Legislative Activity Administration Indicates Turn to Tax Reform after Healthcare Fails, Potentially Moving Up Focus on Infrastructure The Trump Administration has indicated it will now turn to a comprehensive tax reform effort, as the House Republican’s healthcare reform proposal failed last week. The high-profile American Health Care Act (AHCA) failure showed starkly the divisions within … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity President Releases “Skinny Budget” On March 16, the Administration released the President’s “Skinny Budget.” As is typical with a budget outline provided by a new President, the request is very high level and does not include nearly the detail of a full budget proposal. The Administration has said it will release its full … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Transportation Stakeholders Hopeful for More Information This Week As the Trump Administration and Congress continue to develop a large-scale infrastructure proposal, transportation stakeholders are hopeful they will get additional information this week. The President’s ‘Skinny Budget” is expected to be released on Thursday, March 16. While it is unclear how much detail will … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Secretary Chao Discusses Infrastructure Priorities as Administration Begins to Release More Details As the Trump Administration and Congress continue to develop a large-scale infrastructure proposal, the Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary, Elaine Chao, discussed the Administration’s priorities. Speaking to the National Governors Association last week, Secretary Chao acknowledged challenges in passing the $1 … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity President Trump Expected to Discuss Infrastructure in Coming Weeks The President is expected to release additional information on his infrastructure agenda in the coming weeks. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the President will discuss infrastructure in his address to Congress on Tuesday. Additionally, he noted that more information will be included … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Transportation Committee to Begin Holding FAA Hearings The House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee will begin examining Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization this week, with the first of five expected hearings on the issue. The first hearing, titled “Building a 21st Century Infrastructure for America: State of American Aviation Manufacturing.” The witnesses … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Congress Begins to Evaluate Infrastructure Needs, Senate EPW to Hold Hearing this Week The Trump Administration has provided few specifics on its trillion-dollar infrastructure proposal, and it has become increasingly clear that Congress will not act on a broad infrastructure bill in the first 100 days of the new administration. Recently, House Speaker … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate to Approve Chao Nomination This Week On Tuesday, the Senate will vote on the Honorable Elaine Chao’s nomination to serve as Transportation Secretary. Secretary-designate Chao is expected to face little opposition in the Senate and should be confirmed easily. For additional information on Ms. Chao and her nomination hearing in the Senate … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate May Approve Chao Nomination This Week While Nominee-designate Elaine Chao was not included in the two cabinet members approved by the Senate on Friday (Defense Secretary James Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly were confirmed), but Ms. Chao may be confirmed this week. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chairman John … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate Commerce Committee to Hold Chao Nomination Hearing The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee will hold a nomination hearing for Transportation Secretary-designate Elaine Chao. In addition to serving as the Secretary of Labor under President George W. Bush, she served as Deputy Secretary at US DOT under President George H. W. Bush, … Continue Reading
Congressional Activity Congress, NHTSA, and Outside Organizations Continue to Evaluate DOT’s Automated Vehicles Policy Congress continues its oversight of the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Automated Vehicles policy, and a House Committee Roundtable is scheduled for this Tuesday, December 6. Many Members of Congress have lauded the expected benefits of automated vehicles on the economy and … Continue Reading
Regulatory Activity Obama Administration DOT to Continue Issuing Regulations The Obama Administration’s Department of Transportation (DOT) is expected to continue issuing regulations until President-Elect Donald Trump takes office in January. Over the final two months of the Administration, DOT is expected to issue regulations banning cellphone calls on flights and requiring freight trains to use … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity No Trucking Rider in Continuing Resolution The current fiscal year ends on September 30, and Congress will need to pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) to continue funding the federal government. The Senate is expected to vote on a CR that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) introduced last week that does not include a … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Continuing Resolution Likely, with Potential Trucking Rider The current fiscal year ends on September 30, and Congress will need to pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) to continue funding the federal government. The Senate is expected to pass a CR this week that would fund the federal government through December 9. That approach would … Continue Reading
Congress to Continue Focus on Appropriations The current fiscal year ends on September 30, and Congress will need to pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) in the next few weeks to continue funding the federal government. Last week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) proposed advancing a CR that would extend funding for the federal government … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Congress to Vote on Short-Term FAA Reauthorization This Week This week, Congress will vote on a short-term Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorization that will reauthorize FAA programs through September 30, 2017. The short-term authorization includes some policy changes, but avoids many significant changes the House and Senate had been pursuing. While the Senate … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Short-Term FAA Reauthorization Likely Soon The current short-term Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) extension expires on July 15, leaving just four weeks for Congress to pass another short-term extension or a long term reauthorization bill. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) recently admitted that Congress will have to pass another short-term … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity FAA Reauthorization Deadline a Month Away The current short-term Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) extension expires on July 15, leaving just over a month for Congress to pass a short-term extension or a long term reauthorization bill. While the Senate passed its reauthorization, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2016 (H.R. 636), by an overwhelming … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity FAA Reauthorization Deadline Approaching, Amid Security Concerns The current short-term Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) extension expires on July 15, leaving only 20 legislative days for Congress to pass a long-term reauthorization bill or another short-term extension. This also limits the opportunity that House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) has to … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Appropriations Committee to Markup THUD Bill The House Appropriations Committee will mark up its FY 2017 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Act on Tuesday, May 24, after an uneventful Subcommittee markup last week. This comes on the heels of the Senate passing its THUD Appropriations bill last … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House and Senate Work on THUD Appropriations Bills This Week The Senate and House are both expected to make progress on their respective FY 2017 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Acts this week, the Senate on the floor and the House in the Appropriations Committee. A potentially problematic issue … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate May Consider Combined THUD and MilCon-VA Appropriations Bills This Week This week the Senate is expected to consider the $56.5 billion FY 2017 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Act on the floor, likely by combining the THUD bill with the FY 2017 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Unclear How House Will Proceed on FAA Reauthorization After the Senate overwhelmingly approved its Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization legislation on April 19 by a vote of 95 to 3, it remains unclear how the House will proceed on its own FAA reauthorization legislation, which continues to be stalled due to objections on … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate Could Pass FAA Reauthorization Act on Monday On Monday, the Senate is expected to hold a cloture vote on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2016. The Senate considered the FAA Reauthorization Act most of last week, adopting a variety of bipartisan amendments to the bill that would reauthorize FAA programs … Continue Reading
