Legislative Activity Congress Begins Evaluating FY 2018 Transportation Appropriations This week, the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies will hold hearings on FY 2018 appropriations for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao will testify on Tuesday at the Senate Subcommittee hearing and on … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity President’s Budget Expected this Week President Trump is expected to release his FY 2018 budget this week, and transportation stakeholders are eager to see whether the full budget includes cuts to transportation programs with bipartisan Congressional support that were included in the President’s “Skinny Budget” released in March. In particular, the Skinny Budget … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Mulvaney: Infrastructure Bill Might Include $200 Billion in Direct Spending Last week, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mick Mulvaney said that the Administration’s proposed FY 2018 budget could include $200 billion for infrastructure with the understanding that it would be leveraged at a 5-to-1 ratio to spur more than $1 … Continue Reading
Executive Branch Activity Trump Releases FY 2018 Budget Blueprint Last week, President Donald Trump released his FY 2018 “skinny budget,” intended to serve as the blueprint for his full budget request expected in May. As anticipated, the $1.1 trillion budget request adheres to the topline discretionary spending cap of $1.1 trillion mandated by the Budget … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity President Signed Five-Year Surface Transportation Reauthorization Last Friday, President Obama signed the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) into law, reauthorizing surface transportation programs for the next five years. The $305 billion bill gained widespread bipartisan support, passing the House by a vote of 359-65 and the Senate by a vote of … Continue Reading
LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY Infrastructure Bank Legislation Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) is expected to introduce an infrastructure bank bill during the week of September 16 that is similar to the 2011 “BUILD Act,” which proposed a $10 billion fund to leverage private investment in large infrastructure projects. Warner’s bill is likely to propose some changes to the … Continue Reading
