Kamlager-Dove Welcomes Secretary Buttigieg to Los Angeles to Celebrate $139 Million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding for LA Metro
LOS ANGELES, CA – Yesterday, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) and Mayor Karen Bass hosted Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at Exposition Park to celebrate LA Metro’s Removing Barriers and Creating Legacy Project, which recently received $139 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding. They were also joined by Representatives Maxine Waters (CA-43) and Ted Lieu (CA-36).
The Removing Barriers and Creating Legacy project will expand equitable access to public transit in Los Angeles County and help the region strengthen its transportation infrastructure ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games and other major sporting events. In December, the lawmakers sent a letter of support to the Department of Transportation outlining how this funding will help reconnect communities that lack safe, affordable, and accessible transportation options.
Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove’s full remarks are below:
“Thank you and good afternoon, everyone. I am Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove, and I am proud to welcome you to California's 37th Congressional District.
I was actually on an official trip out of the country, talking up the partnership between Mexico and Los Angeles, when I heard that our great Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, was coming to my district to highlight millions of dollars in transportation funding. So, I cut that trip short so I could come here to be with all of you.
Secretary Buttigieg, thank you for all you do to enhance communities and lives. Thank you for being here today to celebrate transformational investments in LA transportation. I was so happy he was here that I actually gave his staff a list of additional transportation projects because we need all that money to come to Los Angeles!
So, my colleagues in the House, a few of whom are here today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Congressman Ted Lieu, and a former member who is now our mayor, Congresswoman then, Karen Bass, were responsible for passing President Biden's historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This legislation is creating millions of good-paying union jobs — I see our labor partners in the back — fixing our nation's crumbling infrastructure, growing our economy from the middle out and bottom up, and reconnecting communities torn apart by projects of the past.
It is also about supporting Los Angeles, a city, a county, a region — check it out, y'all — that has generated, and continues to generate, 4% of this nation's GDP, almost $1 trillion in revenue. LA is where everything is at. Yet, equity in mobility is essential. I know that my colleagues in the House know that, and through our conversations at Congressional Black Caucus meetings, where we have discussed this and the good work LA Metro is doing, I know that the Secretary knows that, too.
Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—we are going to continue to give it up for President Joe Biden—LA Metro has received $139 million to enhance and expand access to high-quality, affordable, and—most importantly—equitable public transit.
Improved mobility hubs, including right here at Expo, mean more bike and scooter stations, parking, and electric vehicle chargers. More priority bus lanes will enable buses to run more efficiently and frequently. First and last mile improvements will increase safety for riders and pedestrians.
This investment is an opportunity to better serve the thousands who rely on public transportation daily in this city. I know them because I ride with them. They are our workers, students, elderly, and the climate-conscious. All of whom are our neighbors— they deserve the historic investments we are celebrating here today.
This infusion of money will also help tremendously as LA prepares to host some really incredible sporting events, y'all — we're talking about the 2026 World Cup, the 2026 NBA All-Star game, the Super Bowl in 2027, and the Olympic Games in 2028. Are you ready for all that, Madam Mayor?
With this funding, we have an unparalleled opportunity to shine our brightest for the world to see. To be remembered for the quality of the sports and the accessibility of a great city, rather than for transportation failures. We are going to have none of that, [LA Metro CEO] Stephanie [Wiggins]. We're going to have no failures, only successes. And only gold, [LA28 Chairman] Casey [Wasserman], only gold.
Everyone here has played an incredible role in securing this $139 million grant, and we are going to keep working to ensure that federal funding flows equitably into Southern California and into Los Angeles. So, thank you for that, and now I have the immense pleasure of introducing our great mayor of Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass.”
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