| | | | | |  | | By Kayla Guo, Tanya Snyder and Alex Daugherty | | | | | — Treasury will unveil the initial list of EV models later this morning that qualify for the EV tax credit. — After two weeks away, Congress is back. Here’s what’s on the menu this week. — A TWU survey shows that more than half of flight attendants at three airlines were assaulted or harassed in the last year. IT’S MONDAY: You’re reading Morning Transportation, your Washington policy guide to everything that moves. I’m your host, Kayla Guo. Send tips, thoughts, song lyrics and recipes you like to kguo@politico.com. Find us on Twitter @kaylaguo_, @alextdaugherty and @TSnyderDC. “Split you and me, static electricity / Singularity at the point of contacting / Lightning strikes deep inside digital cells in my mind.”
| | | | A message from Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l: Current pilot training standards keep our skies safe. The U.S. has seen a 99.8% reduction in airline fatalities since Congress passed the Airline Safety Act in 2010. Does that sound like a policy that’s not working? Cutting current pilot training standards would be a mistake. Keep our skies safe. | | | Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You’ll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day’s biggest stories.
| | MAKE IT RAIN: This is the week the EV tax credit further shrinks the list of qualifying models to just a handful. The Treasury rule implementing the Inflation Reduction Act’s tax credit will be published in today's Federal Register, more than two weeks after it was first unveiled. Later this morning, we will see the list of vehicles that qualify. The list will be constantly changing. Automakers plan to launch dozens of new EV models in the coming years, and some of those will make it onto the list. Others will join as manufacturers bring more of their battery production capabilities to the United States and other eligible countries. But even others will drop off as the IRA’s tough new rules get even stricter year by year. Starting in 2024, if any Chinese minerals are used in EV batteries, those vehicles won’t get the tax credit. A smaller percentage of minerals will be allowable from any nation outside North America. Rules for battery components will similarly tighten as the years go on. STAY TUNED: We’ll let you know the minute the IRS and the Energy Department publish the full list of qualifying vehicles.
| | BIG WEEK ENERGY: Congress returns after two weeks away, and there’s plenty on the transportation-related agenda. On Tuesday, the Senate EPW Committee holds a hearing on clean vehicles and the House Transportation Committee holds its member day. Wednesday brings a House T&I FAA reauthorization hearing on workforce issues, with witnesses representing regional airlines, pilots, academia, aviation safety and the government. — Secretary Pete Buttigieg returns to the Hill on Thursday, to testify before the House Appropriations THUD subcommittee about DOT’s fiscal 2024 budget request. Beyond the usual, we’ll be watching for grilling from Republicans about the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and aviation issues. ”First thing I’d like to hear from the secretary is to show, to demonstrate what this budget does to implement the bipartisan infrastructure law,” House Transportation Committee ranking member Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) said at a forum with Transport Topics on Friday. Larsen added that his other biggest priority is for Buttigieg to outline steps that various modes of transportation, including rail and aviation, can take to improve safety. — And the nominee for Labor secretary, Julie Su, testifies before the Senate HELP Committee on Thursday. Su, who would play a critical role in high-stakes transportation-related labor issues like ongoing West Coast port negotiations, is likely to face a lot of GOP opposition, though she can get confirmed if Senate Democrats are all in favor. Su, who previously served as secretary of California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency, is not supported by the trucking industry because of her support of AB 5, a state law that changed how independent contractors are classified. HIRING NEEDED: Larsen, when asked about the infrastructure law’s implementation, said Friday that his biggest concern is staffing at many federal agencies that are tasked with reviewing grant applications and doling out IIJA dollars, notably the Federal Rail Administration. “They may not have the volume of staff to review the grants in a timely manner to get the dollars out the door,” Larsen said of the FRA, adding that he has similar concerns with other federal agencies. He said that many agencies are not fully operating at pre-Covid levels yet due to retirements and attrition but are overseeing a larger amount of cash.
