| | | | |  | | By Alex Daugherty and Kayla Guo | Presented by Delta Air Lines | With help from Oriana Pawlyk and Daniel Lippman
| | | — Hearings are underway this weekas the House and Senate begin their work on the FAA reauthorization bill. — Stephanie Pollack will now oversee DOT’s discretionary funds,which were massively expanded by the infrastructure law. — Buffalo’s member of Congresssays pilot training changes are a nonstarter. IT’S MONDAY: 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_. “So if you’re going to Dallas, bring a red suitcase/Don’t show up with a blue bag, blue bags go to Charlotte.” SOME PERSONNEL NEWS: You've probably noticed our superstar intern Kayla's byline atop MT in the last few days, and starting Tuesday she'll be leading the newsletter most days, for the next few months at least. Your current MT host isn't going anywhere. I'll just be focusing on the upcoming FAA reauthorization bill and transportation issues in Congress while still lending a hand to the newsletter. Oriana will be heading out on leave soon, but expect to see her byline pop up again late this summer.
| | | | A message from Delta Air Lines: At Delta Air Lines, our 90,000 people are our most worthy investment. That’s why we are proud to be ranked No. 6 on Forbes’ list of World’s Best Employers for 2022. We provide industry leading benefits, because caring for our people empowers them to take care of you. Learn more at Delta | Taking Action | | | | | | HEARINGS AHEAD: The House Transportation Committee is getting to work. The committee will hold its first full committee hearing on supply chain challenges on Wednesday, with another hearing on Feb. 7 to address aviation safety issues. We now know both parties’ committee rosters after Democrats released their full list on Friday afternoon. CHANGING OF THE GUARD: Republican subcommittee chairs also came out on Friday, T&I Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.) announced, with four of the six positions changing hands in the new GOP-led Congress. Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) will lead the Aviation Subcommittee (if he doesn’t leave office early to run for governor), Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) will lead the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) will lead the Economic Development Subcommittee, Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) will lead the Highways and Transit Subcommittee, Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) will lead the Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee, and Rep. David Rouzer (R-N.C.) will lead the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee. Reminder, Sam Graves said last week he wants an initial House version of the FAA reauthorization bill by July 1, an aggressive timeline. SENATE ACTION: The Senate Commerce Committee is also beginning its formal work this week, with Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) holding a hearing on Thursday to establish rules and a budget resolution for the committee, which also has jurisdiction over the FAA bill. Expect Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to take over as ranking member from Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), who is moving to be the top Republican on Armed Services. WHAT’S LEFT: We’re still waiting on Senate subcommittee chairs and ranking members, along with T&I subcommittee ranking members beyond full committee ranking member Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.). Larsen said last week he expects Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) to take over his old spot atop the Aviation Subcommittee. We’re also waiting on a Senate confirmation hearing for the embattled FAA administrator nominee, Phil Washington.
| | | | JOIN POLITICO ON 2/9 TO HEAR FROM AMERICA’S GOVERNORS: In a divided Congress, more legislative and policy enforcement will shift to the states, meaning governors will take a leading role in setting the agenda for the nation. Join POLITICO on Thursday, Feb. 9 at World Wide Technology's D.C. Innovation Center for The Fifty: America's Governors, where we will examine where innovations are taking shape and new regulatory red lines, the future of reproductive health, and how climate change is being addressed across a series of one-on-one interviews. 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.
| | | BUTTIGIEG’S MONEY MANAGER: Stephanie Pollack, once acting administrator of the FHWA, is taking a new role at DOT — one that places her in the middle of the agency's newly massive discretionary grant portfolio, your MT host reports. In an interview, Pollack said the new job is meant to give grant recipients, particularly those who haven't previously received federal funds, a centralized point of contact as they navigate the funding and project delivery process. She'll also look to ensure federal dollars are being used effectively. "Being an agency that makes discretionary grants wide and small is different than an agency that provides formula funds," Pollack said. "For federal highway, as well as transit and federal rail, the scope, size and diversity of the grant programs really requires taking a moment to take a deep breath and figure out what needs to change." Memo update: Pollack did not directly address the furor over the 2021 guidance memo she oversaw during her tenure at FHWA, which has become something of a lighting rod for conservatives. Pollack said the memo "was intended and written as a guidance memo for federal highway staff to provide more consistent feedback to state DOTs on a variety of questions." YEAR 2 UNDERWAY: We’re now into the second round of plussed-up federal grants funded by the infrastructure law, as FTA announced Friday that $1.7 billion will be available for replacing old buses with low- and no-emission vehicles. The money comes from two programs, the Low or No Emission Program that allows transit agencies to buy or lease new buses and the Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program, which provides funding for rehabilitating vehicles and bus facilities. The two programs, created by the infrastructure law, have a combined $7.2 billion in funding for five years. In August, $1.6 billion was awarded by FTA for the first round of the program.
