To:
Jackson, Ryan[jackson.ryan@epa.gov]
From: Morning Transportation
Sent: Fri 6/30/2017 2:05:24 PM
Subject: POLITICO'S Morning Transportation, presented by Airlines for America: Senate Commerce
makes quick work of FAA markup -- AOPA rallies the troops -- FASTLANE in the slow lane
By Tanya Snyder | 06/30/2017 10:00 AM EDT
With help from Stephanie Beasley
PROGRAMMING NOTE - Due to the July Fourth holiday, Morning Transportation will not publish on Monday, July 3 and Tuesday, July 4. Our next Morning Transportation will publish on Wednesday, July 5.
QUICK AND EASY: What the House took nearly 10 hours to do on Tuesday, the Senate managed in just under an hour. The Senate Commerce Committee approved its FAA reauthorization bill (S. 1405) Thursday morning with 56 amendments, setting up a showdown with the House's dramatically different bill (H.R. 2997) - assuming both bills make it off the floor in their respective chambers.
MEANWHILE, IN THE HOUSE: House Transportation Committee Chairman Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) said Thursday that he's still trying to drum up enough Republican votes to get through a floor vote, which he's hoping will happen in mid-July. Meanwhile, Sen. John Thune (RS.D.) admitted that the uncertainty around a health care vote in the Senate complicates the prospect of scheduling floor time for the FAA bill. But what looks like suspended animation over the next week and half masks a lot of high-level brokering, and it's anyone's guess what deals will emerge. But even if Shuster wins over taxwriters and appropriators and Thune grabs some floor time, it's hard to see a Senate so deeply skeptical of Shuster's plan to separate air traffic control from the FAA just going along with it in conference - and it's one of those issues where there's not much halfway ground to occupy.
Senate's got problems, too: Despite Thursday's smooth markup, senators inserted some drama into the proceedings by adopting a controversial amendment by Thune to allow other kinds of flight training to qualify for the rule requiring commercial airline co-pilots to have 1,500 hours of flight time before they're certified to fly. "Regional airlines have lobbied lawmakers for years to relax the 1,500 hour rule, while the families of those who died in a 2009 plane crash that spurred the rule have fiercely opposed any changes," reports our Lauren Gardner. It's a highly emotionally charged issue that isn't going away anytime before the bill hits the floor.
SPEAKING OF THE FLOOR: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) pledged Thursday to "continue to do everything I can to ensure that any effort to water down these rules never becomes law." The plane crash that spurred the rule occurred in his state, outside of Buffalo.
IT'S FRIDAY: Thanks for tuning in to POLITICO'S Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on all things trains, planes, automobiles and ports. Send your tips, feedback and lyrics to lgardner@politico.com or @GardnerJLM and tsiiyder@politico.com or @TSnyderDC
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"It won't be a stylish marriage /1 can't afford the carriage / But you look sweet upon the street / On a bicycle built for two."
Want to keep up with MT's song picks? Our Spotify playlist has over 100 followers - you can get listening, too!
More controversy: Commerce voted along party lines to narrowly adopt an amendment by Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) to prevent states from imposing their own meal and rest break requirements for interstate truck drivers. The Teamsters oppose this provision, saying it robs their drivers of the more generous breaks that some states want to offer.
AOPA rallies the troops: The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association kicked their opposition to the ATC plan up a notch Thursday with an action alert to their nearly 350,000 members and supporters, asking them to ask their representatives to vote against the House FAA bill on the floor. Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-Texas) sure took notice. "I hadn't heard from any owners" before the alert, Marchant said Thursday, noting that he has a lot of aircraft owners in his district and expected an inbox full of messages about the bill. Marchant had previously expressed that he leaned in favor of the proposal.
PSA FROM YOUR FRIENDS AT MT: Be careful out there this weekend. The Fourth of July is historically the deadliest day of the year on U.S. roads. The National Safety Council estimates that 582 people could be killed in traffic crashes during this four-day weekend, with 66,900 more seriously injured.
