The following is a statement by Jean-Louis Briaud, Ph.D., P.E., President, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in response to the confirmation of Pete Buttigieg as Secretary of the Department of Transportation:
The American Society of Civil Engineers applauds the Senate's vote to confirm Pete Buttigieg as the incoming Secretary of the Department of Transportation. We are eager to work with Secretary Buttigieg and the Department of Transportation to maintain and modernize our nation's vital infrastructure systems, prioritizing sustainability and climate-resilience. We urge the Administration to make investments in our nation's transportation systems a central component of our nation's economic recovery and a tool to bring equity to struggling communities.
No doubt that Secretary Buttigieg brings strong experience and the right leadership qualities to champion this approach as he leads the DOT. As a former mayor, Secretary Buttigieg knows that these issues require consensus and bipartisan solutions, and he has seen first-hand how infrastructure policy and investment impact families, businesses, local economy, and quality of life.
Our nation's highways, bridges, local roads, transit systems and railroads need repair and poor infrastructure already costs the average American household $3,300 a year in lost disposable income. The financial ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic have only exacerbated pre-existing issues. As the nation looks to revitalize the economy, ASCE believes that our infrastructure systems and our transportation networks need to be a top priority to provide access and opportunity to communities. We are looking forward to working with the Department of Transportation and Secretary Buttigieg to improve our nation's transportation systems and build a better quality of life for all Americans.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS
Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 150,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America's oldest national engineering society. ASCE works to raise awareness of the need to maintain and modernize the nation's infrastructure using sustainable and resilient practices, advocates for increasing and optimizing investment in infrastructure, and improve engineering knowledge and competency. For more information, visit www.asce.org or www.infrastructurereportcard.org and follow us on Twitter, @ASCETweets and @ASCEGovRel.