
those questions and so that will be our timeframe obviously 
then for moving forward on your nominations.
    So thank you all very much for being here today.
    We're adjourned.
    [Whereupon, at 12:15 p.m., the hearing was adjourned.]

                            A P P E N D I X

The Truth About Former NYC Taxi and Limousine Commissioner Meera Joshi, 
                   Nominee for Administrator of FMCSA
Meera Joshi US Senate Confirmation Hearing 9/15/21
    As NYC taxi owners, we were dismayed to see that Meera Joshi, the 
previous NYC Taxi & Limousine Commissioner, seems to poised to advance 
to a higher position in government as Administrator of FMCSA.
    What you may not understand is that medallion owners in NYC paid 
billions of dollars to New York City to purchase medallions which are a 
defacto franchise and widely recognized as property. We read very 
carefully all of the written material that Ms. Joshi submitted to the 
committee and would like to point out things she left out.
    The written material she submitted is in these links:

        https://drive.google.com/file/d/
        1yk00d0ZwqSGJKJDiiKcWNmrzvDskpr6S/view

        https://www.commerce.senate.gov/services/files/2704328F-6FB9-
        495C-870C-3BDCEFACEE28

    Mainly, that she was at TLC as General Counsel from 2011-2013 and 
then as Chair from 2014-2019. During that time, every step of the way, 
the path forward for taxis was stymied while at the same time every 
break possible was given to our competition, Uber Lyft Via who 
basically succeeded by flooding the streets with 10s of thousands of 
vehicles, which created many knock on effects.
    She left out a lot to put it mildly. The suicides, the 
bankruptcies, destruction of $15 billion in equity, destruction of all 
the credit unions, the 62 percent increase in greenhouse gases, the 600 
percent increase in crashes, driver poverty, discouragement of the use 
of public transportation, the huge losses to taxpayer, losses of $700 
million to NCUA insurance fund due to medallion debt writeoffs non stop 
lawsuits against her and her agency, the huge increase in congestion 
due to the more than tripling of for hire vehicles (40K to 130K) in New 
York City, the bending, breaking, ignoring & changing of her agencies 
rules always benefitting one player over all others.

        https://www.creditunions.com/blogs/commentary/the-ncua-spent-
        15-billion-of-member-funds-wheres-the-transparency/

    There is a great deal of anger and sadness over Ms. Joshi's tenure 
as TLC Commissioner. After one of the many suicides she decided to 
crash a memorial service for the driver who had thrown himself in front 
of a moving subway train. What happened next is indicative of how 
drivers feel about her. Here is the link to video of what occurred that 
day.

        https://gothamist.com/news/tlc-commissioner-accosted-at-vigil-
        following-
        another-for-hire-driver-suicide

    The following video is a record of an April 2017 TLC hearing on 
industry economics over which Ms. Joshi presided. Under Commissioner 
Joshi's leadership since 2014, and before that as Deputy Commissioner 
for Legal Affairs from 2011-2013, the entire industry had been upended 
despite the Commission having had the tools to remediate the problem of 
tremendous oversupply of for hire vehicles. These are the testimonies 
of 81 participants, some crying, some begging, some screaming for 
someone to help them.

        https://www.nyctaxinews.com/tlcmeet4_6_17.html

    Since April 2017, $15 billion in equity has been destroyed, all the 
credit unions that financed the taxi industry have gone under and there 
have been 10 suicides that we know of.
    The only thing that came out of this hearing was a rule to allow 
ride share drivers to be tipped. None of the underlying issues have 
been addressed to this date.
    We hope that you will take all these facts into account when you 
consider Joshi's nomination. If there is a more formal way to send 
testimony to the committee please let us know.

The Members of NYC Taxi Medallion Owner Driver Association

Twitter: @nyc_tmoda
                                 ______
                                 
   Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Kyrsten Sinema to 
                            Victoria Wassmer
    Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The bipartisan 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides a significant 
investment of 550 billion additional dollars over five years in 
America's transportation infrastructure. The Department of 
Transportation (DOT) will oversee the distribution of many the funds 
authorized by the IIJA, should be it become law.

    Question 1. If confirmed, how will you in your role as chief 
financial officer of the DOT ensure these funds are expended in a fair 
and efficient manner? What will you do to protect against fraud, waste, 
and abuse in the disbursement of IIJA funds?
    Answer. Throughout my career, I have been a strong advocate for 
protecting Federal resources and using funding wisely. In my view, one 
of the best ways to protect the Nation's resources is to ensure that 
Federal Agencies establish and maintain a strong system of internal 
controls so that specific procedures and safeguards are followed at 
every step of the way in executing Federal dollars. If confirmed as 
Chief Financial Officer, I will ensure that DOT continues to maintain 
strong financial management systems and processes that protect funding 
and provide transparent and reliable information.
    The passage of the IIJA will provide major funding increases for 
many of the current programs in the Department as well as funding for 
several new programs. If confirmed, I will work closely with the DOT 
leadership, my staff, and my counterparts within the Department to 
ensure that funds provided through this legislation are disbursed in a 
timely fashion and accounted for properly in our financial management 
systems. I will also ensure that regular reporting on our progress in 
implementing these funds is provided to Congress.

    Question 2. Should the IIJA become law, how would its investments 
revitalize America's transportation infrastructure?
    Answer. The IIJA provides $550 billion in new Federal investment in 
America's infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and mass transit, 
water infrastructure, resilience, and broadband. The Biden-Harris 
Administration believes that we must invest in our country and in our 
people by creating good-paying union jobs, tackling the climate crisis, 
and growing the economy sustainably and equitably for decades to come. 
This bipartisan legislation will deliver progress towards these 
objectives for our Nation's transportation infrastructure and for 
working families across the country. Among other investments, IIJA 
makes the largest Federal investment in public transit ever; makes the 
largest Federal investment in passenger rail since the creation of 
Amtrak; makes the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the 
construction of the interstate highway system; and helps us tackle the 
climate crisis by making the largest investment in clean energy 
transmission and EV infrastructure in history, including electrifying 
thousands of school and transit buses across the country.
                                 ______
                                 
      Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Mike Lee to 
                            Victoria Wassmer
    Question 1. How would you describe the current financial state of 
the Highway Trust Fund?
    Answer. The Highway Trust Fund (HTF) currently operates with a 
structural deficit, which began in 2008 when Trust Fund expenditures 
first exceeded incoming receipts. Since that time, between 2008 and 
2021, Congress has appropriated $154 billion in general fund transfers 
to maintain Trust Fund balances.
    The Department of Transportation (DOT) consistently monitors the 
resources in the Highway Trust Fund to ensure funds are available to 
reimburse States for approved infrastructure projects. In partnership 
with the Department of the Treasury, DOT provides regular updates and 
funding projections to Congress that reflect the latest information. If 
confirmed as Chief Financial Officer, I will continue to ensure that 
transparent reports on the status of the Trust Fund's balances are 
readily available.

   Can we continue to afford spending more out of the Highway 
        Trust Fund than we are taking in?
     Answer. While the Highway Trust Fund operates with a 
            structural deficit, the United States cannot afford to 
            ignore the diminishing state of vital infrastructure. The 
            Highway Trust Fund is but one of several potential funding 
            options that can help the country recapitalize, and the 
            Administration will work with Congress to address the 
            infrastructure backlog.
    If confirmed as Chief Financial Officer, I will commit to working 
with Congress to ensure our Nation's infrastructure needs are addressed 
so that all Americans have access to transportation options that meet 
their needs.

   Do you support the raising of the Federal gas tax or other 
        tax increases in order to fund the Highway Trust Fund 
        shortfall?
     Answer. If confirmed as Chief Financial Officer, I 
            will work with Congress on reauthorization of traditional 
            surface transportation programs and consider options, 
            including General Fund cash transfers, to resolve the long-
            standing issue of Highway Trust Fund insolvency.
    The Biden-Harris administration has also made clear that it will 
not raise taxes for individuals making less than $400,000.
                                 ______
                                 
     Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Rick Scott to 
                            Victoria Wassmer
    Question 1. The Department of Transportation gives out billions of 
dollars in discretionary infrastructure grants, such as the RAISE 
Grants. How will you ensure these are awarded fairly, transparently, 
and consistently?
    Answer. The Department of Transportation provides grants to help 
build and maintain a safe, efficient, accessible, and convenient 
transportation system for the American people, today and into the 
future. In communities across the country, there is tremendous need for 
transportation projects that create high-quality jobs, improve safety, 
protect our environment, and generate equitable economic opportunity 
for all Americans. The Department's discretionary grant programs 
provide critical investments that push many projects over the finish 
line. They also represent one of the few transportation programs 
through which Americans witness the Federal government investing 
directly in their community.
    The Department offers every RAISE applicant the opportunity to meet 
with DOT to discuss their applications, review their scores, and learn 
how to better compete in the subsequent grant cycle. This has been an 
important part of our process to provide transparency to grantees and 
assist communities as they prepare to re-apply. It is important every 
discretionary grant application receives a fair and impartial 
evaluation according the criteria, and that our evaluation and 
selection process is fully documented according to Departmental 
guidance.
    Specifically, with regards to RAISE grants, we are making those 
needed investments in our communities' future. Projects for RAISE 
funding will be evaluated on merit criteria based on direction from 
Congress. To ensure that the benefits of infrastructure investments 
support communities large and small, the Department will award an 
equitable amount, not to exceed half of funding, to projects located in 
urban and rural areas respectively.
    The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to restoring trust in 
government in everything we do. The Department will ensure we have a 
merit-based process and prioritizes projects that demonstrate alignment 
with the selection criteria.

