Thank You…

From: P.E NATION - Monday Oct 04,2021 02:01 pm

Oct 04, 2021

By Tanya Snyder and Julian E.J. Sorapuru

Presented by BlueGreen Alliance

With help from Oriana Pawlyk

Editor’s Note: Weekly Transportation is a weekly version of POLITICO Pro’s daily Transportation policy newsletter, Morning Transportation. POLITICO Pro is a policy intelligence platform that combines the news you need with tools you can use to take action on the day’s biggest stories. Act on the news with POLITICO Pro.

Quick Fix

— A 30-day patch for DOT programs was signed into law over the weekend, setting up another month of uncertainty.

— The eagle landed on Capitol Hill on Friday, as President Joe Biden made an appearance at a House Democratic Caucus meeting to push along negotiations surrounding the passage of his domestic agenda.

— The White House put its foot down against airlines that hadn’t mandated vaccines among their workforce yet and set a hard deadline for compliance.

IT’S MONDAY: You’re reading Weekly Transportation, your Washington policy guide to everything that moves. Send tips, pitches, feedback and song lyrics to tsnyder@politico.com, opawlyk@politico.com and jsorapuru@politico.com. You can also find us on Twitter: @TSnyderDC, @Oriana0214 and @JulianSorapuru.

“The Diamond is a ship, me lads, for the Davis Strait we're bound / The quay it is all garnished with bonnie lasses 'round / Captain Thompson gives the orders to sail the ocean wide / Where the sun it never sets, me lads, nor darkness dims the sky.”

A message from BlueGreen Alliance:

Every day, millions of Americans clock in and get to work on building our country’s future. Building Back Better means manufacturing the vehicles and technology of the future here in America and jobs with good pay that empower workers. Tell Congress: Vote to build back better.

On the Hill

SURFACE PROGRAMS RESURRECTED, FOR NOW: A 30-day extension of surface transportation programs was signed into law over the weekend, ending a day-long shutdown of some Transportation Department functions and letting 3,700 furloughed employees return to work Monday. But a month will pass quickly, and over the weekend House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said they want both the Senate's infrastructure bill, H.R. 3684 (117), and a reconciliation passed within that window. Considering the gulf that currently separates Democrats from success on these interlinked bills, a month will be an aggressive schedule to keep.

Buckle up for a rocky October, because the same dynamics that forced a punt on infrastructure last week are still in play: Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) are demanding policy and monetary concessions on the reconciliation bill, and progressives are determined to ensure their priorities stay intact. However, over the weekend both Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) seemingly suggested they were less fixated on a dollar figure for reconciliation. Rather, they said they were interested in safeguarding the policies included inside.

Conversations continue: The House technically isn’t scheduled to vote anytime in the next two weeks, though that could change considering the sheer amount of work before Congress, least of which is a looming debt ceiling cliff on Oct. 18. And members will also continue to discuss the infrastructure and reconciliation bills. The latter bill seems destined to shrink: Biden is hinting to Democrats that the number looks like it will settle somewhere around $2 trillion, not the $3.5 trillion they were hoping for.

A visit from the boss: Biden’s visit to a Democratic Caucus meeting Friday might have helped shake things loose. Biden communicated to members his determination to keep the bills linked and his desire not to rush the process. As he told reporters after the meeting: “We're going to get this done. It doesn't matter when. It doesn’t matter whether it's in six minutes, six days or six weeks. We're going to get it done.“

Pelosi acknowledged Friday evening that “while great progress has been made in the negotiations ... more time is needed.” She added that “clearly, the bipartisan infrastructure bill will pass once we have agreement on the reconciliation bill.”

The one-day shutdown: The shutdown was short but not entirely insignificant . Nearly 4,000 DOT employees were furloughed on Friday. The apportionment notices that normally go out to states on the first day of the fiscal year were delayed, so state transportation departments didn’t know how much money they have to spend for fiscal 2022 and had no access to money that hadn’t already been obligated.

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Aviation

AIRLINES GET THE STICK: The Biden administration told three airlines that so far hadn’t mandated vaccines for their workforce — American, Southwest and Delta — to issue a mandate by Dec. 8, Reuters reported Friday. The administration also warned airlines that it will seek to modify their contracts with the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, which was recently activated to evacuate Afghan refugees, to require that airline employees be vaccinated. Oriana has more for Pros.

Well, it worked: The White House’s directive quickly whipped American Airlines into place. On Friday afternoon, CEO Doug Parker and President Robert Isom sent a letter to employees saying that all U.S.-based employees and some internationally based ones are required to be vaccinated, if they could not utilize a regular testing alternative.

“While we are still working through the details of the federal requirements, it is clear that team members who choose to remain unvaccinated will not be able to work at American Airlines,” Parker and Isom wrote, though they did say employees who have a disability or religious belief that stops them from being vaccinated can request an accommodation. The pair went on: “We realize this federal mandate may be difficult, but it is what is required of our company, and we will comply.” JetBlue and Alaska Airlines also got in line to institute their own mandates, according to The Wall Street Journal.

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Automobiles

CALIFORNIA OKS FIRST PASSENGER AV RIDES: On Thursday, the state of California issued permits to autonomous vehicle companies Cruise and Waymo that allow them to offer passenger rides in AVs. Both companies are allowed to do so only in San Francisco as of now and still cannot charge riders for the service. Cruise is permitted to offer driverless rides at night in the city, while Waymo’s permit still requires a safety driver to be behind the wheel when passengers ride along.

The Autobahn

— “Infrastructure can pave the way to a greener, fairer Houston.” Houston Chronicle.

— “JetBlue, Alaska Airlines tell employees they must get Covid vaccinations under federal rules.” CNBC.

— “FAA releases special conditions for electric engine airworthiness.” Aviation Today.

— “Electric vehicle maker Rivian has filed to go public.” The Verge.

— ICYMI: “Eschewing Zoom, Don Young AWOL for 19 months of markups.” Roll Call.

— “Trams, cable cars, electric ferries: How cities are rethinking transit.” The New York Times.

— “Is America’s transportation infrastructure crumbling?” US News.

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A message from BlueGreen Alliance:

The BlueGreen Alliance is calling on Congress to invest in American manufacturing, infrastructure, and thriving communities. The next generation of vehicles should be built here in the United States. It’s time for Congress to bring back good-paying jobs to America’s auto and manufacturing sectors, rebuild our infrastructure, and create a stronger economy that empowers workers and promotes a cleaner, healthier world for us all. Tell Congress to get to work for the workers of America. Add your name to the petition and urge your lawmakers to build back better.