led a coalition of 30+ Members of Congress in urging leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to make a strong federal investment in public transportation in the upcoming Surface Transportation Reauthorization process
Advocate for strong federal investments in public transportation during the upcoming Surface Transportation Reauthorization process.
Occurrences
Evidence
Congressman John Garamendi, Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, and Congressman Chuy Garcia led a coalition of 30+ Members of Congress in urging the Chair and Ranking Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to make strong federal investments in public transportation in the upcoming Surface Transportation Reauthorization process. The release says current federal surface transportation law expires in September 2026 and that Congress will soon consider new, multi-year legislation.
Simon’s transportation page highlights her long-standing focus on public transit, including an op-ed about accessible transit and her legislative work on modernized transit service for riders with disabilities. The page also notes her introduction of transit-related legislation in March 2026 and her broader emphasis on public transportation and accessibility.
The committee states that the most recent surface transportation reauthorization is part of the IIJA and expires on September 30, 2026. It also says the committee began hearings in January 2025 to gather information in preparation for developing the next bill.
Committee leaders released text of a bipartisan five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill that invests in roads, bridges, transit, rail transportation, and highway and motor carrier safety programs.
The office press release index includes multiple transportation-related items from spring 2026, including Simon’s transit-oriented development work and transit service legislation, indicating sustained engagement on public transportation policy in the current Congress.
Simon joined Garamendi and Garcia in urging House Transportation and Infrastructure leaders to make a strong federal investment in public transportation in the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization process.
The committee approved H.R. 8870, a five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill that invests in roads, bridges, transit, and rail and is intended for House floor consideration.
After a 14-hour markup, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved H.R. 8870, a five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill that includes investments in transit, rail, bridges, roads, and motor carrier safety. Committee leaders said they expected to move the bill to the House floor and work toward a final bill before the current law expired.
Assessments
The promise was to advocate for stronger federal public transportation investment during the next surface transportation reauthorization process, not to secure final enactment. In May 2026, Rep. Lateefah Simon joined Reps. Garamendi and Garcia in leading a coalition of more than 30 House members urging Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leaders to include strong federal transit investments in the reauthorization bill. Other official materials from her office also show continued transportation-focused advocacy during the same Congress. Because the promised advocacy clearly occurred while she was in office, this counts as delivered in the same term.
Simon directly joined and helped lead a coalition urging House Transportation and Infrastructure leaders to make strong federal investments in public transportation during the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization process. The evidence shows the promised advocacy occurred in her current term, even though the broader reauthorization outcome was still pending.
The promise was to advocate for strong federal investments in public transportation during the upcoming Surface Transportation Reauthorization process, not necessarily to secure final enactment. Evidence shows Simon did that: in May 2026 she helped lead a coalition of more than 30 House members urging Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leadership to make strong federal investments in public transportation in the reauthorization bill. Additional official materials show sustained transit-focused legislative and public advocacy during the same Congress. Because the commitment was advocacy-oriented and there is direct evidence she carried out that advocacy while the reauthorization process was underway, this is best scored as delivered even though the overall reauthorization bill remains pending.