| | | | |  | | By Sam Ogozalek and Chris Marquette | With help from Alex Guillén and Oriana Pawlyk
| | — The House GOP aims to craft a “blueprint” for reconciliation this week, with committee chairs set to discuss possible spending cuts during a Florida retreat. — The Transportation Department’s inspector general was among several watchdogs that President Donald Trump fired in a Friday night purge. — The full Senate is scheduled to vote tomorrow on Sean Duffy’s nomination to be DOT secretary (if cloture is invoked). IT’S MONDAY: You’re reading Morning Transportation, your Washington policy guide to everything that moves. We’re glad you’re here. Send tips, feedback and song lyrics to Sam at sogozalek@politico.com, Chris at cmarquette@politico.com and Oriana at opawlyk@politico.com and follow us at @SamOgozalek, @ChrisMarquette_ and @Oriana0214. “Now I work down at the car wash/ Where all it ever does is rain/ Don’t you feel like you’re a rider/ On a downbound train?”
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| | WHAT’S ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK: House Republicans are expected to get into the weeds this week on how they want to structure their party-line reconciliation legislation, Meredith Lee Hill reports. Speaker Mike Johnson aims to finalize a “blueprint” for it during a GOP retreat in Florida. ICYMI: POLITICO has a breakdown on pitches from different committees about how to pay for the GOP’s sprawling agenda of tax cuts and border security initiatives — such as House Transportation Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.) saying he thinks he can rustle up about $25 billion in savings.
| | MASS FIRING: President Donald Trump late Friday axed several independent inspectors general — at least a dozen, according to one person briefed on the matter. The group includes Eric Soskin, the Transportation Department’s watchdog, Megan Messerly, Josh Gerstein, Kyle Cheney and Nahal Toosi report. No notice was sent to lawmakers, and the SBA’s inspector general, Hannibal Ware, who leads a council that represents such officials, wrote a letter to the White House Office of Presidential Personnel suggesting that the terminations appear to violate a federal law requiring 30-day notification to Congress. — Soskin’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment. DUFFY UP TO BAT: At noon Tuesday, if cloture is invoked later today, the full Senate is scheduled to vote on Sean Duffy’s nomination to be DOT secretary. He’s widely expected to be confirmed with bipartisan support. GETTING SPECIFIC: In response to questions from Democrats on the Senate Commerce Committee, Duffy provided written answers outlining his thoughts on a slew of transportation issues: — He said he wants to have a discussion with Trump and Vice President JD Vance regarding rail safety legislation. (He was specifically asked about S. 576, which Vance authored while representing Ohio as a Republican senator. He introduced the bill in response to the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine in 2023.) — Duffy committed to maintaining the FAA’s production cap on Boeing’s 737 MAX (38 aircraft per month) until he and the aviation safety agency are confident that an increase will not reduce quality. — The nominee said he would support Amtrak leadership when it comes to their decisions on Northeast Corridor and long-distance services and routes. — Asked if he would back automation at ports (a politically dicey topic, as MT readers will know), Duffy said he would work with the White House on “any future policy proposals.” NOEM IS THROUGH: The Senate confirmed Kristi Noem, the former Republican governor from South Dakota, as Trump’s DHS secretary on Saturday. The vote was 59-34. Myah Ward has the details. Airlines for America’s president and CEO, Nicholas Calio, in a statement said the group’s members appreciate Noem’s attention to cybersecurity.
| | REGULATION PUSHED BACK: The Trump administration is delaying a NHTSA rule that requires all new light-duty vehicles to have enhanced automatic emergency brakes by September 2029. Chris has the story. Its effective date is being bumped to March 20. (Trump signed an executive order last week telling agencies not to propose or issue regulations until a newly appointed or designated official approves them.) NHTSA’s chief counsel, Peter Simshauser, said the delay allows for “further review and consideration.” — In written answers to Republicans on the Commerce Committee, Duffy, when asked about the rule, said he would examine it and “all relevant data on the matter.”
| | POSSIBLE FIREWORKS: The Commerce Committee is holding a hearing Tuesday morning about the Panama Canal, a recent fixation of Trump’s, who has threatened to retake control of the critical waterway. The 10 a.m. hearing in Russell 253 will scrutinize the canal’s importance to the U.S. economy and national security, the committee says. It will touch on capacity restrictions, “rising fees” and the “potential dangers posed by the involvement of China.” The Panamanian government is taking Trump’s talk seriously, recently inking a yearlong, nearly $2.5 million deal with lobbying firm BGR Group, according to a copy of the document filed with DOJ, Caitlin Oprysko reports. — The witnesses are: Louis Sola, chair of the Federal Maritime Commission; Daniel Maffei, an FMC commissioner; Eugene Kontorovich, a professor at George Mason University’s Scalia Law School; and Joseph Kramek, president and CEO of the World Shipping Council.
