March 24, 2025
The Honorable Tim Scott
Chair U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
The Honorable Elizabeth Warren
Ranking Member U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Dear Chair Scott and Ranking Member Warren,
On behalf of more than 160,000 members of the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU), I am writing to express our strong support for former U.S. Representative Marc Molinaro to be Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Representative Molinaro has a strong record leading on the issues most important to transit workers. He will make an exceptional administrator for the agency.
For TWU members working in public transportation, the FTA is a critical part of our daily lives. The safety of our work, the ability to build and expand our service areas, and the preservation of collective bargaining rights all depend on a strong, proworker FTA Administrator. Our members are enthusiastic supporters of Mr. Molinaro precisely because we know he understands the FTA’s unique function for transit workers and that he will champion these causes in office.
During his time in Congress, Representative Molinaro consistently led on behalf of working people. In just two years, Molinaro championed major pro-worker initiatives to reshore aircraft maintenance jobs, expand and improve Buy America requirements, increase funding for labor rights enforcement, prevent violence against workers, and establish fair transit funding standards. This leadership went far beyond simply adding his name to legislation; Representative Molinaro organized support for these issues among his colleagues, fought to ensure important provisions were included in must-pass legislation, and consistently stood up publicly to advocate for our members. He has demonstrated that he understands the issues facing working people, as well as the nuances of successful policymaking.
The TWU has been working closely with Mr. Molinaro since 2012 when, as Dutchess County Executive, he was the chief executive of the Dutchess County Public Transit System and appointed a representative to the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Board of Directors. For the past 13 years, TWU members working in transit have been able to rely on Mr. Molinaro to prioritize investments in safety and service delivery for buses and trains. He has extensive experience ensuring that communities benefit from the value of public transportation – including by increasing resources available for operations, focusing procurement on local suppliers, and directly creating good, union jobs.
For these reasons and many more, the Transport Workers Union of America strongly endorses Marc Molinaro as the next Administrator of the FTA. We look forward to seeing him demonstrate his many qualifications before your committee and hope you will swiftly schedule a vote to advance his nomination.
Sincerely,
John Samuelsen
International President
CC: Members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs