House transportation committee mourns death of former chair Don Young

U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (T&I) members late last week expressed their sympathies upon learning that former committee Chair U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) died on March 18. He was 88.

Young was the "dean of the House" and the longest serving member of Congress. He was first sworn in as a freshman member of Congress on March 6, 1973.

House T&I Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) described Young’s service as the committee’s former chairman as "impactful," capped by the passage of the SAFETEA-LU surface transportation reauthorization legislation.

"It was a strong bipartisan bill, with good policy and needed investment in infrastructure," said DeFazio in a press release.

Young chaired the T&I Committee from 2001 to 2007. His breadth of experience “was a great asset to his fellow committee members and the entire House of Representatives,” said T&I Committee Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-Mo.) in a press release.

"There was no greater supporter of infrastructure among congressional Republicans, and over the years, he led the way in passing many pieces of legislation to strengthen America’s infrastructure," Graves said.

Young was also a "fierce advocate" of the U.S. Coast Guard, Graves added.

"With Congress now working to pass the next Coast Guard authorization bill, it would be a fitting tribute to name the bill in Chairman Young’s honor," he said.