| | | | |  | | By Sam Ogozalek and Oriana Pawlyk | | | — Reconciliation, a potential dockworkers strike, DOT nominations and more: The new year is off to a busy start as President-elect Donald Trump plans his return to the White House. — The Justice Department asked for another six weeks to decide how it wants to handle the Boeing plea agreement, punting the issue into Trump’s second term. — DOT slapped JetBlue Airways with a $2 million fine for “chronically” delayed flights. 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. “Ain’t no love in Oklahoma/ Just the whistle of a long black train/ You’ll know when it’s comin’ for ya/ Ridin’ in on the wind and rain.” 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.
| | WELCOME TO TRUMP WORLD: President-elect Donald Trump and the new GOP-controlled Congress are poised to hit the ground running on a sweeping agenda of deregulation and spending cuts. Your MT team will be monitoring a slew of issues over the next few weeks, including: — Reconciliation: House Republicans have started to hash out their targets for the budget reconciliation process, which will allow them to pass legislative priorities without Senate Democrats’ support. Daniella Diaz, Meredith Lee Hill and Jordain Carney have the details. — Dockworkers deadline: A labor contract for Eastern Seaboard and Gulf Coast longshoremen expires just after midnight Jan. 15, only a few days before Trump’s inauguration. If negotiations fall through, it will be an early economic test for the new administration. — Subcommittee chairs: The House Transportation, Senate Commerce and Senate Environment and Public Works Committees will announce their subcommittee heads. — Nominations: Sean Duffy, a former House member from Wisconsin, is Trump’s pick for DOT secretary, and the president-elect has tapped David Fink, a former chief of Pan Am Railways, to lead the FRA. But many slots at the department are still unfilled, including FAA administrator. — EVs in the crosshairs: After securing the gavel, House Speaker Mike Johnson in remarks to colleagues Friday took aim at electric vehicles, saying Republicans will “save the jobs of our auto manufacturers, and we’re going to do that by ending the ridiculous EV mandates,” Timothy Cama reports for POLITICO’s E&E News. AND THROUGHOUT 2025 ...: We’ll be following interests’ pitches to lawmakers on what they want to see in the next surface transportation bill, how Trump’s DOT handles oversight of Boeing and whether the “Department of Government Efficiency” influences policy in Navy Yard, especially matters related to autonomous vehicles and commercial spaceflight. — Meanwhile, here’s what you may have missed while we were off for the holidays:
| | | MORE TIME: DOJ has asked Judge Reed O’Connor in the Northern District of Texas for an additional six weeks to decide how to proceed with its Boeing plea agreement — effectively kicking the issue to the incoming Trump administration, Oriana reports. The Justice Department and planemaker are crafting a “revised” agreement, the agency said, and with the leadership change-up just around the corner, it will need a few extra weeks to get everyone up to speed. — Speaking of Boeing, the company said Friday that changes undertaken since last year’s Alaska Airlines door plug blowout — and the ensuing FAA-mandated safety plan — include increased training for mechanics and quality inspectors and making 737 MAX assembly instructions easier to understand. But the FAA says Boeing still has a long way to go. Oriana has the details. “CHRONIC”: DOT on Friday announced that it fined New York-based JetBlue Airways $2 million for having “chronically” delayed flights, resulting in 395 delays and cancellations across four of its routes between 2022 and 2023. The agency said the penalty marks the first time DOT has fined an airline for major flight delays under a rule that prohibits carriers from operating schedules they knowingly can’t keep. Oriana has a breakdown. NEAR-COLLISIONS UPDATE: Airplane near-collisions were down in 2024 compared with the previous year (which, if MT readers are keeping track, saw a whopping 11 incidents). But a combination of outdated equipment, an ongoing air traffic controller shortage and soaring demand for air travel isn’t helping tamp down worries that the aviation system is increasingly strained, Oriana reports. — By the numbers: Through October last year, regulators had classified only one airport passenger plane close-call as being serious. But the statistics could change, with the FAA expected to update its database this month. (Just before the year ended, there were reports of a new incident at Los Angeles International Airport where a private jet carrying the Gonzaga University men’s basketball team had to abruptly halt as a Delta Air Lines plane was taking off on an intersecting runway. The FAA is now investigating the case.) 2024 IN REVIEW: Citing preliminary data, the FAA said Friday there were 16.8 million flights in U.S. airspace last year — an increase of about 500,000 from 2023. The cancellation rate remained the same at 1.2 percent, and weather was the leading cause of delays (followed by heavy traffic and runway construction). Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport topped the list of busiest airports for the fifth year in a row. ICYMI: The U.S. is assisting South Korea as it probes a catastrophic plane crash in the southwestern corner of the nation, which killed all but two of the 181 people aboard on Dec. 29. The NTSB said it is leading an American team from the independent safety agency, Boeing and the FAA to assist South Korea's Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board.
| | | CONGESTION PRICING BEGINS: The controversial toll program in Manhattan, south of 60th Street, kicked off Sunday morning, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Nick Reisman and Ry Rivard have a breakdown on the headwinds it faces, including Trump’s ire.
