Vulnerable Democrats want a gas tax debate

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Feb 22, 2022 View in browser   By Alex Daugherty With Tanya Snyder and Oriana Pawlyk Quick fix — House Democrats have introduced their gas tax suspension bill — and are beginning to attack Republicans who oppose it. — U.S. Capitol Police are preparing for trucker convoys timed to disrupt President Joe Biden's State of the Union address next week. — Progressives are making their case for fare-free public transportation. IT'S TUESDAY: You're reading Morning Transportation, your Washington policy guide to everything that moves. Send tips, pitches, feedback and song lyrics to us at adaugherty@politico.com, tsnyder@politico.com and opawlyk@politico.com. You can also find us on Twitter: @alextdaugherty, @TSnyderDC and @Oriana0214. "And if I finally die in peace/Just wrap my body in these sheets/And pour out the gasoline/It don't mean much to me"   JOIN THURSDAY TO HEAR FROM MAYORS ACROSS AMERICA: The Fifty: America's Mayors will convene mayors from across the country to discuss their policy agendas, including the enforcement of Covid measures such as vaccine and mask mandates. We'll also discuss how mayors are dealing with the fallout of the pandemic on their local economies and workforce, affordable housing and homelessness, and criminal justice reforms. REGISTER HERE.     Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You'll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day's biggest stories. On the Hill GAS IN THE HOUSE: Rep. Tom O'Halleran (D-Ariz.) and several other House Democrats on Friday introduced a House companion to a Senate bill, S.3609, that would pause the federal gasoline tax temporarily, lending some fresh momentum to an issue that has divided Democrats and drawn barbs from the GOP, Tanya reports . The bill is nearly identical to the Senate bill introduced by four Democrats facing tough reelection bids this year. BITE THE HAND THAT FEEDS: Biden's infrastructure law relies on $43 billion in federal gas tax revenues this year alone, about half of which could be forfeited if Congress cancels the gas tax for part of the year. While Congress could fill the hole with more deficit spending, lawmakers are already relying on that to pay for the law to the tune of about $118 billion. CAMPAIGN TRAIL SWITCHEROO: Republicans have argued for days that Democrats' call for suspending the gas tax is a cynical ploy for votes in the upcoming midterm elections, and now, at least one Democrat has hit back at an incumbent Republican who opposes the suspension. Former Iowa Rep. Abby Finkenauer, who is seeking the Democratic nomination to run against longtime Sen. Chuck Grassley(R-Iowa), called Grassley "out of touch" for opposing a gas tax suspension in a tweet on Friday. Democrats who, like Finkenauer, are running in GOP-leaning states have repeatedly argued that Democrats should emphasize pocketbook issues, as Biden's poll numbers remain low. POLITICO/Alex Daugherty LEAVE OUR STATES ALONE: More than half of the Senate Republican conference Friday sent a letter asking Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to "rescind or substantially revise" the Federal Highway Administration's recent memo "encouraging" state DOTs to use new federal infrastructure dollars to prioritize repairs over highway expansions, Tanya reports. The memo in question, issued in December to state FHWA offices, encourages infrastructure investments that align with the administration's focus on climate, equity and road safety. NOT MUCH BEHIND IT: While the memo is universally unpopular with Republicans, even some progressives agree that it doesn't appear to have much power to force states to bend. "They're 100 percent right; it does not have any force of law," said Transportation for America Director Beth Osborne. The administration "can do some things with teeth" to enforce its desire for a more sustainable approach to transportation infrastructure development, she said, but "this memo isn't it." TRUCKERS COMING? Capitol Police said in a statement that, ahead of Biden's State of the Union address on March 1, fencing off Capitol Hill "remains an option," but said no decision has been made. Police are preparing for the possibility of disruptive trucker convoys in Washington and on surrounding highways. TRUCKERS GONE: Canadian police arrested dozens of people and began towing trucks out of Ottawa over the weekend, four days after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave authorities unprecedented powers by invoking the federal Emergencies Act for the first time ever, Andy Blatchford reports. Canadian police said Sunday the three-week occupation of Ottawa over Covid restrictions ended with 191 arrests and 76 vehicles towed. Transit FREE, FREE, FREE: In a Twitter Spaces event on Friday, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu made the argument that public transportation, particularly modes and routes that serve low-income riders and communities of color, should be free for riders. Wu, who was elected last year, announced earlier this month that three bus lines in Boston will be free for the next two years, something paid for with $8 million in federal coronavirus relief funds. Meanwhile, on the Hill, Markey and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) have a bill, H.R. 7389, that would provide billions for transit agencies to implement fare-free public transit. "We picked three routes that are very busy, serve communities of color, and they all connect in some way with dedicated bus infrastructure that's being built," Wu said, adding that the one bus line where free fares were implemented months ago as a test case is experiencing ridership matching pre-pandemic levels. "Bus service doesn't have to be what we imagine it to be today." Trucking TRUCKERS DEMAND ... PARKING: The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and the American Trucking Associations sent Buttigieg a letter on Friday asking for solutions to address a shortage of parking spaces for large trucks. "If the USDOT prioritizes the expansion of truck parking capacity and makes significant progress toward that effort, drivers will be safer and healthier, fleets will be more productive, the trucking workforce will be more resilient, and trucks will reduce their fuel needs and emit fewer emissions into the environment," the groups wrote in their letter. They asked DOT to educate state-level agencies about the importance of truck parking plans as they draft up plans to spend new infrastructure money. CAPITALIZING ON ATTENTION: The parking issue isn't new for the trucking industry, but the protests in Canada have drawn more attention to truckers' concerns. While the industry opposes vaccine mandates, its members' bigger issues are hours-of-service regulations and finding more parking Shifting Gears House Transportation Committee Democrats' digital director, Hale Diamond, has been promoted to press secretary and will retain the digital director role. She previously managed communications and programs at the nonprofit WTS International (formerly Women's Transportation Seminar). Brian Weiss will join the Alliance for Automotive Innovation in March as vice president of communications. Weiss previously worked as vice president of communications and media affairs at USTelecom — The Broadband Association. The Autobahn — "Tesla planned to open its first European gigafactory last summer. It's still waiting." Wall Street Journal. — "The U.S. import surge is skipping the train." Wall Street Journal . — "Standoff in Ottawa: 'How did we get here?'" POLITICO. — "'Judicial micromanagement': Biden administration seeks to revive social cost of carbon." POLITICO. — "'Downfall' director Rory Kennedy on the importance of retelling the story of the Boeing 737 Max crashes." The Hollywood Reporter.   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.       Follow us on Twitter Kathryn Wolfe @kathrynwolfe Alex Daugherty @alextdaugherty Oriana Pawlyk @Oriana0214 Tanya Snyder @tsnyderdc   Follow us

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