With help from Stephanie Beasley and Daniel Lippman
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— The U.S. Travel Association is pushing TSA to find alternatives to the upcoming Real ID requirements, fearing that travelers will be left unable to fly.
— The FAA is almost ready to present a proposal for countering drone threats at airports.
— Rep. Elijah Cummings, who died at 68 on Thursday, was known for his recent high-profile work on the impeachment inquiry. But he was also heavily involved with transportation policy.
HAPPY FRIDAY: Thanks for tuning in to POLITICO’s Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on all things trains, planes, automobiles and ports. Get in touch with tips, feedback or song lyric suggestions at smintz@politico.com or @samjmintz.
“She’s a railroad lady / Just a little bit shady / Spending her days on the train.”
LISTEN HERE: Follow MT’s playlist on Spotify. What better way to start your day than with songs (picked by us and readers) about roads, rails, rivers and runways.
A REAL ID ALTERNATIVE? The U.S. Travel Association wants Congress to mandate alternative screening procedures for travelers who don’t obtain REAL ID-compliant identification by the Oct. 1, 2020, deadline, so TSA doesn’t have to turn away some travelers, our Stephanie Beasley reported from a Senate hearing on Thursday. Other adjustments the group is pushing for include using Precheck and CLEAR enrollment as an alternative to REAL ID licenses, letting travelers apply for REAL ID cards online and allowing TSA to accept compliant licenses presented on phones.
Also at Thursday’s hearing, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) blasted TSA for making “abrupt and disruptive” changes to the Known Crewmember program. The agency recently implemented what it calls “security enhancements,” which allows expedited screening for flight attendants and pilots, including requiring members to show two forms of government ID when not in uniform.
ALMOST THERE: A federal emergency plan for protecting airports from drone threats is done and waiting for sign off from FAA leaders, Stephanie reports. The counterdrone strategy, which would task federal air marshals with commandeering Department of Defense equipment to take down errant drones, is now in the final stages of approval, the FAA’s top security official said during Thursday’s Drone Advisory Committee meeting.
More highlights: The panel voted to give the FAA its recommendations on spurring drone operators to use devices that have remote identification technologies installed (since a rulemaking on remote ID is taking a bit), preventing drones from causing security concerns and improving the commercial waiver process — all of which we previewed in MT. Jay Merkle, the head of the FAA’s drone integration office, said the agency will address the recommendations at DAC’s next meeting in January. Merkle also said the FAA is on track to provide a knowledge test for recreational drone users by December.
A pat on the back for Elwell: Joel Szabat, DOT’s acting under secretary for policy, praised FAA Deputy Administrator Dan Elwell during the meeting for his handling of the Boeing 737 MAX crisis as acting administrator up until August. “He’s had a remarkably difficult challenge,” Szabat said. “The processes of FAA had been criticized. These were not processes that he had developed, that he was here for. But he has been the primary defender of the organization during that period of time.” Szabat said Elwell has done an “exemplary job” at congressional hearings and he has the “full support” of DOT.
CUMMINGS PLAYED MAJOR ROLE IN TRANSPORTATION POLICY: The Baltimore congressman and civil rights champion, as your MT host reports, had been playing an important role in transportation policy in recent months. Cummings was heading the Oversight Committee’s investigation into allegations against Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, and he was a leader in the push to ban facial recognition technology.
He was part of a multiyear Oversight investigation into reports of misconduct and whistleblower retaliation within TSA and repeatedly went after the agency for failing to provide related documents. He also joined House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) in probing complaints of harassment and retaliation at the Coast Guard Academy. And he was a member of the Transportation Committee, where he worked for bus safety improvements after a 2016 school bus crash in Baltimore killed six people and led efforts to advance a DOT program to help minority- and women-owned small businesses get federal transportation contracts.
APPROPS UPDATE: The Senate is pushing ahead with its work on fiscal 2020 spending bills, Pro’s Caitlin Emma reports. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell filed cloture on the motion to proceed on two spending packages, setting up floor debate next week on several bills including Transportation-HUD. Appropriators are facing a tight calendar and tricky political climate, Caitlin writes: “In addition to another looming government shutdown, an impeachment trial later this year could drag down the legislative calendar. An earlier stopgap continued government spending until just before Thanksgiving.”
ICYMI: The New York Times weighed in on Chao’s favoritism for Kentucky in an editorial this week, citing POLITICO’s reporting on her disproportionate meetings with Kentuckians. “There is no evidence that Ms. Chao has broken any laws. But the potential for conflict of interest runs deep — in multiple directions,” the Times writes. “The secretary and the Senate leader have done little to avoid the appearance of unfair play, instead seeming to revel in their role as one of Washington’s pre-eminent power couples.”
DOT took a similar tack in responding to the editorial as it has to other recent media reports and congressional requests for information. “The New York Times’ and congressional Democrats’ recycling of one another’s already discredited accusations is transparently political. The Department has been forthcoming, every question has been answered, and every accusation refuted,” an agency spokesperson said.
MAX UPDATE: Southwest Airlines has taken the Boeing 737 MAX off its schedule through early February, the latest sign that the FAA’s review of fixes to the grounded planes could continue to stretch. Previously, the airline cut the MAX from its schedule through early January, and it attributed the latest extension to the uncertain timing of the jet’s return to the skies.
SPEAKING OF BOEING: CEO Dennis Muilenburg might testify not only before the House Transportation Committee but also the Senate Commerce Committee on Oct. 30, The New York Times reports. Alternatively, Senate Commerce could hold a hearing with Muilenburg on Oct. 29.
MAILBAG: Several Maryland lawmakers, along with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), wrote to the Transportation Department this week to protest the expected termination of the Essential Air Service program at Hagerstown Regional Airport. EAS, which aims to maintain a minimal level of air service for small communities, has been a frequent target for budget cuts by the Trump administration.
AUDI’S ASK: In a petition hitting the Federal Register today, Audi is asking NHTSA for an exemption to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards so it can replace rearview mirrors with a camera monitoring system. The regulatory agency is reviewing similar requests from Tesla and the Auto Alliance.
Maddy Pike, a former aide to Rep. Albio Sires (D-N.J.) and more recently a lobbyist at Tai, Ginsberg and Associates, has returned to the Hill as outreach and member services director for the House Transportation Committee. Ashley Adams is moving out to San Francisco to work for Lyft as safety communications manager. She previously was a senior associate at Glover Park Group. Kim Lipsky, former staff director on the Senate Commerce Committee, is joining the Canadian public affairs agency Crestview Strategy as director of U.S. government relations.
— “Fred Smith created FedEx. Now he has to reinvent it.” Wall Street Journal.
— “UAW deal with GM to end strike includes pay raises, but three plants would close.” Reuters.
— “Crash victims plan to subpoena American and Southwest over Boeing’s 737 Max.” Dallas Morning News.
— “The creators of Billions are making a TV show about Uber.” The Verge.
— “FAA to test whether packed planes affect evacuation time.” The Associated Press.
— “Two of Amtrak’s Illinois routes are among the worst-performing in the country, a new report shows.” Chicago Tribune.
— “London commuters seen dragging climate activists off underground trains.” CNBC.
DOT appropriations run out in 35 days. The FAA reauthorization expires in 1,444 days. Highway and transit policy is up for renewal in 349 days.