| | | EFFECTS UNCLEAR: President Joe Biden on Friday formally blocked the purchase of U.S. Steel by Japan’s Nippon Steel — a long-anticipated move. Brian Turmail, vice president of public affairs and workforce at the Associated General Contractors of America, told your MT host in an email that it’s too early to say whether Biden’s action “will have any impact on the price of steel used in construction.” “Our more immediate concern is the potential impacts of threatened tariffs on materials prices,” he wrote, referencing Trump's campaign trail promises. “However, we will monitor what this decision means to total steel production capacity and advise our members accordingly.” — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, meanwhile, wasn’t thrilled, with its senior vice president and head of international, John Murphy, in a statement arguing that blocking the deal could have a “chilling effect” on foreign investment in the country.
| | DEMOCRAT SLOTS ANNOUNCED: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer last week announced new members on the Commerce and EPW Committees, Chris reports. — Commerce: Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.). Kim and Blunt Rochester are new senators who were previously in the House. — EPW: Blunt Rochester, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), all of whom are new senators. Schiff also came from the House.
| | | — Andrew Rogers and Andrew Wishnia have joined Boundary Stone Partners as senior vice presidents in its Washington, D.C., office, where they will lead the firm’s transportation and infrastructure practice. They come from EpicWorks Advisors.
| | — “In New Orleans, Bourbon Street attack suspect drove past police cruiser to mow down victims.” Times-Picayune. — “President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden to visit New Orleans after deadly New Year's Day attack.” Times-Picayune. — “Las Vegas police: Driver shot himself before Cybertruck explosion.” Las Vegas Review-Journal. — “Follow the timeline of bombing suspect’s path to Trump hotel in Las Vegas.” Las Vegas Review-Journal. — “How the Jeju Air Plane Crashed: Timeline, Maps and Photos.” New York Times. — “Car Rental App Turo Grew Quietly Before Ties to Wednesday’s Incidents.” New York Times. — “Ford and General Motors Report a Sales Surge, Especially for E.V.s.” New York Times. — “Passengers Say Turkish Airlines Flights Have Unwelcome Guests: Bedbugs.” New York Times. — “Boeing Shares Drop After South Korean Crash.” New York Times. — “Blue Origin Is Ready to Launch New Glenn Rocket After Critical Test.” New York Times. — “Tesla Investors Are Still Bullish. Can Elon Musk Deliver?” New York Times. — “Human Error Cited for Collision of Two Planes at Tokyo Airport.” New York Times. — “Body Is Found in Wheel Well of United Airlines Plane After Landing.” New York Times. — “How Drone Fever Spread Across New Jersey and Beyond.” New York Times. — “New Jersey asks judge to block congestion pricing in Manhattan before it starts Sunday.” Gothamist. — “There’s a Traffic Jam Forming at U.S. Rocket Launchpads.” Wall Street Journal. — “‘Mayday, Mayday’: The Final Six Minutes Before the Deadly South Korean Plane Crash.” Wall Street Journal. — “Dozens Dead in Airliner Crash ‘Likely’ Caused by Russian Air Defenses.” Wall Street Journal. — “Missiles Are Now the Biggest Killer of Airline Passengers.” Wall Street Journal. — “Trump’s Tariff Plan to Hit Affordable Cars the Hardest.” Wall Street Journal. — “BYD, Chinese EV Peers Post Record Sales for December.” Wall Street Journal. — “EV maker Rivian beats expectations for deliveries as supply snag eases.” Reuters. — “Consumers boosted 2024 U.S. new-car sales to five-year high.” Reuters. — “China urges safety assessments after deadly year in commercial aviation.” Reuters. — “Stellantis, VW Drop After Losing US Electric-Car Subsidy.” Bloomberg. — “China’s Late-Year EV Sales Boom Gives Way to Rocky 2025 View.” Bloomberg. — “Japan Air Resumes Ticket Sales After Overcoming Cyberattack.” Bloomberg. — “Visiting the Big Apple? Prepare to pay more if you drive to busiest part of Manhattan.” AP. — “A data company has figured out which airlines fly on time most often.” AP. — “Britt Allcroft, Thomas the Tank Engine series creator, dies aged 81.” Independent. — “How four missing bolts ruined Boeing’s 2024 flight plan.” Washington Post. — “Round and round one last time: The final day of the D.C. Circulator.” Washington Post. — “Electric air taxis are taking flight. Can they succeed as a business?” Washington Post. — “American Airlines flights resume after brief halt over computer issue.” Washington Post. — “Right turns on red now banned at all DC intersections, but enforcement varies.” NBC4. — “Biden administration finalizes clean hydrogen tax rules.” POLITICO Pro. — “Commerce weighs rule to secure U.S. drone technology.” POLITICO Pro. — “Musk warns of lawsuits over media coverage of Tesla Cybertruck explosion.” POLITICO Pro. — “Tesla sales dip in 2024.” POLITICO Pro. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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