With help from Brianna Gurciullo and Tanya Snyder
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— The administration’s abrupt shakeup of DOT’s inspector general’s office surprised staff, according to emails newly obtained by a watchdog group.
— The Trump administration is in talks with the EU to try to lift limits on travel as Europe aims to make a decision by July 1.
— American Airlines pilots are pitching a program that would see the federal government pay for seats on planes to aid airlines’ finances and ensure social distancing.
IT’S THURSDAY: 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 [email protected] or @samjmintz.
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, railways, rivers and runways.
IG STAFF WERE SURPRISED BY SHAKEUP: When the White House unexpectedly relieved Deputy Inspector General Mitchell Behm, who had been serving as acting IG since the end of January, of his “acting” title in May and replaced him with subagency head and Elaine Chao loyalist Skip Elliott, Behm was publicly supportive of the move. But an email to a colleague tells a different story, as Behm expressed a sense of disbelief about the action, which has earned scrutiny from Congress and outside groups.
“Wild,” Behm wrote in one email, referring to appointing Elliott, the head of PHMSA, as acting IG. Another employee of the agency’s watchdog office also appeared surprised by the move, according to emails obtained by the nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. “Interesting times,” wrote Behm’s colleague Karl Schuler. Another, Assistant Inspector General Chuck Ward, told Behm that he would have been a “crackerjack permanent DOT IG” if picked. DOJ Attorney Eric Soskin was instead recently nominated to fill the job, replacing longtime IG Calvin Scovel, who retired earlier this year.
Why it matters: House Democrats have cried foul because the IG’s office is investigating alleged conflicts of interest by Chao, and now it’s being led by Elliott, who reports directly to Chao in his role as PHMSA administrator.
DON’T MESS WITH THE HATCH ACT: An FAA employee has been suspended for 30 days without pay after making political Facebook posts while on the job. According to the independent Office of Special Counsel, the employee made posts that were “in support of Democratic candidates or in opposition to the Republican Party,” violating the Hatch Act’s prohibition on political activity by federal employees while on duty.
THE LATEST ON EU’S TRAVEL DECISION: Discussions among EU ambassadors about criteria for rolling back restrictions on travel into the bloc are set to continue later this week after a meeting on Wednesday. Preliminary lists indicated that the EU could ease restrictions for about 50 countries because their infection rates were near to or lower than the bloc, but some governments want to narrow down the list to somewhere between 10 and 15 countries, POLITICO Europe’s Saim Saeed and Paola Tamma reported, with an assist from our Brianna Gurciullo.
The early lists excluded the United States, and it probably won’t qualify if the EU’s bar is based solely on case rate. A Trump administration official said the U.S. is in talks with the EU and national capitals about how limits on travel could be lifted. “The administration is looking at how to … expand air travel where the peak of the coronavirus is passed. Initial efforts are concentrated with Canada and with Europe,” the official said.
Come together? “While the EU is desperate to ensure a coordinated approach, there are big divides within the bloc over whom to open up to and when, and the decision making power ultimately lies solely with individual capitals,” Saim, Paola and Brianna report.
Domestic travel restrictions are ramping up, too, as some states see a Covid-19 resurgence. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut announced plans on Wednesday to impose quarantines on outside travelers from states with high infection rates, which POLITICO’s Anna Gronewold writes is “a sweeping and unprecedented restriction that initially applies to some 40 percent of the nation’s population.”
THE PILOTS PROPOSE: A pilots union pitched an idea on Wednesday for ensuring space between passengers on commercial flights: have the federal government buy the empty seats. It would cost $1.9 billion per month with major airlines flying at 40 percent capacity and $3.8 billion per month once they hit 80 percent, according to the Allied Pilots Association, which represents American Airlines pilots. The number of government-purchased seats would decrease “as Covid-19 immunity rises,” the union said in a white paper. It acknowledged that the cost would be “substantial,” but it argued that “the consequences of doing nothing could be devastating.”
Points for ‘creativity’: An American Airlines spokesperson said the carrier “can appreciate the APA’s resourcefulness in devising an idea designed to support the recovery of air travel” and that the union’s “creativity is to be applauded.” The spokesperson also noted that American isn’t currently planning to lobby for more aid from Congress.
TBT: Back in April, President Donald Trump suggested that the federal government could provide airlines an infusion of cash by purchasing “four or five years worth of tickets” at discounted prices.
CRYING OUT FOR CASH: Public transit agencies around the country continue to warn Congress that they’ll need billions more in federal funding to survive the pandemic. Without more aid, budget officials at MTA in New York say “service reductions, a slashed workforce and raised fares are all on the table,” reports POLITICO New York’s Danielle Muoio. Here’s how dire the situation is: Even if Congress passed the House’s HEROES Act, H.R. 6800 (116), which gives MTA $3.9 billion more, the agency would still have a $6.6 billion budget gap in 2021. MTA officials expect they will have to go back to Washington next year, tin can in hand, Danielle writes.
There’s some awareness of the budget gaps on the Hill. A group of House Democrats wrote to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Transportation Chair Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) earlier this week asking for $50 billion in investment in transit agencies over the next five years. “These emergency funds would help our public transit agencies purchase more vehicles, PPE and sanitizing equipment, and hire more personnel in order to increase service to avoid overcrowding and mitigate COVID spread,” they wrote.
Speaking of overcrowding: Here’s what a D.C. bus line looked like one night this week.
INFRASTRUCTURE DEADLINE: Today at 10 a.m. is the deadline for amendment submissions for House Democrats’ $1.5 trillion infrastructure package, H.R. 2 (116). As of the end of the day on Wednesday, 13 had been posted to the committee website, 11 from Democrats and two bipartisan. The committee plans to meet next week to issue a rule governing the bill process.
— “Flyers hiding Covid infection show risk of reopening borders.” Bloomberg.
— “FAA finalizes inspection directive on Boeing 737 MAX planes.” Reuters.
— “A bridge from Queens to Manhattan, but no cars allowed.” New York Times.
— “Pilots in Pakistan crash were chatting about coronavirus, says aviation minister.” Wall Street Journal.
— “Tesla under investigation for Model S touchscreen failures.” The Verge.
DOT appropriations run out in 97 days. The FAA reauthorization expires in 1,193 days. Highway and transit policy is up for renewal in 97 days.
