With help from Oriana Pawlyk and Tanya Snyder
— Billions will likely be needed to rebuild key infrastructure demolished by Hurricane Ian but expect discussions about what kinds of spending are related to storm recovery.
— A short-term government funding bill that included billions for natural disasters helps avert a shutdown, but expect contentious post-election discussions on a broader spending bill.
— Russia is booted from an international aviation coalition due to its invasion of Ukraine.
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 [email protected]. You can find all of us on Twitter: @alextdaugherty,@TSnyderDC and @Oriana0214.
“I won’t just survive/Oh, you will see me thrive/Can’t write my story/I’m beyond the archetype”
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.
NEVER THE SAME: The scale of Hurricane Ian’s destruction is coming into focus, with 67 confirmed fatalities as of Sunday afternoon and portions of Southwest Florida that are completely wiped out. As a years-long rebuilding process begins, Congress is likely to consider billions in relief for Florida’s Gulf Coast along with other parts of the state and South Carolina that experienced flooding.
WHAT’S OUT OF ORDER: Key pieces of infrastructure are still offline. Residents of Sanibel, Pine and Captiva Islands near Fort Myers are cut off from the mainland after two major bridges were severely damaged. Commercial flights out of Southwest Florida International Airport are not operating until Wednesday, though airport officials said there was minimal damage to the runway and terminal buildings and the airport is open for humanitarian and military rescue operations. And on Friday a portion of I-75 south of Tampa closed due to flooding on the Myakka River, though it later reopened.
The Army Corps of Engineers told your MT host that it was too early to “speculate on structures or possible solutions to the damage” when asked about solutions to reconnect the severed islands to the mainland.
TASK AHEAD IN WASHINGTON: With a major rebuilding effort ahead, Florida’s two senators urged Congress to pass a disaster aid package “at the earliest opportunity,” though the House and Senate are now scheduled to be out of Washington until after the November elections. On Sunday, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) was questioned about his pleas for relief in contrast to his 2012 vote against a Hurricane Sandy relief package, saying the bill was “loaded up with a bunch of things that had nothing to do with disaster relief.” Rubio pledged to vote against any Hurricane Ian relief package that includes “stuff that’s unrelated to the storm.”
“I would never put out there that we should use a disaster relief package for Florida as a way to pay for all kinds of other things people want around the country,” Rubio said on CNN’s State of the Union.
BASHING IIJA: And expect the infrastructure law’s increased spending levels to come into the hurricane relief discussion. On Friday, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) railed against the law and suggested that funds for building out a nationwide electric vehicle charging network should be used for “real infrastructure needs” related to Hurricane Ian.
“That money would be much [better] used on real infrastructure needs, traditional roads and bridges, particularly like we see right now in Florida. It’s devastating,” Mace said on Fox Business as the hurricane made a second U.S. landfall just outside of her district. Dozens of Republicans in Congress have voted against disaster relief packages for various reasons over the years, but the scale of Ian’s destruction, which Rubio said Sunday was a “character-altering event” is likely to require billions in long-term recovery funds.
Silver lining: One piece of relatively good news: Florida’s freight rail network, ports and airports with the exception of Southwest Florida International are mostly back in action.
CR DONE: Congress narrowly avoided a government shutdown before high-tailing it out of town on Friday, with the House sending a short-term government funding bill to President Joe Biden on a near party-line 230-201 vote, Caitlin Emma reports. The temporary package buys time for more negotiations on a broader government spending bill, though the election results will play a role in post-November talks.
Disaster funds included: Democrats criticized Republicans for voting against the package amid Hurricane Ian’s destruction because it included billions for states dealing with natural disasters around the country, though the stopgap bill did not specifically include funds for Ian recovery. The bill includes more than $12 billion for Ukraine, $1 billion in heating assistance for low-income families, $20 million for the water crisis in Jackson, Miss., billions in disaster aid and more than $112 million for federal court security.
House Appropriations Chair Rosa LeLauro (D-Conn.) said Congress may have to consider additional disaster relief before the end of the year, saying “we’re trying to be very responsive to the needs of Alaska, Puerto Rico, Florida.”
RUSSIA BOOTED: Russia was kicked out of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s governing council on Saturday, a rebuke of the country’s invasion of Ukraine and its use of Ukrainian airspace for military operations such as bombing airports that are in violation of United Nations principles for global aviation, Leonie Kijewski reports. The Montreal-based ICAO regulates air space and adopts international standards. Only 80 of the 193 members represented in ICAO voted to keep Russia in the council, six votes short of what Russia needed to remain.
NEVER BEFORE: The vote was unprecedented. IACO hasn’t changed membership since 2004, when China was added, and Russia assumed the USSR’s seat in 1991.
OOPS: As part of the ongoing JetBlue Airways-American Airlines antitrust trial, American’s chief commercial officer on Friday said the airline was forced to surrender seven gate slots at John F. Kennedy Airport in 2019 because the carrier wasn’t sure how many slots it had at the airport after its 2013 merger with U.S. Airways.
“When we put these things together, we lost track of the number of slots and slot IDs,” Raja said. “I’m a little beside myself that that happened.”
‘GOOD FOR US’: Raja also added that “consolidation has been good for us,” acknowledging that less competition among airlines has benefited American’s business. The Justice Department is seeking to end the JetBlue-American partnership in New York and Boston, arguing that the partnership hurts travelers and acts essentially as a merger.
UNITED OUT: United Airlines said Friday it will suspend operations at JFK Airport, aborting a comeback attempt that began in the midst of the pandemic when fewer gate slots were occupied by other airlines. United said its JFK-based employees will be moved to nearby airports and did not rule out a return to JFK in the future.
— “Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner suspended between Irvine and San Diego for emergency track repairs.” Los Angeles Times.
— “Joby Aviation can’t hit production targets on time, according to short sellers’ report.” CNBC.
— “American Airlines flight diverts to Texas after woman screams, ‘We’re all gonna die.’” Dallas Morning News.
— “With 2 MAX models at risk, Congress moves to give Boeing a break.” Seattle Times.
— “This start-up thinks it can run the Northeast Corridor better than Amtrak.” Philadelphia Inquirer.
— “FAA has made progress on a UAS traffic management framework, but key challenges remain.” DOT Office of Inspector General.
Did we miss an event? Let MT know at [email protected].
