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— There’s a lot we still don’t know about the next infrastructure meeting, like who it will include and what the White House will bring to the table.
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— DOT Undersecretary Derek Kan is reportedly being considered for a seat on the Federal Reserve Board.
— Several House hearings highlight the week on Capitol Hill, one of them looking at the TSA’s workforce woes.
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SO LONG GAS TAX: As POLITICO’s Nancy Cook and Andrew Restuccia wrote over the weekend, White House aides are reassuring conservative leaders that Trump has no plans to hike the gas tax. Both acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and budget director Russ Vought have repeatedly downplayed the possibility in private meetings with fiscal conservatives.
A key line from the story: “The political reality could result in a standoff between Trump and Democratic leaders, with both sides publicly going through the motions of negotiating an infrastructure deal in hopes of pointing the finger at the other side if it falls apart. Both Democrats and Republicans are keen to at least appear productive, reasonable and bipartisan heading into the 2020 presidential election.”
THE LOWDOWN: Nothing is clear about the infrastructure meeting that’s tentatively scheduled for this Wednesday at the White House, including if it will even happen. If it does, things might be a little more tense than the last get-together between President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats. One reason: The Trump administration on Thursday pulled back nearly $1 billion dollars in funding for a California high-speed rail project. As our Tanya Snyder reports, a spokesperson for Speaker Nancy Pelosi slammed the move as “nothing more than a partisan attack on California that is not based in fact or law.”
Another complicating factor: This week’s meeting might involve congressional Republicans, as POLITICO Playbook reports — and it’s easy to imagine the goodwill created by the last meeting dissolving quickly if the leaders of both parties are in a room with their daily sparring partners.
Let’s get to the substance for a second. Bloomberg reported Friday that a gas tax hike remains on the table for the White House, but the idea has little support among officials who are wary of its political risks. As Saleha Mohsin and Jennifer Jacobs write, “officials intend to pressure Democrats to come up with funding mechanisms that don’t risk undermining growth, according to six pages of a document marked as a pre-decision draft, which was written by the Office of Management and Budget last week.”
FROM THE PREVIOUS CHAIRMAN: Former Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), now in the government affairs world at Squire Patton Boggs, said at an event last week that the first meeting was a good start. “It’s the first time I’ve seen the Democrats have a meeting with the president, come out and be positive,” he said. “$2 trillion is big, bold and that’s what we need.”
KAN MOVING UP? There must be something in the water at DOT. One day after Deputy Secretary Jeffrey Rosen was confirmed as deputy attorney general, Bloomberg reported the White House is considering Kan, undersecretary for policy, for a seat on the Federal Reserve Board. The news caught quick attention from Capitol Hill, including Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), who tweeted that Kan is a “serious, smart person and a vast improvement over the previously mentioned names” for the position.
DOT is already in the middle of a serious personnel overhaul, and if Kan were to depart (which, to be clear, would involve a Senate confirmation process likely lasting months), it would leave another big hole for the agency in flux.
YOUR DAILY READ (AND WATCH): The Atlantic on Friday published an interview with two Boy Scouts who met an internment camp, and both grew up to be members of Congress — one of them former Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta. There’s also a documentary premiering Monday about the life and legacy of Mineta, who was the first Asian American cabinet member.
LET’S STICK TOGETHER: The head of the International Air Transport Association on Friday called for maintaining global reciprocity for aircraft certification, saying that competition would be “detrimental.” The plea comes in the face of continuing concerns about the Boeing 733 MAX and the FAA’s certification of the plane. “Directors general of aviation authorities from across the globe will be in Texas next week for a meeting with the FAA on the MAX. IATA will hold a meeting in Montreal with airlines that own MAX planes at the same time,” our Brianna Gurciullo writes.
CHARM OFFENSIVE: The FAA will host other countries’ aviation safety bodies this week with an eye toward getting everybody on the same page on returning the Boeing 737 MAX to service, hoping that it can be harmonized across the globe. Our Brianna Gurciullo will be on the scene in Dallas — stay tuned.
SCHUMER WANTS PROBE INTO MTA RAIL CAR PURCHASE: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is calling for a Commerce Department probe into whether a plan for New York City to buy new subway cars from a Chinese state-owned company could be a threat to national security, the AP reported Sunday. The issue has popped up in the House as well recently, with a hearing last week, as China has pushed to dominate the U.S. rail car market. The company CRRC is also reportedly pursuing a contract with Washington, D.C.’s metro operator.
THIS WEEK ON THE HILL: The House Homeland Security Committee is planning a hearing this week on the TSA’s “workforce crisis,” a conversation that will undoubtedly touch on the agency’s decision to ask for volunteers to head down to the southern border. The House Science Committee also is planning a hearing on the effects of climate change on transportation infrastructure. Other highlights of the week include a House Transportation Committee hearing on the Coast Guard and maritime transportation budgets, and a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on protecting drivers and their families.
It’s also appropriations season. There are no set dates yet, but look out for possible bill text and/or a markup for transportation appropriations in the House this week.
Frank Hugelmeyer, the former president of the RV Industry Association, has been named president of the National Marine Manufacturers Association. On Oct. 1, he’ll succeed Thom Dammrich, who has been NMMA president for 20 years and announced his retirement in 2018.
— “Lyft is sued by investors over IPO.” Reuters.
— “Musk says Tesla will be out of money in 10 months without ‘hardcore’ changes.” The Verge.
— “Acting secretary blocked Stephen Miller’s bid for another DHS shake-up.” Washington Post.
— “Boeing 737 Max simulators are in high demand. They are flawed.” New York Times.
— “Toyota rebukes Trump for sending message that carmaker ‘not welcomed’ in U.S.” Bloomberg.
DOT appropriations run out in 133 days. The FAA reauthorization expires in 1,594 days. Highway and transit policy is up for renewal in 500 days.
