T&I Chair Shuster won't seek re-election

House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) announced in an interview yesterday that he will not run for another term in Congress.

Shuster, whose term as chairman of the committee would expire at the end of this year, told the Washington Examiner that he wants to work with the Trump administration on getting an infrastructure bill passed in Congress this year.

"I thought it was the best decision for me to focus 100 percent on my final year as the chairman of the Transportation Committee, working with the president and other Democrats and Republicans to pass an infrastructure bill, which is much needed to rebuild America," Shuster told the newspaper.

Under term-limit rules affecting committee chairmanships, Shuster would have to step down from the T&I leadership post at the end of this year. He has chaired the committee since 2013.

Throughout his congressional career, Shuster has been "staunch advocate for preserving and modernizing" U.S. infrastructure, said Association of American Railroads President and Chief Executive Officer Edward Hamberger.

"As the leader of the House T&I Committee, he has consistently demonstrated a keen understanding of the nation's freight and passenger rail networks and the value they provide," Hamberger said in a prepared statement. "Chairman Shuster guided numerous pieces of bipartisan legislation through the House including the comprehensive surface transportation bill — the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act in 2015 – which included numerous freight rail provisions and Amtrak reauthorization."

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) also lauded Shuster for his leadership on transportation issues.

"There has been no stronger voice than Chairman Shuster's on the critical need for predictable and dedicated funding for surface transportation," said APTA President and CEO Paul Skoutelas. "We owe him a debt of gratitude and look forward to working with him this year on the upcoming infrastructure bill."