    Question 2. How do you plan on addressing and improving the 
``return on investment'' for American taxpayers with President Biden's 
aggressive infrastructure proposals?
    Answer. The Biden-Harris Administration's infrastructure plan will 
broadly seek projects that help the greatest number of Americans with a 
particular focus on those communities and projects that have suffered 
from decades of disinvestment. The largest return on investment (ROI) 
can be gained from improving those assets in the worst condition.
    DOT will seek to consider the fiscal impact analysis of investments 
when reviewing grant applications, as well as put in place programs to 
create high quality jobs and ensure more resilient infrastructure in an 
effort to maximize the investment benefit for all Americans. DOT will 
also continue to provide technical assistance and best practices to 
stakeholders and communities so they can make the best investment 
decisions as well.

    Question 3. How would you address the fact that the Highway Trust 
Fund (HTF) is going insolvent, and do you believe we need to increase 
the Federal gas tax?
    Answer. If confirmed as Chief Financial Officer, I will work with 
Congress on reauthorization of traditional surface transportation 
programs and consider options, including General Fund cash transfers, 
to resolve the long-standing issue of Highway Trust Fund insolvency.
    I also note, the Administration has made clear that it will not 
raise taxes for individuals making less than $400,000.
                                 ______
                                 
   Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Cynthia Lummis to 
                            Victoria Wassmer
    Question 1. I appreciate your attention to the issue facing the 
Cheyenne Airport in my home state of Wyoming. As I mentioned in the 
hearing, it is possible that absent intervention from DOT, the Cheyenne 
Airport could lose commercial air service for the foreseeable future. 
As you did in the hearing, will you commit to using your role as the 
Chief Financial Officer for the U.S. Department of Transportation to 
help identify and acquire adequate funding for the Cheyenne Airport so 
as to prevent the continued loss of commercial air service?
    Answer. I understand the situation the airport is in with its 
planned runway project schedule and appreciate the difficult 
circumstances many airports face as they continue to rebound from the 
effects of the pandemic. I have been in contact with FAA's Office of 
Airports about this project, and I will continue working with FAA to 
identify opportunities for additional funding to complete the project.

    Question 2. Is there additional information that my staff or I 
could provide in order to bolster the airport's case as we continue to 
push for funding?
    Answer. I appreciate your willingness to work together to improve 
the Nation's airport infrastructure. I understand the importance of 
both connectivity from the State Capital to other parts of the country, 
as well as keeping the runway in a state of good repair for commercial 
service. I am supportive of the infrastructure improvements, and with 
enactment of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Wyoming is 
poised to receive over $70 million for its airports over 5 years, 
including $5 million for Cheyenne.
                                 ______
                                 
   Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Kyrsten Sinema to 
                            Mohsin Raza Syed
    Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The bipartisan 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides a significant 
investment of 550 billion additional dollars over five years in 
America's transportation infrastructure.

    Question 1. Should the IIJA become law, how would its investments 
revitalize America's transportation infrastructure?
    Answer. The IIJA provides $550 billion in new Federal investment in 
America's infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and mass transit, 
water infrastructure, resilience, and broadband. The Biden-Harris 
administration believes that we must invest in our country and in our 
people by creating good-paying union jobs, tackling the climate crisis, 
and growing the economy sustainably and equitably for decades to come. 
This bipartisan legislation will deliver progress towards these 
objectives for our Nation's transportation infrastructure and for 
working families across the country. Among other investments, IIJA 
makes the largest Federal investment in public transit ever; makes the 
largest Federal investment in passenger rail since the creation of 
Amtrak; makes the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the 
construction of the interstate highway system; and helps us tackle the 
climate crisis by making the largest investment in clean energy 
transmission and EV infrastructure in history, including electrifying 
thousands of school and transit buses across the country.

    Question 2. If confirmed and the IIJA becomes law, how will you 
ensure the Department of Transportation (DOT) meets deadlines set forth 
in the IIJA? How will you keep state, local, and tribal governments 
updated on implementation of the IIJA?
    Answer. The IIJA is a generational investment in America's 
infrastructure. It will help ensure our Nation has the safest, most 
equitable, reliable, and modern transportation system in the world, and 
will increase economic strength, improve climate outcomes, and build 
global competitiveness for the American people. While the Department is 
well-positioned to implement the bill, it will need extraordinary, 
fast, and coordinated work to be successful. Implementing the IIJA will 
require a cross-functional and cross-modal effort that is sustained, 
disciplined, and inclusive. The Department will not only need to 
continue to operate with the highest degree of integrity and 
accountability but also set a new standard for future investments. DOT 
will also coordinate outreach to stakeholders and external partners. 
This will include robust engagement and clear lines of communication 
with state and local governments and Tribal Nations, especially to 
communities that have been historically underserved. Whether it is in 
IIJA implementation or any other transportation-related matter, my team 
will always strive to keep a variety of regular forums for 
communicating with state, local, and Tribal communities of all sizes 
and provide personal, tailored responses.

    Tribal Consultation. Arizona is home to 22 federally recognized 
Native American tribes. We were also pleased to see President Biden 
select Arizona native Arlando Teller as Deputy Assistant Secretary for 
Tribal Affairs at the DOT.

    Question 3. How will you work with Deputy Assistant Secretary 
Teller and Arizona's 22 federally recognized tribes to ensure Arizona's 
tribes receive consultation and have their input heard when the 
Department assesses tribal transportation needs?
    Answer. It is an honor and privilege for me to work with my 
colleague Arlando Teller, Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for Tribal 
Affairs. On January 26, 2021, President Biden issued a Presidential 
Memorandum on Tribal Consultation and Strengthening Nation-to-Nation 
Relationships. DAS Teller and I designated Milo Booth, Director of 
Tribal Affairs, as the agency official responsible for the Department's 
Tribal Consultation efforts. Both DAS Teller and Director Booth will 
continue to reach out directly with the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona 
to ensure their voices are heard. Additionally, I would like to note 
that DAS Teller moderated a Tribal roundtable with Secretary Buttigieg 
and the twenty-two tribes of Arizona and the Navajo Nation on July 15, 
2021, in Phoenix. Each Tribe was able to engage both the Secretary and 
DAS Teller directly.
    The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs--
thanks to the hard work of DAS Teller, Director Booth, and others on 
the team--handle all specific Tribal Consultation requests on behalf of 
the Secretary. DAS Teller and his team will continue to have my full 
support as they engage our Tribal partner via Tribal consultation.
                                 ______
                                 
  Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Raphael Warnock to 
                            Mohsin Raza Syed
    Intergovernmental Outreach. Mr. Syed, since being elected Senator 
for Georgia earlier this year, I have heard from communities across 
Georgia--from small towns and rural counties to mid-sized cities and 
large metropolitan areas--about the difficulties they face in funding 
local infrastructure projects. Many local governments are unaware of 
all the opportunities and grant programs offered by the U.S. Department 
of Transportation (DOT) or don't know how to engage with these 
programs. I am appreciative of initiatives like Rural Opportunities to 
Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES), but I believe more 
can be done to engage and educate rural and urban stakeholders who 
haven't directly engaged with Federal transportation programs in the 
past.

    Question 1. If confirmed, how can your team help ensure that 
communities big and small are aware of all the funding and educational 
resources provided by DOT--especially if the Infrastructure Investment 
and Jobs Act is enacted? I am particularly interested in outreach and 
engagement with local governments and regions that have been 
historically underserved.
    Answer. You have my firm commitment that the intergovernmental 
affairs work of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Governmental 
Affairs will continue to be a major priority for me and for the 
Department of Transportation as a whole. Thanks to the hard work of 
Charles Small, Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for Intergovernmental 
Affairs, our intergovernmental affairs team has been thoroughly focused 
on ensuring that the tools and institutional knowledge at the 
Department is available to state and local governments in real time--
especially to communities that have been historically underserved.
    I can further assure you that sustained outreach and engagement 
with state and local governments and Tribal Nations is of critical 
importance to the Secretary. This will be even more true should the 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) become law--leading to a 
historically large investment in America's infrastructure. The goals of 
the Administration to center equity in these investments will be 
directly driven by local coordination on implementing these new 
resources. Robust engagement with state and local governments and 
Tribal Nations will continue to remain a top priority for the Office of 
the Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs.

    Question 2. Do you believe DOT, and your office in particular, has 
a role in helping to match needs with opportunities and helping 
communities without Federal affairs specialists navigate the complex 
grantmaking process? If so, could you expound on that responsibility 
and any related goals?
    Answer. I do believe the Department is responsible for helping 
communities navigate the grantmaking process, and the Office of the 
Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs in particular intends to 
continue playing a leading role in stewarding this responsibility 
because the work of state and local government and Tribal leaders 
outside of Washington is absolutely critical in realizing the 
investments the Biden-Harris Administration hopes to make for improving 
and maintaining access to safe, reliable transportation. The heart of 
this work is clear and regular lines of communication, both outward by 
updating communities on key actions and deadlines on a consistent 
basis, and inward by always having an open door with reliable reaction 
time for utilizing the Department's resources in answering questions 
and solving problems on an individual basis.
    As a former mayor, Secretary Buttigieg has affirmed how important 
it is to foster a more accessible and user-friendly DOT--not just for 
states and major cities, but for small municipalities, county 
officials, and for Tribal Nations. You have my commitment that whether 
it is in IIJA implementation or any other transportation-related 
matter, my team will always strive to keep a variety of regular forums 
for communicating with state, local, and Tribal communities of all 
sizes and provide personal, tailored responses.
                                 ______
                                 
     Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Rick Scott to 
                              Mohsin Syed
    Question 1. The Biden Administration has indicated that combatting 
climate change, as well as many aspects of the Green New Deal, will be 
a focus across several sectors. My view is that we can address climate 
change and grow our economy at the same time. My concern is that the 
Green New Deal would bankrupt the nation, hurt our economy, stint job 
creation and kill small businesses with its excessive, unrealistic 
regulations.
    Do you plan to implement aspects of the Green New Deal within the 
Department of Transportation and what impact do you believe this will 
have on the private sector and small businesses?
    Answer. The Biden-Harris administration has outlined its goals for 
the United States to reduce its carbon emissions and invest in working 
class jobs that support a sustainable economy. The Department will work 
to advance the President's agenda consistent with the Department's 
authorities and will implement legislation passed by Congress.
    If confirmed and should it become law, I look forward to assisting 
the Secretary and the Biden-Harris Administration in implementing the 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). This bipartisan 
legislation is the largest long-term investment in America's 
infrastructure and competitiveness in nearly a century and will have an 
enormous benefit to the private sector and small businesses across the 
country. If the IIJA is passed, many states, including, Florida, stand 
to benefit greatly by helping to better prepare against the impacts of 
extreme weather events on infrastructure such as hurricanes, wildfires, 
and other major events. The bill provides funding to existing and 
emerging American industries, which will create millions of new, high-
paying jobs, maintain our global competitiveness, and make our economy 
more sustainable.