| | | | A message from Delta Air Lines:   | | | | | | NOPE: After Sam Graves’ remarks that he’d be open to further discussion on pilot training changes, Rep. Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.) — whose district includes the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, the destination of Colgan Air Flight 3407, which crashed in the area in 2009 — said changes to the current 1,500-hour rule requirement aren’t going anywhere. 10-YEAR MARK: The law requiring the flight-hour standard for commercial pilots, which went into effect in 2013, holds up as “a success that Congressional leaders need to affirm and build on, not minimize,” Higgins said in a statement, and further said lawmakers must uphold and enhance increased flight safety standards. Graves, who on Thursday acknowledged that lawmakers will likely “stay away” from changing it, still allowed that industry, together with Congress, “need to decide how we're going to utilize technology when it comes to training, when it comes to moving through” the pilot training process.
| | | GOVERNING IS HARD: Debt ceiling negotiations are struck in limbo, Caitlin Emma reports, as House Republicans demand severe spending cuts without saying where they’d start. Their hand will be forced soon, however. PUSH AND PULL: Passing a budget is guaranteed to be a painful test for the new majority. GOP leaders will have to thread the needle between members loath to cut Pentagon funding and conservatives like Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who say military cuts must be on the table. At the same time, party leadership will have to ensure steep domestic cuts won’t hurt moderates back home, bruising members in vulnerable districts and threatening an already slim House majority. MAN IN THE MIDDLE: In an interview, House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) acknowledged that it’s going to be a heavy lift for a conference deeply split by federal spending issues. If the budget measure ever makes it out of committee and to the floor, Republicans can afford to lose only four votes.
| | | Stephen Goepfert, President Joe Biden's former body man and a current DOT official helping to implement the infrastructure law, is considering a run for federal office after his time in the Biden administration, two people familiar with his thinking told Daniel Lippman. Goepfert, a New York native of Long Island, has long been interested in serving in elected office, but he has no immediate plans to run, nor has he picked an office to run for, according to one of the people.
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | | | | — “House GOP passes bill to curb Biden's use of oil reserve.” POLITICO. — “Key lawmaker: Biden mulling broad prohibitions on U.S. investments in Chinese tech.” POLITICO. — “Help! I reserved a rental car, but there was no car for me.” The New York Times. — “L.I.R.R. service to Grand Central begins at long last.” The New York Times. — “Metro outlines plan to boost service levels beginning in February.” The Washington Post. — “Biden confirms Jeff Zients to become new chief of staff.” POLITICO. — “Tesla spontaneously combusts on Sacramento freeway.” KTVU. — “Flybe: Regional carrier ceases trading and cancels all flights.” BBC. — “Carmakers face a crossroads as they work to fit auto dealers into their EV plans.” CNBC. — “Eurostar, symbol of a connected Europe, is plagued by Brexit hurdles.” The New York Times. — “Is the age of unplugging on planes over?” The Washington Post. — “Boeing plans to hire 10,000 employees in 2023.” The Wall Street Journal. — “Car leasing plummeted during the pandemic, could take years to recover.” The Wall Street Journal.
| | | | A message from Delta Air Lines: This year we are continuing our commitment to the total wellbeing of Delta people by expanding family building, parental leave, and caregiving benefits. Delta also recognizes the role that financial wellbeing plays in the overall health of our people. That’s why we are giving every employee an opportunity to earn $1,000 when they contribute to an emergency savings account and complete a financial education coaching program. Delta’s success continues to be driven by our people-focused culture of safety and service. Recognition by Forbes as one of the World’s Best Employers is meaningful affirmation of the ways Delta listens – and acts – when our people share with us their unique needs and goals. Learn more at Delta | Taking Action | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
Comments
Post a Comment