[Stay on top of transportation news: .]
T&I Chairman Sam Graves Won’t Seek Re-Election
Missouri Republican Has Led Panel Overseeing Aviation, Highways, Rail and Water Policy
Key Takeaways:
- Sam Graves announced he will not seek re-election, ending a congressional career that began in 2001.
- Ranking Member Rick Larsen praised Graves’ bipartisan leadership on transportation and infrastructure legislation.
- The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee plans to consider a multiyear highway bill as early as April.
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves will not seek re-election, ending a congressional career that began in 2001 and included leading the panel responsible for aviation, highways, rail and water infrastructure policy.
The Missouri Republican announced his decision on social media, noting his two-plus decades in Congress and his tenure as chairman.
When I first ran for State Representative back in 1992, my aspiration was to represent my hometown of Tarkio, Missouri. I was a twenty-seven year old farmer who just wanted to stand up for a way of life and his community. I never could have imagined where that decision would… — Rep. Sam Graves (@RepSamGraves)
“For 26 years, I have had the privilege of serving, culminating in becoming the chairman of the and passing some of the most significant legislation in our nation’s history,” he wrote. “The responsibility entrusted to me is not something I have ever taken for granted.”
Graves, a senior member of the chamber’s Republican caucus, said his pending departure will not slow the committee’s work on several high-profile reauthorization and reform measures critical to the nation’s transportation network.
“Although I have announced that this will be my last term serving as the representative from the Sixth District of Missouri, we’ve still got a lot of work to do at the committee,” Graves said. Noting that his Republican colleagues during this Congress granted him a waiver to serve beyond the caucus’s customary six years as a committee chairman, he added, “I intend to finish strong.”
At the top of the committee’s agenda is completion of a surface transportation reauthorization bill before the end of the year. Graves said the legislation will aim to fund roads, bridges, highway safety, transit and rail systems, calling it one of the most consequential surface transportation measures in decades.
After Congress’ Easter recess, the panel plans to consider the bipartisan multiyear highway bill.
Speaking earlier this year to state transportation officials, Graves said the Republican-led committee will produce a “traditional” highway package totaling about $550 billion. He said the proposal would prioritize the maintenance of surface transportation projects as well as streamline federal environmental permitting and potentially restructure highway funding mechanisms.
The committee also is working on the next Water Resources Development Act, which addresses ports, harbors, inland waterways and flood protection projects, along with other water infrastructure priorities. Additional legislative efforts include reauthorizing pipeline safety programs, modernizing Clean Water Act permitting to streamline infrastructure development, and advancing what Graves described as the most significant policy updates to the Federal Emergency Management Agency since Hurricane Katrina.
Committee Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) said March 27 that Graves’ departure will leave a significant void on the panel, citing the chairman’s bipartisan approach to infrastructure investment and transportation safety.
Larsen said he worked closely with Graves on major legislative efforts, including updates to Federal Aviation Administration programs, water infrastructure policy and a range of surface transportation and rail initiatives. He said Graves’ leadership helped move bipartisan legislation during a period of sharp partisan divisions in Congress.
Image
“With Sam Graves’ announcement that he will not run again, the House of Representatives — and the T&I Committee — are losing a fierce advocate for infrastructure investment and transportation safety,” Larsen said. “Only Sam’s steady, good-faith leadership could have notched these wins.”
Graves was first elected to Congress in 2000 and began serving in January 2001.
Exclusive: Missouri Republican Rep. Sam Graves, chairman of the House Committee on Transportation, is pulling his plans to seek re-election — The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ)
Transportation groups reacted to the chairman’s announcement.
“As he prepares to close this chapter, we are mindful of how much his leadership has shaped the path forward — and how much work remains, with the September 2026 reauthorization deadline fast approaching and so much riding on the outcome for public transit riders, workers, and communities across the country,” said American Public Transportation Association President and CEO Paul Skoutelas.
