Schumer throws a lifeline

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Jan 17, 2023 View in browser   By Alex Daugherty With help from Tanya Snyder, Oriana Pawlyk and Lauren Gardner  Quick fix — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer calls for swift confirmation of President Joe Biden's FAA nominee. — DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg faces pushback from the right and left after last week's FAA computer system failure. — The Energy Department loans millions to a Nevada lithium mine designed to spur EV battery production that's drawn environmental concerns. IT'S TUESDAY: You're reading Morning Transportation, your Washington policy guide to everything that moves. As always, send tips, pitches, feedback and song lyrics to adaugherty@politico.com. You can find all of us on Twitter: @alextdaugherty, @TSnyderDC,@Oriana0214 and @kaylaguo_. "Autumn in New York/Why does it seem so inviting?" 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. Driving the Day COMING TO A FLOOR VOTE NEAR YOU: Schumer threw his support behind Phil Washington to be FAA administrator, your MT host reports, a major boost for his nomination amid an FAA computer outage that grounded flights across the country and prompted questions about why the top job was vacant. "I intend to break this logjam, work to hold a hearing for Mr. Washington, where he can detail his experience and answer questions and then work towards a speedy Senate confirmation," Schumer said in a statement. SCHUMER BREAKS DEM SILENCE: Schumer's explicit public backing is noteworthy considering that Senate Democrats have largely remained silent on Washington's nomination, both after he was connected with politically tinged Los Angeles County probe last year that raised the ire of Senate Republicans and in the wake of last week's FAA mess. Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell(D-Wash.) hasn't announced a hearing date, while other Democratic senators on the panel, with the exception of Washington-backer John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) have remained largely silent. POPCORN READY: Expect a more contentious and high-profile confirmation hearing when it occurs. Republicans have used the FAA computer outage to lob political attacks at the White House and particularly Buttigieg, who also supports swift confirmation. Top committee Republicans like Roger Wicker(R-Miss.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) have said they don't think Washington has the right experience for the position. Democrats, however, have the votes to confirm him if they remain united throughout the process. Around the Agencies FRESH ATTACKS: Buttigieg's DOT leadership has long been a target for GOP criticism after his 2020 run for president and widespread speculation that he'll mount a national campaign in the future. But last week brought fresh criticism of his record that Adam Wren and Oriana report could prove more challenging to overcome than past attacks for using paternity leave and his oversight of the supply chain. WARNING, TURBULENCE AHEAD: Unlike the supply chain crisis, a global problem only partially under the Biden administration's control, the FAA's computer breakdown falls squarely in one of Buttigieg's agencies. Shortly after the November elections, when it became clear that Republicans would take the House majority, President Barack Obama's former Transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, called Buttigieg with a warning: He was in for some turbulence. "You're going to have a target on your back, because you were a presidential candidate, and because people know that you have aspirations in the future," LaHood, a former GOP congressman, said he advised Buttigieg in a 30-minute call. "What you need to do is do your job, do it professionally, and do not allow politics to play a role in it. And that's frankly what he's done." Hard to stick: Democratic strategists say attacks against him — from the left, that he is too lenient on corporations such as airlines, and the right, that he is incompetent and ill-prepared for the role — aren't making much impact. "Pete is a difficult target, because he is such a tonic to the outrage politics that dominate the landscape," Democratic operative Dan Kannien said. On the Hill DIVERGING LETTERS: In a preview of what to expect in the coming months, Democrats in the last week have continued to write letters urging investigations into Southwest Airlines' meltdown while Republicans are calling for more oversight of the FAA. FLORIDA MESS: A group of Florida Republicans wrote a letter to Buttigieg asking for answers on a different computer glitch with the FAA's En Route Automation Modernization System on Jan. 2, a problem that led to hundreds of flight delays in Florida. "It's extremely alarming that the FAA operational systems, intended to provide pilots and consumers with safe air travel, have had multiple computer glitches a little more than a week apart from each other," the lawmakers wrote. SOUTHWEST MESS: Democratic senators last week wrote a detailed letter to Southwest CEO Bob Jordan demanding various answers for his airline's meltdown late last year. Expect continued criticism of corporations like Southwest from most Democrats, while Republicans are eager to pin travel headaches on the Biden administration. One potential source of bipartisanship? Incoming T&I Chair Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and ranking member Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) wrote a letter with 120 lawmakers signing on pledging to dig into the FAA's NOTAM meltdown. Aviation DeFazio speaks: Former T&I Chair Peter DeFazio spoke with Lauren Gardner after last week's FAA mess and said he's "not confident" that the FAA wasn't hacked, especially since Canada's system experienced an outage on the same day (though that outage didn't lead to the same widespread flight disruptions). He called on Congress to issue a major after-action report to figure out why the NOTAM backup system didn't kick in. "I'm not confident that we didn't get hacked, and that would need to be proven to me if I were still chair," DeFazio said, adding that many systems in place for airline safety and their backup systems are "very outmoded." YOU DON'T NEED A PILOT: He also added that the vacancy atop the FAA matters little to stopping computer outages like the FAA NOTAM system, saying the agency is "very heavy" with middle management. "We don't need someone who's a pilot," DeFazio said, adding that he strongly supports Washington's nomination. "We don't need someone who's some other kind of aviation expert. We need a strong manager, and that's what [Washington] is." He would shape that agency up. He has a military logistics background. "He's the person for the job." CLOSE CALL: The FAA is looking into a close call at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Friday evening, after a Delta Air Lines flight aborted its takeoff and stopped less than 1,000 feet from a taxiing American Airlines flight. The FAA said air traffic controllers "noticed another aircraft crossing the runway in front of the departing jetliner" and prevented the Delta flight from taking off. No one was hurt in the incident, though the NTSB also said it plans to investigate. Automobiles LOANS FOR LITHIUM: The Energy Department's Loan Programs Office has conditionally agreed to provide millions to a proposed critical minerals mine in Nevada that has drawn environmental concerns, Kelsey Tamborrino reports. The project, if finalized, would help secure a domestic supply of lithium carbonate used in electric vehicle batteries. The LPO has offered a conditional commitment for as much as $700 million over 10 years to Rhyolite Ridge LLC for the development of its lithium-boron mine in Nevada — home to the only known lithium-boron deposit in North America. It would be just the second lithium mine in the United States. The Autobahn — "Airplane lavatories deliver new hope for the CDC's variant hunt." POLITICO. — "Federal infrastructure funds could fill gaps in local transit accessibility." Urban Institute. — "Airbus withdraws from U.S. FAA Boeing safety culture panel." Reuters. — "Flight data, voice recorders retrieved from Nepal crash site." NPR. — "Tesla's big price cuts mean 'a major shift in the EV market.'" The Verge. — "Uber drivers say they are struggling: 'This is not sustainable.'" The New York Times. — "Brian Kemp and the electric car: A love story." POLITICO. — "Oregon congresswoman suffers concussion after being struck by car while crossing street." CNN.   Follow us on Twitter Kathryn Wolfe @kathrynwolfe Alex Daugherty @alextdaugherty Oriana Pawlyk @Oriana0214 Tanya Snyder @tsnyderdc   Follow us

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