Capitol Agenda for the Week of June 20: Good for Whom?
The week ahead for trucking on Capitol Hill.
DeFazioWhen it comes to the federal government’s role in highway funding, Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon, the top Democrat on the House transportation panel, promotes the idea that a national agency should retain jurisdiction over the flow of commerce between states. This is a rejection of the proposition of delivering to state governments primary control of national funding decisions for freight corridors, transit systems and ports.
The private sector, in a quest for profits, would ignore “a heck of a lot” of rural areas, DeFazio said. If the GOP-led Congress were to back a Trump administration proposal designed to shift primary funding responsibilities to the private sector and enhance the authority of states, the result would reverse Eisenhower’s vision for surface transportation. Not so odd, his committee’s chairman, Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), shares the sentiment.
I sat down with DeFazio last week to learn his perspective on the debate on Capitol Hill regarding infrastructure funding.
“There is a recognition out there with the American people that infrastructure is a public good. And there are other people that don’t think it’s a public good; that it should be a private good,” DeFazio said. “And that’s where the White House is hung up: between people who recognize the benefits of an enhanced transportation system as a public good and others who see it as segmented up into little profit centers and ignoring the rest, or pretending that they’ll do something for the rest.”
THE WEEK AHEAD (all times EDT):
June 20, 8 a.m.: SelectUSA holds its 2017 Investment Summit. Speakers include Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta.
June 20, 10 a.m.: The National Association of Manufacturers hosts its annual summit. Speakers include Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.).
June 20, 2:30 p.m.: The Senate Fisheries, Wildlife and Water Subcommittee holds a hearing on water infrastructure.
June 21, 8 a.m.: Bloomberg Government hosts a panel on infrastructure and the public and private sector components. Participants include Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.), former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).
June 21, 2 p.m.: House Financial Services and General Government Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee holds a hearing on the budget for the Office of Management and Budget. OMB Director Mick Mulvaney is scheduled to testify.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
ThinkStock'NOTHING BURGER:' A Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration advisory committee gave its blessing to a preliminary plan by the agency to eliminate 12 mostly outdated “nothing burger” commercial vehicle regulations to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order to ease regulatory burdens on businesses.
TRUST FUND: The endorsement by more than 250 members of the House to ensure colleagues on the tax policy panel adopt a sustainable funding source for a federal highway account drew praise from one of the country’s largest construction groups.
ESTES: Estes Express Lines will raise rates on less-than-truckload service for the second time in as many years. The Richmond, Va., company, which ranks No. 14 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest for-hire carriers in North America, will implement a 4.9% increase effective June 26, writing in a statement that it’s necessary to “help offset the rising costs of technology as well as the ever-growing costs of maintaining a stable operational structure and employee base.”
WHAT WE’RE READING:
Dean Baker, contributor co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, breaks down the Trump administration’s privatization push.
Donald Trump's infrastructure privatization plan is exactly what we would expect given his career as a ripoff artist https://t.co/h9NkYJEQF3 — Dean Baker (@DeanBaker13) June 13, 2017
FAVORITE QUOTE:
“We're empowering these companies, these unions, industry groups, federal agencies to go out and create new apprenticeships for millions of our citizens. Apprenticeships place students into great jobs without the crippling debt of traditional four-year college degrees. Instead, apprentices earn while they learn — which is an expression we're using: Earn while you learn.”
— President Trump at the signing of an executive order on Apprenticeship and Workforce of Tomorrow initiatives June 15.
FAVORITE VIDEO:
New York Rep. Jerry Nadler (D) questions Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao about the administration’s communication policy with members in the minority.
FAVORITE TWEET:
Eno Center’s Jeff Davis on plethora.
Sec. Chao just said there are a "plethora of ways" to pay for infrastructure. Plethora!! pic.twitter.com/RbVyAgkOaG — Jeff Davis (@JDwithTW) June 15, 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.
