Capitol Agenda for the Week of April 25: Promises, Promises
The week ahead for trucking on Capitol Hill
April 29 marks President Donald Trump's 100th day in office, and he is running out of time to deliver on his promise of unveiling a "big" infrastructure funding plan within that window.
He had assured the country that infrastructure was among his main priorities for making America great again. He did so during the campaign, on election night, in his inaugural address and before a joint session of Congress. But the latest update from the administration came courtesy of Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, who last week said an infrastructure plan likely would be revealed in the fall.
Trump by Pete Marovich/Bloomberg News Trump acknowledged shortly after conservative Republicans rejected his alternative to Obamacare that he had underappreciated the intricacies of governing on Capitol Hill. Transportation stakeholders are lamenting that it appears the intricacies of crafting a long-term plan for infrastructure programs was underappreciated in Trumpworld, also. Before the five-year FAST Act highway law was signed in December 2015, Congress had approved three dozen short-term funding extensions for surface transportation programs. And years before Trump borrowed a page from then-Vice President Joe Biden and started referring to New York City airports as “Third World” facilities, transportation thinkers with impressive resumes toiled to come up with a multiyear funding plan for infrastructure. Many tried, very few succeeded.
With his plan nowhere in sight, Trump has downplayed the significance of reaching the 100th day mark. He also faces the embarrassing possibility of a government shutdown on his administration’s 100th day while his party controls the House and Senate. As the industry awaits Trump’s “big” plan, a lot of freight is stuck in traffic.
And although the freight rail industry is privately owned and maintained, it has a stake in seeing funds committed to infrastructure improvements too. Ed Hamberger, CEO of the Association of American Railroads, talks about that, and freight rail's relationship with the trucking industry, in the video above.
THE WEEK AHEAD (all times EDT):
April 25: The P3 Center’s 4th annual conference at George Mason University in Arlington, Va., featuring Virginia Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne.
April 25: I-81 Corridor Coalition conference in West Virginia.
April 26, 10 a.m.: Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), chairman of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee, addresses stakeholders at the 18th annual conference of the National Association of State Highway and Transportation Unions.
April 26, 10 a.m.: House Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee hears from the freight rail industry.
April 27, 8:30 a.m.: CG/LA Infrastructure hosts “Blueprint 2025 Leadership Forum,” featuring secretaries Elaine Chao of Transportation and Ryan Zinke of Interior, as well as Reps. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) and Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
April 28: Funding for the federal government expires.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Jonathan S. Reiskin/Transport Topics VOLVO: Anticipating further growth in shorthaul trucking, Volvo Trucks North America unveiled its new regional-haul tractor, the VNR, which will be available for delivery in September.
TRUCK LANES: A $2 billion project that would lead to the country’s first longhaul truck-only lanes through nearly 40 miles along Interstate 75 in Georgia was categorized as wasteful in a new report by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group with the Frontier Group.
PETERBILT: The company will produce a Model 389 Canadian 150th Anniversary edition to salute Canada’s history using distinctive styling and exclusive Canadian features.
BUZZ:
On Capitol Hill, several senior Republicans are telling colleagues and staff they’re unsure if linking infrastructure with a tax reform package would be able to advance through the chambers this year.
WHAT WE’RE READING:
At U.S. News and World Report, they can’t get enough of those rankings. Here’s one on the Top 10 states with the best infrastructure. Odd to see Illinois make the list.
The states with the best infrastructure:
5. Minnesota
4. Nevada
3. Utah
2. Washington
1. https://t.co/hEZCdb7r4O — U.S. News (@usnews) April 20, 2017
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“Where's the infrastructure bill? The president was supposed to have a strong infrastructure bill coming in. The infrastructure bill is one of the biggest secrets in Washington, D.C., second only to the president not showing us his tax returns.”
— House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), April 23 on NBC’s Meet The Press.
FAVORITE VIDEO:
That moment during the Easter recess when Trump said a “big” infrastructure bill will be unveiled soon.
FAVORITE TWEET:
Fun with captions, courtesy of @Logistics_Chick
I asked our fans to caption this pic. My favorite - Finders keepers
Mine would be - TGHU7712262, recovered pic.twitter.com/3td55A4uyC — Logistics Chick (@Logistics_Chick) April 18, 2017
Thanks for reading Capitol Agenda. We publish Tuesdays when Congress is in session. E-mail emulero@ttnews.com with tips. Follow us @eugenemulero and @transporttopics.
