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THE ROAD AHEAD: The first thing to know as you start this short week: Sept. 15 is rapidly approaching. That’s the deadline set by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for committees to finish their work on the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill that’s being put forward as a follow-up to the bipartisan infrastructure bill passed by the Senate last month.
Money moves: As the legislative work grinds on, so does the reconciliation lobbying. The intercity bus industry is asking for $6 billion more in Covid relief funding, after only recently getting $2 billion that was approved by Congress eight months ago and won’t be nearly enough to combat pandemic losses. Environmental groups and transit advocates have asked for $10 billion in funding for transit that was stripped out of the Senate’s infrastructure bill.
A group of Democrats, including all of Georgia’s congressional Dems and five members of the influential Senate Banking Committee, wants to triple that. It’s asking for $30 billion in transit funding in reconciliation, your MT host reported last week.
The double-dipping question: All of this presents a likely clash with President Joe Biden’s pledge not to revisit spending items in reconciliation which were already negotiated out with Republicans in the Senate infrastructure bill. Lawmakers like the ones mentioned above and House Transportation Chair Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) will be pushing for more transportation spending — and DeFazio’s committee has $60 billion to play with, according to the reconciliation instructions. Look out for some spin that aims to portray that funding as being in separate categories from the bill formerly known as BIF, even if it would end up going toward the same priorities or projects.
IT’S TUESDAY: We’re back! You’re reading Morning Transportation, your Washington policy guide to everything that moves. Get in touch with post-hiatus tips, pitches and feedback at [email protected] or @samjmintz.
“Big wheel keep on turnin’ / Proud Mary keep on burnin’ / Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river.”
GUESS WHO’S BACK: Joe Manchin’s back, tell a friend. West Virginia’s Democratic senator, once again wielding his swing-vote power to throw (or at least threaten) a wrench in the Biden agenda, called for Democrats to “hit a strategic pause” on their budget reconciliation plans. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Manchin worried about inflation and debt and said slowing down could give lawmakers more time to analyze the economic impacts of their spending plans.
The context: “His op-ed could stir further divisions between centrists like himself and progressives, many of whom argue that $3.5 trillion is already a compromise,” writes POLITICO’s Marianne Levine. “But Manchin is not alone in his concerns; a spokesperson for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema recently reiterated that the Arizona Democrat will not support a package that costs $3.5 trillion.”
Bernie hits back: Progressives aren’t having it, and several said in response that they’ll keep fighting to approve the smaller bipartisan infrastructure bill only if it’s paired with the reconciliation legislation. “Rebuilding our crumbling physical infrastructure — roads, bridges, water systems — is important. Rebuilding our crumbling human infrastructure — health care, education, climate change — is more important. No infrastructure bill without the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill,” tweeted Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
Centrists in the House are having a say, too. Reps. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.) and Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) wrote to leadership with a list of demands for the reconciliation bill, POLITICO’s Nicholas Wu reports. They want the bill to be “pre-conferenced” with the Senate to avoid having to make any major changes in either chamber, to be paid for with the exception of its climate provisions and for members to be given at least 72 hours to review the legislation before it comes to the House floor.
WHAT ELSE YOU MISSED WHILE MT WAS OFF: The newsletter may have been on a break, but our team was still busy bringing Pro subscribers news from all modes of transportation. A few highlights:
— Washington may have seemed sleepy with Congress out of town, but infrastructure lobbyists have never been busier.
— The Surface Transportation Board struck an early but not decisive blow against the proposed merger between two freight rail giants.
— The two longtime leaders of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association are stepping down.
— 2021 is continuing last year’s upward trend of deadly traffic figures, according to new NHTSA data
— The union representing thousands of TSA employees is calling again for expanded bargaining rights in response to the raging Delta variant.
— U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued its biggest Jones Act fine ever to a seafood company.
CONGRATULATIONS to Pete and Chasten Buttigieg, who welcomed a pair of future Morning Transportation readers into the world over the weekend. Joseph August and Penelope Rose are the newest members of the DOT family.
— “Why cloth masks are on some airlines’ no-fly lists.” The Washington Post.
— “Hurricane Ida did not derail Amtrak plan to restart Gulf Coast route.” AL.com.
— “Lyft and Uber to cover legal fees of drivers sued under Texas anti-abortion law.” The Verge.
— “Covid-19 resurgence clouds business travel rebound.” The Wall Street Journal.
— “How 9/11 changed air travel: more security, less privacy.” The Associated Press.