    Question 2. How would you address the fact that the Highway Trust 
Fund is going insolvent, and do you believe we need to increase the 
Federal gas tax?
    Answer. If confirmed as the Assistant Secretary of Governmental 
Affairs, I will ensure strong communication between Congress and 
Departmental leaders, including the Chief Financial Officer, on 
reauthorization of traditional surface transportation programs and 
consider options, including General Fund cash transfers, to resolve the 
long-standing issue of Highway Trust Fund insolvency.
    The Biden-Harris Administration has also made clear that it will 
not raise taxes for individuals making less than $400,000.
                                 ______
                                 
   Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Maria Cantwell to 
                             Amitabha Bose
    Grade Crossings. Blocked grade crossings are a key issue across the 
country that must be addressed to help eliminate congestion. The 
Infrastructure and Jobs Act includes $3 billion dollars dedicated to 
addressing grade crossings. While this is a significant first step to 
addressing this problem, the need for investment is far greater. In 
Washington State alone it would cost over $800 million to address the 
20 most problematic grade crossings.

    Question 1. What steps is the Federal Railroad Administration 
taking to reduce congestion and incidents of blocked crossings?
    Answer. Grade crossings can present challenges to communities 
dealing with trains blocking crossings, as well as raise significant 
safety concerns.
    In December 2019, FRA launched a website for the public to begin 
reporting blocked crossings directly to FRA. This data is collected 
daily, and analyzed monthly, and FRA's Grade Crossing and Operations 
Division is engaging with the Railroads directly to understand why 
certain crossings are being blocked. FRA has established criteria that 
will trigger automatic investigations into why these crossings are 
being blocked and have the Railroad provide answers on the cause.
    One of my top objectives this year is to lead, promote, and 
strengthen efforts among public, private, and government stakeholders 
to address grade crossing issues and increase awareness of highway-rail 
grade crossing safety, as well as challenges related to trespassers on 
the railroad right-of-way. For example, during the week of September 27 
to October 1, 2021, FRA organized a focused effort to conduct railroad 
crossing and corridor inspections along high-risk railroad grade 
crossing and trespassing locations in Washington State. Based on the 
results of this effort, FRA will engage with local community leaders, 
law enforcement, railroads, and the public with a goal to develop and 
execute an action plan to address local grade crossing and trespass 
issues.
    We also intend to hold summits across the country, where FRA will 
partner with State, county, and municipal governments to provide a 
localized perspective, integrate our own Research & Development Office, 
Safety Office, and grant programs, and help educate, share lessons 
learned and look to the future as we move towards improving grade 
crossing safety and trespasser prevention.
    These efforts, combined with the railroad grade crossing 
elimination program proposed in the IIJA, will help us take steps to 
dramatically reduce the safety and economic impacts of grade crossings 
across the country.

    Disadvantaged Business Enterprises. The Department of 
Transportation's (DOT) Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program 
is designed to ensure businesses owned and controlled by socially and 
economically disadvantaged individuals have a fair opportunity to 
compete for federally funded transportation contracts. However, the 
Federal Railroad Administration does not currently have specific 
statutory authority for a DBE program. Earlier this year the Federal 
Railroad Administration commissioned a Minority-Owned and Women-Owned 
Business Enterprise Disparity Study to report to Congress on minority-
and women-owned business enterprise activity as it relates to major 
rail grant and loan programs.

    Question 2. When do you expect the Federal Railroad Administration 
will submit the results of this study to Congress?
    Answer. Underscoring the Biden-Harris Administration's focus on 
promoting diversity and inclusion, FRA is conducting a first of its 
kind, nationwide, small, minority-owned and woman-owned business 
disparity study, seeking to determine whether the playing field is 
level for firms aspiring to win subcontracts from grant recipients 
receiving Federal funds administered by the agency.
    I am firmly committed to increasing equity across the American 
economy and ensuring that women and minority-owned businesses have a 
fair shot at contracting opportunities funded by Federal dollars. 
Assessing the current extent of DBE and WBE inclusion, and whether any 
disparities exist, is necessary to accomplish this goal.
    The draft report is due to FRA mid Fall/at the start of FY 2022. 
The final report is expected to be delivered to FRA mid-winter of 2022, 
at which point it will be subject to additional USDOT and OMB review, 
as well as peer review, prior to submission to Congress.

    Financial Management. The Department of Transportation Inspector 
General raised concerns about the Departments grant oversight and 
financial management in its 2021 Top Management Challenges Report. If 
signed into law, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act would 
provide $567 billion in direct appropriations to the Department of 
Transportation. This includes $66 billion for rail programs--a more 
than 600 percent increase over the funding levels provided in the FAST 
Act.

    Question 3. With this historic level of funding, how is the Federal 
Railroad Administration preparing to administer these funds efficiently 
and effectively while addressing the Inspector General's concerns?
    Answer. As a steward of taxpayer dollars, I am committed to 
ensuring FRA funds are appropriately administered consistent with 
applicable Federal requirements.
    FRA is working to ensure we have capacity to effectively and 
efficiently manage the funds Congress appropriates, and we are working 
hard to ensure we are prepared to manage any future funding increases 
that Congress may enact. FRA carries out a robust oversight, 
monitoring, and technical assistance program to properly administer 
Federal resources and help grant recipients successfully deliver 
projects. FRA is constantly iterating on and improving these processes 
and procedures, taking into account lessons learned and best practices 
from across the Federal financial management community.
    I understand the urgency of getting grant funds out the door, and I 
will work to do so, while also safeguarding taxpayer dollars and 
maximizing the impact of these grant programs within the confines of 
Federal law and congressional direction.

    Amtrak Derailment. On September 25, 2021, Amtrak's Empire Builder 
train traveling from Chicago to Seattle derailed near Joplin, Montana. 
It has been reported that three people tragically lost their lives and 
many more were injured. The Federal Railroad Administration, along with 
Amtrak and the National Transportation Safety Board personnel, have 
sent personnel to the scene to investigate the cause of this 
derailment.

    Question 4. Will you commit to providing my office timely updates 
regarding the investigation of this incident and to taking appropriate 
steps to prevent this kind of incident from happening again once the 
cause(s) of the derailment have been identified?
    Answer. Yes, I will work to ensure that you are provided timely 
updates regarding FRA's investigation of the September 25, 2021, Amtrak 
accident near Joplin, Montana. Upon receiving notification of this 
accident, FRA immediately dispatched several technical experts to the 
accident scene, and I personally traveled to the scene. FRA's technical 
safety experts are working hand-in-hand with representatives of the 
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to investigate this 
accident. NTSB is the Federal agency with statutory authority to 
determine the probable cause of the accident.

    Question 5. What engagement has the Federal Railroad Administration 
had with Amtrak to ensure they are implementing a robust safety 
management system and strengthening their safety culture in light of 
previous recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board 
and the Amtrak Office of Inspector General?
    Answer. FRA leadership and technical experts continue to engage 
with Amtrak to ensure compliance with relevant Federal safety 
regulations and to provide technical assistance as necessary. For 
example, FRA's technical experts engaged with Amtrak to provide 
technical assistance in the development of its System Safety Program 
plan required under 49 CFR Part 270. FRA approved Amtrak's plan on June 
9, 2021. To comply with Part 270, Amtrak will soon need to initiate its 
first internal assessment of its SSP. FRA will review this assessment 
and work with and support Amtrak as it uses its finding to drive safety 
improvements. Additionally, leadership from FRA's Safety Management 
Team responsible for engaging with Amtrak meet regularly with Amtrak 
leadership to better understand the changes Amtrak is making through 
its safety management system program.
                                 ______
                                 
     Response to Written Question Submitted by Hon. Gary Peters to 
                             Amitabha Bose
    Rail Safety Personnel. Ensuring the safe movement of people and 
goods by rail is paramount, and achieving this goal is not possible 
without the incredible work performed by Rail Safety Inspectors and 
Rail Safety Specialists employed by the Federal Railroad Administration 
(FRA). As safety technology in the railroad industry has made 
significant advances in recent years, the duties of safety personnel at 
the agency have evolved as well. These hardworking professionals are 
essential to the agency's mission, which is why recruiting and 
retaining them is so important. But this can be a challenge, especially 
since their unique skill sets makes them top recruits for jobs outside 
of FRA.

    Question. Can you comment on the role that Rail Safety Inspectors 
and Rail Safety Specialists play at FRA? And can you speak to the 
importance of cultivating this talent within the agency, and what 
strategies you may consider for recruiting and retaining these workers, 
including with respect to compensation and changes to their General 
Schedule grades?
    Answer. FRA's Rail Safety Inspectors and Rail Safety Specialists 
are the backbone of our agency and play a vital role in ensuring FRA is 
able to achieve its rail safety mission.
    I agree that it is important that our workforce is appropriately 
compensated based on their duties, consistent with the applicable 
Federal rules and regulations, and this is an issue that I am 
examining. Section 9520 of the IIJA would require FRA to review the 
position descriptions and pay grades of railroad safety inspection 
personnel and rail safety specialists employed by FRA's Office of 
Safety.
    Determinations in this area require input from multiple agencies. I 
will continue to examine this inspector classification question 
consistent with the applicable regulations in this area.
                                 ______
                                 
   Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Kyrsten Sinema to 
                             Amitabha Bose
    Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The bipartisan 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides an investment of $66 
billion for our Nation's passenger and freight rail.

