Deluzio appointed to House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio (PA-17) speaks to reporters at an event highlighting the Biden Administration's investment in infrastructure at the Kingsley Center Pittsburgh's Larimer neighborhood on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024. (Steve Mellon/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-17th District) has been appointed to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for the remainder of the current session of Congress. 

Deluzio thanked House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) for selecting him to serve on the committee, which had a vacancy following the death of New Jersey Rep. Donald Payne in April. 

“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,” Deluzio said in a statement Tuesday. “Membership on this committee provides me more opportunities to fight not only for rail safety, but also for major Western PA 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.” 

The issue of transportation and infrastructure became front and center for Deluzio’s western Pennsylvania congressional district in February 2023 when a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed just over his district’s border in East Palestine, Ohio. Beaver County residents in Deluzio’s district were affected by the derailment and the aftermath, and Deluzio joined other elected officials in the region aiming to hold Norfolk Southern accountable. 

Following the train derailment, Deluzio and U.S. Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY) introduced legislation in March 2023 intended to increase safety on American railways, tighten regulations and increase penalties for railroads, dubbed the Railway Safety Act. U.S. Sens. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and John Fetterman (D-Pa.) signed on to the Senate version of this proposal. 

In late May, Norfolk Southern agreed to a $310 million settlement with the federal government over costs associated with the train derailment.

Deluzio joins U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R-10th District) as the only members of the state’s congressional delegation to on the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee. 

Deluzio, first elected to the U.S. House in 2022, is slated to face state Rep. Rob Mercuri (R-Allegheny) for the seat in November. The Cook Political Report, a national ratings outlet, rates the race as “leans Democratic.”

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