| | | | A message from Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l:   | | | | | FIRST IN MT: A new survey from the Transport Workers Union shared with MT shows that 57 percent of flight attendants at Allegiant, Southwest and JetBlue have been assaulted or harassed by unruly passengers in the last year. The survey, which was conducted over the last month, coincides with the one-year anniversary of the end of Covid-related mask mandates on planes. By far the biggest trigger for outbursts from passengers was safety requests, with nearly 40 percent of assaults relating to interactions with passengers who were asked to fasten seatbelts or refrain from opening overhead luggage compartments. — Alcohol also played a major role in assaults, with flight attendants saying that drunkenness was the main factor in 16 percent of episodes. Customers irate over flight delays or cancellations and disputes between passengers were the other two major contributors to violent outbursts. TWU is pushing for including a bill in this year’s FAA reauthorization that would create a no-fly list for passengers who are fined or convicted of assaulting crew members on an aircraft. The latest version of the bill, H.R. 2394 (118), has support from two House Republicans and a dozen House Democrats. FAA WATCH: So far, there’s been little movement from the White House on a replacement nominee for FAA administrator after Phil Washington withdrew last month. And both chambers continue their work on an FAA bill with an aim of getting their versions passed by mid-summer. Hearings will wrap up soon, but expect various interests to start telegraphing what’s in, and what’s out, in the coming weeks. IT’S A BIRD, IT’S A PLANE, IT’S AN … ALIEN PROBE?: The official in charge of a secretive Pentagon effort to investigate unexplained aerial incursions has co-authored an academic paper that presents an out-of-this-world theory: Recent objects could actually be alien probes from a mothership sent to study Earth. Lara Seligman has the details.
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | | | | | REGULATORS UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: In a unanimous decision written by Justice Elena Kagan, the Supreme Court said Friday that individuals and companies subject to enforcement actions by the Securities and Exchange Commission and Federal Trade Commission can challenge the constitutionality of the cases in federal court before they play out in the agencies’ internal court systems. The ruling could curb how two of corporate America’s most powerful overseers handle cases in their in-house courts, Declan Harty and Josh Sisco report. — Agencies like the SEC and FTC have historically used administrative law judges to quickly resolve enforcement disputes with defendants. But the decision could force regulators to further pull back on how often they rely on their in-house courts, with defendants now able to more easily question the constitutionality of the administrative courts’ systems in federal court. — Friday’s ruling came on the heels of a long string of decisions led by the Supreme Court’s conservative majority to chip away at what is often criticized as the administrative state, and as federal regulators have found themselves under intense scrutiny at the court for years.
| | — “Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport open after record rainfall in 24 hours.” WPBF. — “The 100 most influential people of 2023: Elon Musk.” Time. — “Maryland advances plan for MARC train service to Virginia, Delaware.” The Washington Post. — “George Washington Parkway overhaul will bring delays through 2025.” The Washington Post.
| | | | GO INSIDE THE 2023 MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: POLITICO is proud to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider" newsletter featuring exclusive coverage, insider nuggets and unparalleled insights from the 2023 Global Conference, which will convene leaders in health, finance, politics, philanthropy and entertainment from April 30-May 3. This year’s theme, Advancing a Thriving World, will challenge and inspire attendees to lean into building an optimistic coalition capable of tackling the issues and inequities we collectively face. Don’t miss a thing — subscribe today for a front row seat. | | | | | | | | | A message from Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l: Reducing pilot training hours is a recipe for disaster. Yet some airlines are lobbying to do just that by changing the most effective aviation safety law of this century. Airline fatalities used to be far higher, and lax rules left some pilots learning on the job. The 2010 Airline Safety Act strengthened training requirements and qualifications. The result? Airline fatalities plummeted — by 99.8%. Sounds like it’s working. Don’t let some airlines’ bid to increase profits jeopardize air safety. Find out why training matters. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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