    Question 1. Should the IIJA become law, how would its investments 
revitalize America's rail infrastructure?
    Answer. America has a chance to lead the world once more through 
investment in infrastructure and safely connecting our communities 
while creating good jobs, addressing climate change, and ensuring 
equity.
    If the IIJA is enacted, we will be able to fund infrastructure 
improvements across the board, not just the creation of new passenger 
rail routes, but also improvements on our freight rail network.

    Rail Crossing Safety and Efficiency. I have heard from my 
constituents in Yuma that a train often stops at least once a day at a 
crossing on U.S. Route 95. With no easy way for motorists to detour, 
delays caused by trains can last for hours. This affects my 
constituents who work at Yuma Proving Ground and hinders the ability of 
first responders to respond to emergencies.

    Question 2. If confirmed as Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) 
Administrator, how will you work to improve rail crossings to ensure 
they are safe for pedestrians and motorists and that Arizonans do not 
face significant delays by a stopped train, especially when alternative 
routes are not available?
    Answer. Grade crossings can present both a challenge to communities 
dealing with trains blocking crossings, as well as raise significant 
safety concerns for pedestrians and motorists.
    The IIJA would provide $3 billion in funding for grants to address 
concerns with grade crossings, including funding to help improve grade 
crossing safety and address the challenges caused by blocked crossings 
through grade separations and other measures.
    One of my top objectives this year is to lead, promote, and 
strengthen efforts among public, private, and government stakeholders 
to address grade crossing issues and increase awareness of highway-rail 
grade crossing safety, as well as trespasser prevention. We intend to 
hold summits across the country, where FRA will partner with State, 
county, and municipal governments to provide a localized perspective, 
integrate our own Research & Development Office, Safety Office, and 
grant programs, and help educate, share lessons learned and look to the 
future as we move towards improving grade crossing safety and 
increasing trespasser prevention.

    Rail Safety. In January of this year, a railroad employee repairing 
track near Vail, Arizona died after an accident. In July 2020, a major 
train derailment that resulted in a fire, partial bridge collapse, and 
chemical release occurred in Tempe, Arizona.

    Question 3. In light of these incidents, what will you do to 
improve railroad safety in Arizona communities? How can the FRA work 
with industry partners to minimize the risk of chemical releases 
following railroad accidents?
    Answer. FRA understands the potential risk associated with the 
movement of energy products and other hazardous materials. Accordingly, 
FRA works with our Federal agency partners (e.g., Pipeline and 
Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Department of Homeland 
Security, Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission), state 
and local governments, and the industry to advance safety in all 
elements of rail transportation of these hazardous materials.
    Safety is my number one priority, and FRA is dedicated to 
continually examining this issue to reduce risks potential risk 
associated with the movement of energy products and other hazardous 
materials.
                                 ______
                                 
  Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Raphael Warnock to 
                             Amitabha Bose
    Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Mr. Bose, as you alluded to 
in your written testimony, the Senate-passed Infrastructure Investment 
and Jobs Act (IIJA) would provide historic levels of funding for 
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) grant programs new and old. As a 
fellow native Georgian, you are well aware of Georgia's extensive rail 
network. Georgia is home to one of the biggest port rail terminal 
facilities, thousands of miles of track operated by two class I 
railroads, multiple inland ports, two Amtrak routes, and over 25 short 
line railroads. Georgians see the value of railroads, but there is a 
need for continued investment and expansion of both freight and 
passenger service--whether it's additional inland ports and upgraded 
weight capacity or making Atlanta a passenger rail hub with connections 
to Charlotte, Nashville, Savannah, and Orlando via Macon.

    Question 1. If you are confirmed and IIJA is enacted, how would you 
ensure newly authorized programs are stood up and funds are awarded 
expeditiously? And how can Congress help support the FRA in this 
endeavor?
    Answer. As a steward of taxpayer dollars, I am committed to 
ensuring FRA funds are appropriately administered consistent with 
applicable Federal requirements. FRA is working to ensure we have 
capacity to effectively and efficiently manage the resources Congress 
has granted, and we are working hard to ensure we are prepared to 
manage any future funding increases that Congress may enact.
    I understand the urgency of getting grant funds out the door, and I 
will work to do so, while also safeguarding taxpayer dollars and 
maximizing the impact of these grant programs within the confines of 
Federal law and congressional direction.

    Question 2. What are FRA's plans to ensure that stakeholders and 
all eligible applicants understand all the new and expanded 
opportunities that will become available once IIJA is enacted? And can 
you commit to balancing the need for freight and passenger, rural and 
urban, and geographically diverse investments?
    Answer. America has a chance to lead the world once more through 
investment in infrastructure and safely connecting our communities 
while creating good jobs, addressing climate change, and ensuring 
equity.
    If the IIJA is enacted, we will fund infrastructure improvements 
across the board and across the Nation with geographically diverse 
investments, not just the creation of new passenger rail routes, but 
also improvements on our freight rail network.
    FRA is committed to ensuring potential grant recipients are 
provided the guidance and technical assistance necessary to apply for 
our grant programs. FRA has experience assisting grant recipients 
through the grant process and providing technical assistance to 
potential grant recipients of all sizes.
    After selection, FRA will carry out a robust oversight, monitoring, 
and technical assistance program to properly administer Federal 
resources and help grant recipients successfully deliver projects. FRA 
is constantly reviewing and improving these processes and procedures, 
taking into account lessons learned and best practices from across the 
Federal financial management community.

    Grade Crossings. As you noted in your testimony, there is 
particular interest in grade crossing safety and investing in upgrading 
crossing infrastructure, eliminating crossings, and/or grade 
separations. Georgia Department of Transportation has identified 
billions of dollars' worth of potential crossing projects, which is why 
including the new grade crossing elimination program was one of my top 
priorities for the Surface Transportation Investment Act included in 
IIJA. Communities across Georgia like Millen and Lula proudly call 
themselves railroad towns and understand the great economic benefits of 
railroads; however, as infrastructure ages, traffic increases, and 
communities grow challenges emerge.

    Question. How do you plan to ensure that small communities impacted 
by aging infrastructure as well as large and mid-sized communities with 
growing freight traffic, like Savannah, are aware of the resources FRA 
has to offer--both in financial support and technical assistance? Is 
the FRA equipped to help communities that may not be familiar with 
Federal grants and funding opportunities?
    Answer. FRA currently provides Federal financial assistance to a 
wide range of grant recipients that vary in size and familiarity with 
FRA's programs and requirements. FRA is committed to assisting grant 
recipients through the grant process.
    The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will provide $3 billion 
in funding, creating new funding opportunities for communities. FRA 
will continue to ensure it communicates new funding opportunities to 
potential applicants. In addition, Grade Crossing and Outreach 
Inspectors will be able to guide communities, both small and large, in 
the direction of these grants. As these inspectors engage with public 
authorities on issues such as quiet zones, blocked crossing and 
trespass events, they will be able to take the opportunity to have 
conversations about these available grants. The Grade Crossing 
Inspectors will then be a resource for that public authority if they 
need some assistance or ask questions.
    One of my top objectives this year is to lead, promote, and 
strengthen efforts among public, private, and government stakeholders 
to address grade crossing issues, including through the use of Federal 
financial assistance.
    We intend to hold summits across the country, where FRA will work 
with State, county, and municipal governments to provide a localized 
perspective, integrate our own Research & Development Office, Safety 
Office, and grant programs, and help educate, share lessons learned and 
look to the future as we move towards improving grade crossing safety 
and increasing trespasser prevention.

    Priorities and goals.

    Question. What are your priorities and goals for the FRA, if you 
are confirmed as Administrator?
    Answer. If confirmed as FRA Administrator, I am committed to 
successfully delivering FRA's mission to enable the safe, reliable, and 
efficient movement of people and goods for a strong America, now and in 
the future.
    My number one priority at FRA is safety, and the public expects 
safety to be top of mind at FRA. The safety of the national rail 
system, its workers, and the public is FRA's primary responsibility. 
This includes combatting the continuing COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring 
FRA is playing its role in making the United States' rail network 
function effectively and helping the Department and Administration's 
with their efforts. Safety also means ensuring compliance with existing 
regulations and enforcement.
    Another top priority of mine is safeguarding our ongoing economic 
recovery. To compete globally and provide travel options for the 
public, the United States needs to build the next generation of rail 
projects across the country. In addition to freight rail, passenger 
rail can be one of the pillars of improving the economy, rethinking the 
way we move around the country to address our changing climate, and 
creating good-paying middle-class jobs. FRA needs to help Amtrak and 
other passenger rail providers return to full service safely in the 
context of broader efforts to combat the pandemic.
    Finally, climate change remains a threat to our well-being. Freight 
and passenger rail can and must play their roles in addressing climate 
change. Eliminating congestion at key bottlenecks in our rail networks 
can be part of rail's efforts along with innovation to further reduce 
emissions.
                                 ______
                                 
    Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Dan Sullivan to 
                             Amitabha Bose
    Question 1. The Department's Spring 2021 regulatory agenda 
announced a train crew staffing rulemaking, and the abstract 
specifically states that ``this rulemaking would address the potential 
safety impact of one-person train operations.''

   Is the NPRM still expected in November of this year?

   As you consider the crew size rule will you consider the 
        impact any sort of minimum crew size mandate will have on the 
        railroad industry's ability to remain competitive with other 
        modes of transportation?

   Given the FRA has repeatedly said there is no safety data to 
        support a crew size mandate, what circumstances have changed 
        that would suggest there is a safety justification or need for 
        such regulation?

