In his opening remarks at the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on infrastructure and public transportation investment, Ranking Member Tim Scott (R-S.C.) emphasized the need for local solutions to address infrastructure challenges in both urban and rural communities. Scott criticized progressive policies for contributing to record-high inflation and increasing costs, arguing that these have hindered local efforts to improve infrastructure.

Scott stated, "One of the challenges I see on this conversation that we're having today is to realize that local problems need local solutions. It's really hard for folks in Washington, DC to understand the transit needs of folks in Charleston, South Carolina, Summerville, South Carolina, Columbus, Ohio, or Chicago, Illinois."

He expressed concern over federal regulations complicating local projects: "The most effective thing that we can do is make sure that the resourcing goes without all the red tape and challenges that come from Washington, D.C."

Drawing from his experience in local politics and personal background growing up in poverty, Scott recounted a story about a grandmother working at Walmart who faced long commutes due to inadequate public transportation. He argued that such issues are best understood and addressed locally rather than federally.

Scott criticized what he called burdensome federal oversight: "The one thing Washington has done poorly is to put on more onerous burdens on local government and state government." He also took aim at environmental regulations under the Green New Deal: "My friends on the left are always looking for a 'New Green Steal.' They call it the New Green Deal... But it's not just transit – it's actually the infrastructure needs that are delayed time and time again."

He highlighted inefficiencies in project timelines: "It takes about seven years – seven years – for a project to turn the shovel on a new highway program." Using an example from South Carolina's Highway 17 expansion project, he illustrated how delays increase costs over time.

Criticizing recent legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Chips and Science Act for escalating construction costs further, Scott concluded by advocating for block grants as a solution: "Most Americans would say skip the hearing block grant the money and let a brother go to work."