| | SCOOP!: Liam McKenna is the FAA’s new chief counsel, three people familiar with the move told POLITICO. He was previously general counsel for Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on the Commerce Committee. McKenna has extensive legal experience on Capitol Hill and at DOT. Chris and Oriana have the story.
| | ENTERING THE FRAY: Elon Musk’s Tesla has joined three Chinese automakers in suing the EU over the bloc’s tariffs on made-in-China electric vehicles, Koen Verhelst reports. (Most Tesla EVs destined for Europe are produced in China.) Tesla is being hit with an 8 percent duty — the lowest of all exporters. A Volkswagen-SAIC joint venture, meanwhile, faces a 35 percent duty.
| | MORE CLARITY: The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials provided additional details Friday on Trump’s executive order concerning 2021 infrastructure law and Inflation Reduction Act funds. The pause on all highway reimbursement payments lasted roughly four hours on Jan. 21, AASHTO said. And FHWA’s initial interpretation of the order led to a freeze on “all administrative activities” — including project authorizations — for ongoing work funded by the law. — There was “initial concern” that the order was going to “roll back spending in every program within the IIJA and IRA,” Jim Tymon, the group’s executive director, said in AASHTO’s journal. But after discussing the issue with the administration, “it is very clear that isn’t the case,” he said. QUESTION MARK: Exactly what programs, then, are in fact subject to the pause remains an open question. Got any scoops on projects that are affected? Email us.
| | SLOWING IT DOWN: FHWA on Friday asked the U.S. Court of Appeals to postpone arguments scheduled for Feb. 5 over the agency’s greenhouse gas performance measure. A judge in Kentucky ruled last year that FHWA had overstepped its authority in issuing the regulation, and the matter was on appeal before the change in administrations. DOT and the highways agency are “under new leadership, who require time to become familiar with the final rule and the issues presented by this litigation and to determine how they wish to proceed,” FHWA wrote in a motion. The agency said it could provide an update on its position in 60 days.
| | | DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE: Freshman Rep. Bob Onder (R-Mo.), a physician, lawyer and private pilot, is looking to prioritize roads and hiring more air traffic controllers as he comes aboard the House Transportation Committee. Onder added that he doesn’t think controllers should be hired “based on gender or racial goals. We need to hire the best people who will keep us safe.” — With the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization, Onder said he doesn’t want to invest federal resources into bike paths and park trails. Instead, he wants to spend “more of our money ... on the actual purpose of building and maintaining highways and less on pet local projects” of communities’ politicians. FAVORITE MODE OF TRANSPORTATION: “There’s something very American about being able to hop into a plane and go anywhere you can find an airport ... I love general aviation,” he said. While in the Missouri state Legislature, Onder commuted every week to Jefferson City by flying — a roughly 30-minute trip.
| | WHAT: In an X post Friday, the “Department of Government Efficiency,” which is actually an office that replaced the U.S. Digital Service, wrote that in the “first 80 hours” about $420 million in “current/impending” contracts had been canceled — along with two leases. The initial focus, DOGE said, is on “DEI” contracts and “unoccupied buildings.”
| | | | — Alexa Lopez is now the vice president of strategic communications and public affairs for the National Association of Manufacturers, moving on from TSA where she was the assistant administrator of public affairs for four years. Lopez was “instrumental” in TSA’s efforts to expand biometric technology, said Tori Barnes, executive vice president of public affairs and policy at the U.S. Travel Association, in a statement.
| | | | — “‘I’ve Been Pushed, and I’m Going to Get Hit by the Train.’” The New York Times. — “Musk Plan for Retooling Government Takes Shape, but Big Questions Loom.” The New York Times. — “More Ships May Return to the Red Sea if Houthis Hold Their Fire.” The New York Times. — “38 Injured After ‘Unexpected Aircraft Movement’ on a United Flight.” The New York Times. — “‘Offensive’ Tattoos and Revealing Clothing Are Now on Spirit Airlines’ No-Fly List.” The New York Times. — “Elon Musk’s Air Force One Scrutiny Tests Boeing’s Path to Recovery.” Bloomberg. — “Trump tariff threats send aerospace suppliers scrambling to cushion blow.” Reuters. — “Chinese EV makers file challenges to tariffs at EU court.” Reuters. — “BMW joins Chinese EV makers in filing EU court challenge to tariffs.” Reuters. — “‘We’ve got to move forward’ - Michigan electric vehicle industry responds to Trump policy changes.” AP. — “Terrorism and drones are top concerns for maritime security companies, UN officials say.” AP. — “Freighter on the move after it was freed from ice on frozen Lake Erie.” AP. — “Kia recalls more than 80,000 U.S. autos due to improper air bag deployment and improper wiring.” AP. — “Airlines Are Charging Higher Fares and Are Confident You’ll Pay Up.” The Wall Street Journal. — “Tesla to Recall 1.2 Million Cars in China on Safety Concerns.” The Wall Street Journal. — “Automation’s Role in the Ongoing Evolution of Aviation Safety.” Merlin.
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