   The abstract pertaining to the NPRM for train crew staffing 
        explains the ``rulemaking would address the issue of minimum 
        requirements for the size of different train crew staffs, 
        depending on the type of operations.''

     Are the different types of operations being referred 
            to freight versus passenger operations?

     Given that passenger trains generally operate at 
            higher speeds than freight trains, should the safety of 
            passengers be paramount in any rulemaking?

     What specific data are you relying to differentiate 
            between the regulatory approach to potential requirements 
            for crew member staffing in the cab of a locomotive 
            passenger railroads as opposed to freight railroads?
    Answer. After the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 
remanded FRA's previous rulemaking on crew staffing back to the agency 
on February 23, 2021, the Department announced the initiation of a 
rulemaking that would address the potential safety impact of one-person 
train operations. FRA is taking a fresh look at the issue from a rail 
safety perspective. Consistent with the Agenda published on June 11, 
2021, FRA is in the process of developing an NPRM that would include 
appropriate measures to mitigate an accident's impact and severity, 
address the patchwork of State laws concerning minimum crew staffing 
requirements, and address the issue of minimum requirements for the 
size of different train crew staffs based on the type of operations.
    Each railroad's operation may be somewhat unique, even if it falls 
into one of the general categories such as either a passenger or 
freight operation. For example, some freight operations may be more 
complex due to the length of the trains, traffic density, commodities 
hauled, or other factors. FRA is in the process of developing an NPRM 
that would address potential safety impacts of crew size, appropriate 
to the complexity of a railroad's train operations. And certainly, the 
safety of passengers on passenger trains is paramount. Existing 
passenger and freight operations are different in crew staffing 
approaches, and FRA expects its proposed rule to address the historical 
differences and the safety needs of those operations.
    It is possible that the NPRM could be published by the end of this 
year, although there is no legal deadline.

    Question 2. For more than a decade, FRA has been conducting 
extensive research on automated track inspection systems and has 
produced numerous technical papers on the subject. FRA has even 
deployed its own automated inspection systems on various routes around 
the country and is working with freight railroads to advance this 
important technology. FRA's publicly stated conclusion is that the 
``data has shown'' that automated inspection systems are more effective 
than human inspections in detecting track geometry conditions and can 
decrease service interruptions and reduce safety risks to railroad 
employees.
    Given FRA's experience and conclusion that the safety and 
operational benefits of automated track inspection systems have been 
proven, are you committed to expeditiously allowing railroads to expand 
use of this technology in order to continue driving important safety 
improvements?
    Answer. If confirmed as FRA Administrator, I will continue to work 
with railroads, labor unions, and other interested stakeholders, to 
enable industry to implement technologies to help continually improve 
safety. FRA fully supports the expanded use of automated track 
inspections when they supplement the required visual track inspections. 
However, FRA is still working to determine whether the use of 
autonomous track geometry measurement systems (ATGMS) to supplement 
visual inspections could justify decreasing the frequency of those 
required visual inspections. FRA has approved several test programs 
with the goal of promoting infrastructure integrity, reducing inspector 
exposure associated with visual track inspections, reducing track-
caused derailments, improving the quality of track geometry defect 
detection, and enhancing freight capacity. Some test programs are 
ongoing, and the results are being shared with stakeholders through 
FRA's Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC). FRA has also granted 
one railroad a waiver with continuing FRA oversight concerning the 
railroad's automated inspection methodologies, based on the outcome of 
that railroad's completed test program. FRA will consider further 
action based on the results of those programs and any RSAC 
recommendations.
                                 ______
                                 
  Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Marsha Blackburn to 
                             Amitabha Bose
    Question 1. Prior to your arrival, the FRA's waiver process 
required a waiver application be submitted and then published in the 
Federal Register with a 30-day comment period. Following receipt and 
review of comments by the Railroad Safety Board, which usually meets 
monthly, a final determination would be made. However, since your 
arrival at the FRA, this process has come to a near-complete halt. 
Regular matters, including various renewals, have now been pending for 
almost a year.
    Why are burdensome delays occurring under your leadership? Do I 
have your commitment to ensure that timely reviews and decisions will 
again be made?
    Answer. FRA's process for considering waiver requests is governed 
by statute, and its implementing regulations. Since joining FRA, I have 
worked with FRA leadership to improve the transparency of the waiver 
process and to ensure that interested stakeholders are provided a 
meaningful opportunity to comment on pending requests. As such, FRA 
generally publishes notice of pending waiver requests and provides a 
period for public comment on each request, including requests for 
renewal of previously granted relief. Concurrently with the public 
comment period, FRA conducts its own investigation and analysis of each 
individual waiver request. Although FRA strives to issue decisions on 
waiver requests as expeditiously as possible, FRA must ensure that 
appropriate due diligence is undertaken to evaluate the safety 
implications of each request. I am committed to continuing to work 
internally within FRA and with all stakeholders to ensure the efficient 
handling of waiver requests and to ensure that any requests granted 
meet the statutory standard of ``in the public interest and consistent 
with railroad safety.''

    Question 2. The Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI) has been 
instrumental in improving safety at short line railroads nationwide. 
SLSI undertakes critical training, education, research, assessments and 
other activities that lead to enhanced safety practices throughout the 
rail industry. SLSI has seen tremendous success in improving safety 
awareness, which prevents injuries and accidents.
    Do you join me in recognizing the importance of SLSI's work?
    Answer. Yes, I, and FRA as a whole, recognize the critical work 
that SLSI has undertaken in recent years.
                                 ______
                                 
      Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Mike Lee to 
                             Amitabha Bose
    Question 1. If confirmed as Administrator of the FRA, what will be 
your key priorities?
    Answer. If confirmed as FRA Administrator, I am committed to 
successfully delivering FRA's mission to enable the safe, reliable, and 
efficient movement of people and goods for a strong America, now and in 
the future.
    My number one priority at FRA is safety. The public expects safety 
to be top of mind at FRA. The safety of the national rail system, its 
workers, and the public is FRA's primary responsibility. This includes 
combatting the continuing COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring FRA is playing 
its role in making the United States' rail network function effectively 
and helping the Department and Administration's with their efforts. 
Safety also means ensuring compliance with existing regulations and 
enforcement.
    Another top priority of mine is safeguarding our ongoing economic 
recovery. To compete globally and provide travel options for the 
public, the United States needs to build the next generation of rail 
projects across the country. In addition to freight rail, passenger 
rail can be one of the pillars of improving the economy, rethinking the 
way we move around the country to address our changing climate, and 
creating good-paying middle-class jobs. FRA needs to help Amtrak and 
passenger rail providers return to full service safely in the context 
of broader efforts to combat the pandemic.
    Finally, climate change remains a threat to our well-being. Freight 
and passenger rail can and must play their roles in addressing climate 
change. Eliminating congestion at key bottlenecks in our rail networks 
can be part of rail's efforts along with innovation to further reduce 
emissions.

    Question 2. Conducting cost-benefit analyses for proposed 
regulations has been a practice undertaken by agencies under both 
Democrat and Republican Administrations.

   Please explain your views on the use of cost-benefit 
        analysis when considering proposed regulations. Should all FRA 
        regulations be considered with a cost-benefit analysis?

   If a regulatory cost outweighs the benefit, should that be a 
        determining factor that prevents the FRA from moving forward 
        with the regulation?

   In considering rail safety regulations how do you balance 
        government safety requirements with the economic and technical 
        feasibility of implementing the regulation?
    Answer. I believe that cost-benefit analysis is an important tool 
to assess the effectiveness of regulations. As Administrator, I would 
utilize cost benefit analyses in making regulatory decisions.
    Although the cost-benefit analysis is an important aspect to the 
rulemakings, it should not be the only determining factor. Many 
regulations have costs that are easily quantified, while the expected 
benefits are more difficult to monetize. When looking at regulations, I 
believe it is important to consider qualitative benefits that would 
result due to a rulemaking. This allows all factors to be considered 
when determining if FRA should move forward with a regulation.
    Safety is FRA's top priority. FRA welcomes new technology and 
innovation in the rail industry. Many of the regulations that have 
been, and will continue to be implemented, are performance-based 
standards instead of prescriptive standards. Providing a performance 
standard allows the industry to implement innovative approaches that 
achieve the intent of the government safety requirements in ways that 
were not necessarily expected when the regulation was issued. Safety, 
however, must not be compromised.

    Question 3. When considering regulatory proposals, should FRA 
prioritize policies that allow market participants to freely compete 
without FRA regulatory action or is the market more successful when the 
FRA actively guides the market through regulatory action?
    Answer. FRA's top priority is safety. Accordingly, FRA's policies 
must prioritize safety. FRA's consideration of regulatory proposals 
must be driven by the safety implications of those proposals. 
Additionally, in accordance with the Executive Order 12866, FRA 
evaluates the costs and benefits of those proposals. Pursuant to OMB's 
Circular A-4, FRA examines potential market failures that could justify 
the promulgation of a new regulation. When putting together the 
economic analysis of each rulemaking, FRA routinely evaluates the 
impacts of the proposals on the relevant economic markets with the goal 
of achieving the safety objective of the proposal in a way that 
minimizes in the burden and is cost effective. The Surface 
Transportation Board is the agency with authority to regulate 
competition within the rail industry; FRA's safety regulations address 
issues that are often not adequately addressed by market forces.

    Question 4. I would like to learn more about your views on the use 
of the FRA's rulemaking power:

   Should the FRA promulgate rules if the rulemaking power is 
        not expressly granted by Congress?

   Can the FRA use its rulemaking power to circumvent legal 
        precedents with which it disagrees?

