[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 107 (Tuesday, June 20, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H2972]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECENT FUNDING FOR TRAIN BLOCKAGES IN HOUSTON AREA

  (Ms. GARCIA of Texas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. GARCIA of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 
Federal Railroad Administration's recent funding to reduce train 
blockages in the Houston area.
  Madam Speaker, $36 million will go to overpasses where trains block 
roads, intersections, and crossings in the Houston area. Schoolchildren 
have been crawling under train cars just to get to school. Ambulances 
and fire trucks are losing precious minutes to detour around trains 
that are blocking high-traffic areas.
  Houston residents have filed more complaints of train obstructions 
than any other city in the United States.
  Our fire chief tells us that, on average, there are 90 instances a 
month where emergency responders are delayed by trains, losing time, 
when lives are at stake.
  Enough is enough. We must put people over politics. We must put 
people over trains.
  The funding that we just received, Madam Speaker, is but the first 
step. There is still a lot more to go to ensure that our roads are 
safe, our children are safe, and our community is safer.

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