{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://larsen.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=4246", "Larsen Announces $7 Million for Ferries in Island & San Juan Counties", "2026-08-13", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "House", "WA", "Rick Larsen", "L000560", "larsen.house.gov", "larsen", "https://larsen.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx", "scraper", "Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement:\n\n\u201cRural communities I represent need more support and funding from the federal government,\u201d said Rep. Larsen. \u201cThese dollars will help Washington State Ferries serve my constituents whose lives and livelihoods are tied to ferries, and I am glad to have helped bring this funding home. As the top Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I will keep fighting for federal investments that make Washington\u2019s ferry system more reliable and create good-paying jobs.\u201d\n\nThe Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is awarding the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) $7.2 million for Washington State Ferries\u2019 (WSF) Anacortes - San Juan Islands and Port Townsend - Coupeville routes. This funding will cover fuel costs to operate vessels.\n\nThe FTA is also awarding King County Metro Transit $22.1 million for its Seattle passenger-only ferry facility expansion project.\n\nRep. Larsen is a strong advocate for investing federal dollars in Washington state\u2019s ferry system. His BUILD America 250 Act provides $1.7 billion in dedicated funding to construct and repair ferries:\n\nThe bill boosts the Federal Highway Administration\u2019s Ferry Boat program to $932 million (up from $570 million in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law).\n\nThe bill provides the FTA\u2019s ferry programs with $625 million in funding for urban areas and an additional $125 million in funding for rural and insular areas.\n\nThe bill allows WSF more flexibility to apply for funding for ferries that serve urban and rural communities, which will help WSF invest in and maintain ferries to ensure residents of San Juan and Island counties have reliable transportation.\n\nIn May, the BUILD America 250 Act passed out of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee by a vote of 62-2.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-14T06:13:05Z", "2026-08-14T06:14:08Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://larsen.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=4246"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8730711415410042, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}