   Can the rules passed by the FRA insulate market incumbents 
        from competition?
    Answer. Congress has granted the Secretary of Transportation 
authority to regulate in the area of railroad transportation safety. 
See 49 U.S.C. sec. 20101 et seq. The Secretary has, in turn, delegated 
this authority to FRA. 49 CFR Sec. 1.89. FRA prescribes rules in 
accordance with the procedural requirements of the Administrative 
Procedure Act and our statutory authorities. FRA's safety rulemaking 
authority does not extend to matters of competition in the rail 
industry, which is the purview of the Surface Transportation Board.

    Question 5. Under 49 USC 20103(d), the FRA is permitted to waive 
certain regulations if it is in the ``public interest'' and 
``consistent with railroad safety''.

   What is the ``public interest''? What criteria should be 
        considered in determining the ``public interest''?

   Could a determination of what is or is not in the ``public 
        interest'' be based on factors that are outside the 
        jurisdiction of the FRA?

   What does ``consistent with railroad safety mean''? What 
        criteria should be considered in making the determination?

   How would consideration of the ``public interest'' and 
        ``rail safety'' be considered for proposed waivers for emerging 
        or innovative rail technologies?
    Answer. Section 20103(d) of Title 49 of the United States Code 
provides FRA the authority to waive a rail safety regulation 
promulgated under Chapter 201 only if such waiver is ``in the public 
interest and consistent with railroad safety.'' In determining whether 
granting a particular waiver request would meet this statutory 
standard, FRA considers all relevant information. The specific factors 
relevant to any individual waiver request necessarily vary depending on 
the regulation involved and the factual situation.

    Question 6. Recently, the FRA's waiver process has seemingly come 
to a near-complete halt. Even some routine matters, including renewals, 
have been pending for nearly a year. Why are there burdensome delays 
taking place at FRA? If confirmed, how will you ensure the timely 
review of waiver decisions?
    Answer. FRA's process for considering waiver requests is governed 
by the relevant statute and its implementing regulations and FRA's 
Rules of Practice. Since joining FRA, I have worked with FRA leadership 
to improve the transparency of the waiver process and to ensure that 
interested stakeholders are provided a meaningful opportunity to 
comment on pending requests. As such, FRA generally publishes notice of 
pending wavier requests and provides a period of public comment on each 
request, including requests for renewal of previously granted relief. I 
am committed to continuing to work internally within FRA and with all 
stakeholders to ensure the efficient handling of waiver requests and to 
ensure that any requests granted meet the statutory standard of ``in 
the public interest and consistent with railroad safety.''

    Question 7. The FRA often conducts environmental reviews in 
proceedings, including carrying out the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

   What are the bounds (if any) of the effects of a major 
        Federal action that the FRA should consider under NEPA?

   Should the FRA consider ``reasonably foreseeable'' effects 
        that are outside the agency's jurisdiction and control? If so, 
        why? And if not, why not?

   Should the FRA propose NEPA alternatives that are outside 
        the agency's jurisdiction?

   Is considering whether an effect is ``reasonably 
        foreseeable'' analogous to considering ``proximate cause'' in 
        tort law? Do you believe there is any difference between 
        ``proximate cause'' and ``reasonable foreseeability''?

   NEPA uses the terms ``environmental impacts'' and 
        ``environmental effects'', but it does not use the term 
        ``direct effect'' or an ``indirect effect'' in the statute. How 
        would you approach the decision on whether to consider 
        ``indirect'' or ``direct'' effects in a decision before the 
        FRA?
    Answer. FRA conducts environmental reviews under the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other related environmental laws 
prior to taking actions under its authority. These actions include 
financial assistance through grants and cooperative agreements, as well 
as agency rulemakings. The scope of FRA's environmental review, 
including the identification of the range of reasonable alternatives 
and the analysis of potential environmental impacts, depends on the 
nature of the decision before the agency. FRA takes seriously its 
responsibility to comply with applicable Federal law and related 
guidance, including regulations issued by the Council on Environmental 
Quality and FRA's NEPA implementing regulations.

    Question 8. It's my understanding that the FRA and the DOT are 
looking into issues related to obtaining required coverage in a 
distressed excess liability insurance market for rail passenger 
liability insurance.

   What are your views on rail passenger liability insurance 
        requirements?

   How will you approach any potential FRA investigation into 
        this matter?
    Answer. FRA has heard from groups representing commuter rail 
agencies who raised certain issues with the statutory rail passenger 
liability insurance requirements. While FRA provides safety oversight 
of the daily operations of commuter rail agencies, it is not within 
FRA's purview to evaluate the complex issues regarding insurance 
markets that have been raised by these groups.
                                 ______
                                 
     Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Rick Scott to 
                             Amitabha Bose
    Question 1. Amtrak has received significant relief funding during 
COVID. Since its inception, Amtrak has never made a profit.
    How would you work with Amtrak to reduce their dependence on the 
Federal Government and become self-sufficient?
    Answer. Amtrak has transformed its operations over the last 15 
years, making significant strides to improve revenues, cost recovery, 
and ridership. Prior to COVID-19's dramatic effects on the 
transportation sector's travel demand and revenues, Amtrak was on pace 
to break-even operationally for the first time in its 50-year history 
in FY 2020. There have been many contributing factors to this improved 
performance, including Amtrak enhancing its financial management and 
business capabilities, robust Federal oversight and monitoring, 
increased cost-sharing with state partners, and other transparency and 
accountability reforms mandated by Congress in the Passenger Rail 
Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 and Fixing America's Surface 
Transportation Act of 2015.
    However, continuous improvement is required to provide the public 
with the world class intercity passenger rail network they deserve. If 
confirmed, through my role overseeing Federal grant funding to Amtrak 
and serving as the Secretary's designee on the Amtrak Board of 
Directors, I am committed to ensuring Amtrak maximizes the use of its 
revenues and Federal funding, improves efficiency, and successfully 
delivers infrastructure improvements.

    Question 2. As Governor of Florida, I rejected Federal taxpayer 
dollars to fund high-speed rail because it would have put Floridians on 
the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars. Instead, the state of 
Florida worked to find a creative solution that would allow for private 
investment in high-speed rail--which means zero financial risk for 
Florida taxpayers. We've seen what happened in California, where the 
Department of Transportation cancelled nearly $1 billion in Federal 
money for its high-speed rail project.

   How do you see the Federal Railroad Administration 
        addressing Federal grant money requests for high-speed rail? 
        How will you ensure taxpayers aren't on the hook for waste, 
        fraud and abuse?

   What do you see as the private sector's role in high-speed 
        rail?
    Answer. FRA will administer its financial assistance programs 
consistent with the requirements imposed by statute. FRA welcomes 
eligible applicants to submit applications under such programs and will 
evaluate each complete application, including those for high-speed rail 
projects. After selection, FRA will carry out a robust oversight, 
monitoring, and technical assistance program to properly administer 
Federal resources and help grant recipients successfully deliver 
projects. FRA is constantly reviewing and improving these processes and 
procedures, taking into account lessons learned and best practices from 
across the Federal financial management community.
    We encourage all entities interested in developing high-speed rail 
projects, including those in the private sector, to take advantage of 
all opportunities to advance new high-speed rail operations in the 
United States.
                                 ______
                                 
   Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Maria Cantwell to 
                              Meera Joshi
    Preemption of Meal and Rest Break Laws. Since 2008, the Federal 
Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) had determined that hours 
of service regulations do not preempt state meal and rest laws. 
However, in 2018 FMCSA overrode Washington state's ability to regulate 
wages and working conditions for employees by determining that hours of 
service regulations preempted state meal and rest break laws for 
commercial vehicle drivers.

    Question 1. What is FMCSA doing to ensure that commercial vehicle 
drivers are provided with adequate meal and rest breaks?
    Answer. The FMCSA's preemption decision is currently the subject of 
litigation. The litigation has at USDOT's request been held in abeyance 
pending USDOT and FMCSA's review of the issues. Paramount to our 
mission is ensuring that drivers have adequate rest, and this is the 
lens through which our review is conducted.

    Hours of Service Regulations. Hours of service regulations are 
critical to ensuring that truck drivers are properly rested and do not 
suffer from fatigue, which is a factor in 13 percent of commercial 
vehicle crashes.

    Question 2. Will you commit to reviewing the existing hours of 
service regulations to ensure that they adequately prevent fatigue and 
ensure the safety of the traveling public?
    Answer. Yes. To that end, we have begun collecting information 
about specific use of exemptions to the Hours of Service (HOS) rules 
issued as a result of COVID, so we can understand how and in what 
sectors these exemptions are being used. Additionally, FMCSA will 
continue to monitor violation and crash data, and work with your 
committee and the industry on strategies for a broader review of 
Electronic Logging Devices (ELD) to allow for a more comprehensive and 
direct understanding of the HOS rules in operation.

    Question 3. What additional steps will FMCSA take to reduce 
instances of fatigued driving and to reduce large truck crashes?
    Answer. Fatigued driving is a critical factor in crashes involving 
large trucks and buses, and we are committed to a multipronged approach 
to combatting it. This will include outreach and education, the 
incorporation of advanced safety tools, such as Automatic Emergency 
Braking, and targeted enforcement during high crash times and 
locations, especially work zones. We will also implement a data driven 
approach to understanding how our rules and policy can support keeping 
fatigued drivers off the road.

    Financial Management. The Department of Transportation Inspector 
General raised concerns about the Departments grant oversight and 
financial management in its 2021 Top Management Challenges Report. If 
signed into law, the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act 
would provide $567 billion in direct appropriations to the Department 
of Transportation. That is an 85 percent increase over the funding 
levels provided in the FAST Act.

