WASHINGTON — First-term U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pittsburgh) has been named to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for the remainder of the current term, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has announced. Deluzio fills the vacancy created by the death of Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-N.J.), who had been the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Piplines and Hazardous Materials until his death on April 24 following a heart attack.
Deluzio is lead sponsor of HR 1674, the House version of the Railway Safety Act, introduced following the February 2023 derailment and toxic-chemical release in East Palestine, Ohio. The bill has been stalled in committee since its introductiobn.
“I want to thank Leader Jeffries for appointing me to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee,” Deluzio said in a press release. “I did not expect to spend so much of my first term in Congress standing up for our safety against big railroads like it’s the 19th century—but I am determined to continue this fight and make freight rail safer for us. Membership on this committee provides me more opportunities to fight not only for rail safety, but also for major Western Pennsylvania priorities like better passenger rail, stronger and more resilient infrastructure like water and flood management systems, airports, highways, bridges, public transit, locks and dams, and more.”