    Question 4. With this historic level of funding in the 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, how is the Federal Motor 
Carrier Administration preparing to administer these funds efficiently 
and effectively while addressing the Inspector General's concerns?
    Answer. The increased funding provides an opportunity for FMCSA's 
State, local government, and non-profit grant recipients to help carry 
out FMCSA's mission as force multipliers. The increase in funding 
allows FMCSA's partners to increase inspections and traffic 
enforcement, as well as continue investments in IT infrastructure to 
ensure that data related to motor carriers and drivers are transmitted 
throughout the Nation.
    FMCSA's grant oversight team involves a Grants Management Office, 
Field Offices, Headquarters Program Offices, and Legal. FMCSA has set 
performance-based standards for grant recipients and monitors 
reimbursements to avoid improper payments. FMCSA will ensure the proper 
use of funds to ensure that the purposes of the grants are being 
carried out.
                                 ______
                                 
   Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Kyrsten Sinema to 
                              Meera Joshi
    Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The bipartisan 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides investments to the 
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to offer safety 
grants to state and local governments to address commercial vehicle 
safety and training issues. The IIJA also provides funds to support 
state and local law enforcement agencies to mitigate crashes and 
hazardous material incidents involving commercial motor vehicles.

    Question 1. Should the IIJA become law, how would these investments 
work to improve the safety of commercial trucking? What effects would 
Arizona drivers see from these investments?
    Answer. As is the mission of the agency, my first priority is 
safety and preventing commercial motor vehicle-related crashes, which 
have steadily increased since 2010, and tragically almost every year, 
over 800 of these victims are large truck and bus drivers. Among other 
key lifesaving initiatives, increased funding allows FMCSA's State 
partners to hire additional personnel for roadside inspections to reach 
the true breadth of the vast commercial motor vehicle (CMV) industry. 
IIJA funding also provides FMCSA and States the opportunity to increase 
investigative and enforcement resources focused on high-risk motor 
carriers and in high crash zones. IIJA supports essential upgrades to 
States' IT infrastructure to improve critical CMV and CMV driver data 
collection and transfer and allows for the integration of safety 
technology in the CMV fleet. Especially important for drivers, IIJA 
funding supports low and no-cost driver training programs, creating job 
opportunities that don't require a college degree.

    Autonomous Vehicle (AV) Trucks. Several companies are developing AV 
tracker-trailer trucks for shipping and delivery purposes. A number of 
these companies have conducted testing of their AV trucks in Arizona.

    Question 2. What are your thoughts on developments in AV trucking 
technology?
    Answer. I want to ensure that the Agency is taking advantage of all 
potentially life-saving tools, including both automated vehicle (AV) 
technologies, and near-term Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) 
technologies, such as automatic emergency braking and lane-keep 
assistance, given their immense potential to improve highway safety. 
This is especially important given that the vast majority of critical 
reasons assigned to fatal and injury CMV crashes were attributed to the 
driver, whether it involved the commercial vehicle operator or another 
driver. However, as an agency, we must remain vigilant in gathering 
data to understand outcomes, foster integration, recognize implications 
for deployment and ensure all necessary safety and accountability 
measures must be in place. We must work across agencies and with our 
partners in labor to understand and prepare for workforce shifts and 
opportunities that automation may bring about.
                                 ______
                                 
    Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Roger Wicker to 
                              Meera Joshi
    Question 1. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) 
has had some recent challenges establishing and operating IT systems. 
For example, FMCSA had to extend compliance with certain requirements 
of the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse and Entry Level Driver Training 
rules in part due to IT challenges. These kinds of delays can create 
confusion and additional burdens for entities seeking to comply with 
FMCSA requirements. What specific steps are you taking to improve 
FMCSA's IT systems?
    Answer. FMCSA's Information Technology (IT) applications and 
systems play a critical role in supporting the Agency's mission to 
reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks and 
buses. As part of its approach to improve IT, the Agency established a 
senior executive Chief Technology Officer (CTO) position in mid-2020 
and centralized all IT-related projects under the oversight and 
management of Office of the CTO (OCTO). In 2020, the OCTO completed its 
review of all IT-related projects, and this approach allows FMCSA the 
necessary control to holistically address all the Agency's IT 
requirements in a fully transparent and integrated way.
    As of this year, the FMCSA CTO has reviewed all of FMCSA's IT 
investments related to the development, modernization, implementation, 
and operation and maintenance of FMCSA's 33 IT systems to ensure that 
FMCSA is most effectively and strategically using its resources to 
continue progress with FMCSA's IT Modernization plan.

    Question 2. Other modes of transportation within the Department, 
including aviation and rail, have implemented safety management 
systems, voluntary safety reporting programs for front line employees, 
and voluntary disclosure programs for companies. Has FMCSA considered 
implementing any of these types of safety programs to support the 
agency's safety mission? If the agency has considered these types of 
programs, what do you see as the benefits and the costs in terms of 
safety, compliance, and agency funding? How would these types of safety 
programs translate to the motor carrier industry compared to the 
aviation and rail sectors?
    Answer. I am committed to the mission of reducing crashes, serious 
injuries, and fatalities involving commercial motor vehicles on our 
Nation's roadways. To the extent that a program carried out by another 
mode can aid in that mission, our team is committed to integrating 
identified and proven best practices.

    Question 3. In response to a question about technology and trucking 
during your nomination hearing, you said FMCSA is embarking on work to 
stand up a regulatory framework for automated trucking. You went on to 
say that safety will be the number one priority, that there will be 
room for innovation, and that there are accountability measures. I 
agree that our regulations should reflect safety as the top priority 
while allowing for continued innovation. In fact, innovations in 
automated technologies could improve safety on our roads, but that will 
only happen if Federal regulations are not overly burdensome and 
promote innovative safety technologies. Can you provide more details on 
what FMCSA's automated trucking regulatory framework will include? How 
will this framework allow for innovation while maintaining safety? When 
can we expect FMCSA to publish the framework? Will you keep me and my 
staff informed throughout the process?
    Answer. FMCSA is currently reviewing the Federal Motor Carrier 
Safety Regulations that will need to account for automation in the 
future, particularly to incorporate potentially life-saving tools. The 
agency focus is on balancing accountability and safety regulation while 
allowing for innovation. I am committed to transparency in our 
rulemaking process and will commit to working with you and your staff 
on our regulatory framework related to technology and automation. I am 
also committed to working with the industry, to ensure that FMCSA 
receives stakeholder input, and understands the challenges, as well as 
opportunities, as the workforce transitions.

    Question 4. Earlier this year, the Department of Transportation 
published their ``Automated Vehicles Comprehensive Plan'' which 
highlights the important role of the FMCSA in enabling the safe 
deployment of automated commercial vehicles, including through 
modernizing Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. If confirmed, 
what would be your top priorities to ensure the safe integration of 
automated commercial vehicles onto our roadways?
    Answer. Safety is the number one priority for FMCSA in integrating 
automated commercial motor vehicles. For example, FMCSA is currently 
facilitating the development of national and uniform consensus 
standards of inspecting self-driving trucks in close coordination with 
other Federal agencies, labor unions, State agency partners, the 
Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, technology developers, and motor 
carrier industry officials. We are committed to working across agencies 
and with our partners in labor to understand and prepare for workforce 
shifts and safety opportunities that automation may bring about. If 
confirmed, I commit to keeping the Committee abreast of FMCSA's 
testing, engagement, and analysis of automated technologies.

    Question 5. The Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) rule was to take 
full effect February 7, 2020. FMCSA delayed the ELDT regulation until 
February 7, 2022. It is important that this rule go into effect. Can 
you please respond to the following questions regarding the ELDT rule?

   What steps is FMCSA taking to implement the ELDT rule by 
        February 7, 2022?
     Answer. Barring any unforeseeable delay, the Agency 
            and the State Driver Licensing Agencies are on track to 
            meet the February 7, 2022, compliance date. FMCSA has 
            already taken several important foundational steps. On June 
            4, 2020, FMCSA launched the Training Provider Registry 
            website. In the summer 2021, the Agency released the 
            registration functionality of the Training Provider 
            Registry, which allows training providers to register their 
            users and locations. In the coming weeks, we will add 
            capability so drivers can search for training providers by 
            training type and location in the Training Provider 
            Registry.

   If FMCSA is unable to implement the ELDT rule on time, how 
        will the agency inform Congress, states, the commercial driving 
        training industry, and motor carriers? Does the agency have a 
        plan to mitigate the impact of another delay?
     Answer. FMCSA does not anticipate a delay in 
            implementing the rule by February 7, 2022.

   Are there any states that are experiencing technical, IT-
        related issues in executing the ELDT rule? And if so, what is 
        FMCSA doing to make sure that they are ready for the February 
        7, 2022, deadline?
     Answer. FMCSA is working with all States to ensure 
            they will comply with the rule. FMCSA has a website 
            dedicated to providing updates on the status of ELDT.

   Does FMCSA plan to delay ELDT from going into effect if one 
        state is not ready by February 7, 2022?
     Answer. FMCSA does not anticipate a delay in 
            implementing the rule by February 7, 2022.

    Question 6. Under the previous administration, FMCSA completed 
several important regulatory actions, including guidance on a trucker's 
use of personal conveyance, clarifying the 150 air-mile radius hours of 
service exemption for haulers of agricultural commodities, and 
affirming that Federal regulations preempt state meal and rest break 
laws. Additionally, after carefully reviewing the data and thousands of 
public comments, FMCSA modernized the hours of service requirements. 
These actions took important steps to provide regulatory flexibility 
while maintaining safety on our roads, and I strongly encourage you to 
maintain these regulatory advances. Will you ensure these regulatory 
actions are maintained?
    Answer. My number one priority is safety. FMCSA continues to 
analyze the impact of the regulatory flexibilities. I am committed to 
maintaining regulatory flexibilities that do not negatively impact 
safety.
                                 ______
                                 
  Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Marsha Blackburn to 
                              Meera Joshi
    Question 1. I'd like to follow-up on our conversation regarding 
forcing app-based companies to share trip data with New York City.

   Do you believe your analysis supporting a $17.22 per-hour 
        minimum wage for Uber and Lyft drivers should be replicated at 
        the national level?
     Answer. The New York City Council and the New York 
            City Taxi and Limousine Commission established a pay 
            standard that set a minimum amount of pay per mile and per 
            minute for app-based drivers in the for-hire vehicle 
            market. These amounts were set factoring in a driver's 
            unpaid waiting time between trips. There are vast 
            differences between New York City's for hire vehicle market 
            and the National commercial motor vehicle market that make, 
            as a general matter, exact replication of local policies on 
            a national level difficult and not prudent.

   Do you genuinely believe app-based companies' drivers are 
        happier with sharing their personal information with the city? 
        If so, could you please show me examples of this?
     Answer. The City of New York collects from registered 
            for hire operator's driver license, trips, and vehicle 
            information pertinent to informed policy making, an example 
            of which is the establishment of a minimum pay standard for 
            drivers. The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission 
            does not collect consumer information, and with respect to 
            drivers collects the agency issued driver license number 
            for the associated trip. As with almost all Federal, State 
            and local licensing agencies, personally identifiable 
            information about drivers is collected as part of the 
            licensing process and is not shared with the public.
                                 ______
                                 
      Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Mike Lee to 
                              Meera Joshi
    Question 1. If confirmed as Administrator of the FMCSA, what will 
be your key priorities?
    Answer. As Administrator, my priority will be safety and preventing 
commercial motor vehicle-related crashes and fatalities, which have 
steadily increased since 2010. I will employ a multipronged approach to 
achieve this goal, including focused enforcement and compliance 
efforts, smart research and technology advancements, integration of 
proven safety technology, improving state licensing data exchanges, 
education and outreach, investments in driver training, and overall 
collaboration.

    Question 2. Conducting cost-benefit analyses for proposed 
regulations has been a practice undertaken by agencies under both 
Democrat and Republican Administrations.

   Please explain your views on the use of cost-benefit 
        analysis when considering proposed regulations. Should all 
        FMCSA regulations be considered with a cost-benefit analysis?
     Answer. I support the goals articulated in the 
            President's January 2021 Memorandum on Modernizing 
            Regulatory Review. The memo proposes that a regulatory 
            review process should reflect new developments in 
            scientific and economic understanding and should consider 
            regulatory benefits that are not easy to quantify.

   If a regulatory cost outweighs the benefit, should that be a 
        determining factor that prevents the FMCSA from moving forward 
        with the regulation?
     Answer. Consistent with Executive Order 12866, 
            agencies should assess costs and benefits of available 
            regulatory alternatives. Costs and benefits include both 
            quantifiable measures and qualitative measures that are 
            difficult to quantify, but nevertheless essential to 
            consider. I will work within this framework, as modernized 
            and improved, under the President's January 2021 Memorandum 
            and OMB direction.

   In considering safety regulations how do you balance 
        government safety requirements with the economic and technical 
        feasibility of implementing the regulation?
     Answer. FMCSA prioritizes safety and preventing 
            commercial motor vehicle crashes. I support the 
            Administration's goal that rulemakings should take into 
            account new developments in technical, as well as economic 
            understandings, and FMCSA will comply with all 
            Administrative Procedure Act and other statutory 
            requirements in implementing regulations.

    Question 3. When considering regulatory proposals, should FMCSA 
prioritize policies that allow market participants to freely compete 
without FMCSA regulatory action or is the market more successful when 
the FMCSA actively guides the market through regulatory action?
    Answer. FMCSA prioritizes safety and preventing commercial motor 
vehicle-related crashes in all rulemakings. To that end, regulatory 
action is prudent and necessary when there are market gaps in achieving 
this goal.

    Question 4. I would like to learn more about your views on the use 
of the FMCSA's rulemaking power:
   Should the FMCSA promulgate rules if the rulemaking power is 
        not expressly granted by Congress?
     Answer. FMCSA prescribes rules in accordance with the 
            procedural requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act 
            and our statutory authorities.

   Can the FMCSA use its rulemaking power to circumvent legal 
        precedents with which it disagrees?
     Answer. The Agency will not initiate a rulemaking 
            action for which there is insufficient legal basis.

   Can the rules passed by the FMCSA insulate market incumbents 
        from competition?
     Answer. FMCSA's top priority is safety, and we strive 
            to provide a regulatory framework with enforceable, 
            performance-based requirements that allow flexibility and 
            competition in achieving the desired safety outcomes.

    Question 5. At the beginning of the pandemic, the FMCSA granted 
emergency relief to Hours-of-Service requirements for COVID-19 
emergency relief. As we look to a post COVID-19 world, would you 
support making any of these regulatory suspensions permanent? If not, 
why not?
    Answer. FMCSA's safety mission is paramount, and FMCSA must 
carefully balance its safety mission with the need for flexibility of 
operation. The emergency measures taken in response to COVID-19 were 
necessary and intended to address particular urgent needs and were 
authorized under the Agency's emergency exemption authority. FMCSA has 
begun to issue safety-related reporting requirements to allow the 
Agency to work closely with its state and industry partners to monitor 
driver work hours and conditions for the duration of the exemption in 
order to ensure that we are still carrying out our mission while being 
responsive to emergencies. We continue to review and evaluate events 
under COVID, in order to ascertain lessons learned that can be utilized 
post-COVID.

    Question 6. Are there any lessons that we can learn from the FMCSA 
emergency relief that can reform our Hours-of-Service requirements to 
provide more flexibility and thus promote greater driver safety?
    Answer. FMCSA has begun to collect information related to the use 
of the exemption to determine how many carriers use the exemption, how 
often, and for what purposes. This information can be used to ensure 
that emergency declarations are only as broad as necessary to address 
the actual emergency transportation needed, and to analyze how, and 
whether, use of exemptions, including from the hours of service limits, 
furthers public safety.

    Question 7. What is your view on the lowering the CDL driving age 
or allowing greater flexibility for drivers below the age of 21?
    Answer. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) 
prescribes an apprenticeship pilot program for CDL drivers under the 
age of 21. If enacted, I am committed to carrying out Congress' intent, 
including implementing the safeguards provided in the legislation. The 
program includes specific requirements for the driving time of the 
apprentice program and other vehicle requirements. Throughout the 
implementation of the pilot program, FMCSA will gather and use data to 
inform our future actions related to driver qualifications.
                                 ______
                                 
     Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Rick Scott to 
                              Meera Joshi
    Question 1. It is heartbreaking that we have lost so many to the 
irresponsible actions of drunk drivers. I have introduced the Reduce 
Impaired Driving for Everyone Act of 2021 (S. 1331) with Senator Lujan 
to prescribe a Federal motor vehicle safety standard for advanced drunk 
and impaired driving prevention technology.

   Do you believe this kind of technology would be beneficial 
        in commercial vehicles?
     Answer. I support the safe integration of advancements 
            in proven commercial motor vehicle safety technologies and 
            equipment standards, including prescribing a Federal motor 
            vehicle safety standard for advanced drunk and impaired 
            driving prevention technology. I look forward to working 
            with your office on considering these technological 
            advancements.

   How would you decrease the number of drunk driving accidents 
        involving commercial vehicles?
     Answer. I am committed to using every tool at our 
            disposal to combat drunk driving and the crashes and 
            fatalities it tragically causes. Of note, FMCSA's Drug and 
            Alcohol Clearinghouse maintains records of all commercial 
            driver drug and alcohol program violations. FMCSA 
            regulations require motor carrier employees to screen a 
            driver's pre-employment and prohibits a carrier from 
            allowing the driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle 
            if the driver tests positive for drugs or alcohol. In 
            addition, FMCSA is engaged in a rulemaking proceeding to 
            address the issue of States downgrading commercial motor 
            vehicle licenses for those drivers who have violated drug 
            and alcohol program requirements and have not completed 
            return-to-duty requirements. In addition to this approach, 
            I am committed to outreach and enforcement efforts to 
            remove impaired drivers from our Nation's roads.
                                 ______
                                 
   Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Cynthia Lummis to 
                              Meera Joshi
    Question 1. In 2018, former Secretary Chao narrowly preempted 
California's meal-and-rest break rules that were wrongly being applied 
to interstate motor carriers. Following that preemption, the Ninth 
Circuit unanimously upheld the rule. I, however, remain concerned that 
DOT could attempt to undo this important decision and allow states to 
set their own standards for motor carriers operating in interstate 
commerce.

   Are there any efforts underway at DOT to reconsider the rule 
        following the Ninth Circuit's decision on California's meal-
        and-rest break rules?

   Do you believe that any given state should be allowed to set 
        their own standard provided that it exceeds the Federal 
        standard for meal-and-rest break rules?

    Answer. The FMCSA's preemption decision is currently the subject of 
litigation. The litigation has, at USDOT's request, been held in 
abeyance pending USDOT and FMCSA's review of the issues. Paramount to 
our safety mission is ensuring that drivers have adequate rest, and 
this is the lens through which our review is conducted.

    Question 2. During the Senate debate on the infrastructure bill, I 
worked with my colleague Senator Kelly to address the lack of dedicated 
truck parking around the country. Unfortunately, our efforts ultimately 
were unsuccessful. While the issue of truck parking is primarily an 
FHWA issue, the lack of parking does present safety concerns for all 
highway users including the truck drivers.

   What additional attention can the U.S. Department of 
        Transportation as a whole give to the issue of dedicated truck 
        parking?

   If confirmed, will you commit to soliciting input from the 
        motor carrier community on ways that FMCSA can assist in 
        solving this pressing issue?
    Answer. I believe that truck parking shortages are a national 
safety concern and through FMCSA's research, we know the critical role 
that proper rest during off-duty time plays in reducing the incidence 
of fatigue-related commercial motor vehicle crashes.
    As a result, FMCSA has been partnering with the Federal Highway 
Administration to support their Jason's Law survey activities and 
related recommendations. On the most recent survey, FMCSA field staff 
contacted their State enforcement agency partners to increase reporting 
on the portion of the survey that identifies the location and frequency 
of truck drivers parking on illegal areas such as on exit and entry 
highway ramps.

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