** A message from Airlines for America: America invented aviation, yet our global leadership is at risk. Passing FAA reauthorization and modernizing our air traffic control system will bring us into the 21st century. We need reforms without increasing costs for travelers. Ask Congress to support ATC Reform and reject an unnecessary Airport Tax increase. - www.stopairtaxnow.com
FASTLANE IN THE SLOW LANE: Just DOT formally announced its new INFRA grant program Thursday, Illinois' Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth called on the Trump administration to use the full 2017 allocation for FASTLANE grants under the old criteria. DOT announced yesterday it would hold the vast majority of the funds for a new round of grants under the updated criteria, forcing applicants to re-apply. "President Trump promised a trillion dollar infrastructure package, but instead his budget slashed transportation investments and his Administration continues to delay funding," said Durbin in a statement.
MCCASKILL URGES DHS TO LISTEN TO AIRLINES: Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said DHS should listen to airline complaints about the "onerous" implementation timeline for new security measures at 280 point-of-departure airports for flights to the U.S. The ranking member of the Senate Homeland and Governmental Affairs Committee said DHS should give airlines enough time to "try to work this out in a way that's not going to be really obtrusive" for travelers. But Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) said airlines will need to make do. "I know it's going to be an inconvenience," Katko said Thursday. "I know it's going to be some expense to the
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airlines, but I don't think we can let our guard down." POLITICO obtained a document sent to airlines on Wednesday ordering them to adopt the new security measures within 21 to 120 days. Explosive trace detection technology would need to be in place in the first 21 days, Stephanie Beasley reports. Airlines that do not comply face penalties that include a ban on all electronics on flights to the U.S.
FROM IRAQ TO 1-95: Another bill approved Thursday by the Commerce Committee would streamline the process for active-duty military and reservists to apply for commercial driver's licenses. "Many servicemen and women have been uniquely trained to drive large military vehicles and want to carry over that expertise into their civilian careers," said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), one of the sponsors of the bipartisan bill, which expands on a similar provision in the FAST Act that only applied to veterans.
ANOTHER ONE IN AT DOT: The Senate Commerce also found time during their markup to approve three Trump administration nominees for transportation-related posts: David Pekoske for TSA administrator, Derek Kan for undersecretary of Transportation for policy and Robert Sumwait to be a board member of the NTSB.
C-B-Oh-No: In case you've forgotten, the CBO does more than just give bad news about health care bills. Thursday, the CBO updated their projections of when the Highway Trust Fund will go bust using the information that underlies CBO's June baseline. They predict that the trust fund will stay solvent through the end of the FAST Act, which expires September 30, 2020 - but both the highway and transit accounts would go into the red in 2021, even if FAST Act revenue levels stayed in place.
NAFTA: DO WE HAFTA? NAFTA needs a major overhaul to increase wages for workers in all three countries and reduce the "enormous trade deficit" with Mexico as Trump promised on the campaign trail, said Josh Nassar, the United Auto Workers' legislative director. At an interagency hearing on the trade deal Thursday, Nassar "specifically called for stronger rules of origin for autos to qualify for U.S. duty reductions under the pact - a change automakers warned could make North America a less competitive region to make cars," Doug Palmer reports for Pros. Meanwhile, trucking industry officials pushed to eliminate a NAFTA provision allowing Mexican truck drivers to transport goods in the U.S.
THE AUTOBAHN:
- "Shark patrol drones in Australia fitted with danger sirens." Geo.tv.
- "Study: UAS as a new source of disturbance for wildlife." sUAS News.
- "'State of Emergency': Cuomo to send $1B to MTA." POLITICO New York.
- "Robocalypse Now? Central Bankers Argue Whether Automation Will Kill Jobs." The New York Times.
- "Analysis: Trump's travel ban a far cry from original." The Associated Press.
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- Secretary Chao defends Trump in the wake of Mika Brzezinski tweets. The Atlantic.
- "Facebook's Aquila drone completed a second flight without breaking anything." The Verge.
THE COUNTDOWN: DOT appropriations run out in 93 days. The FAA reauthorization expires in 93 days. Highway and transit policy is up for renewal in 1,189 days.
** A message from Airlines for America: Modernizing our nation's air traffic control system and bringing it into the 21st century is one of our most important infrastructure priorities. Congress now has the opportunity to enhance America's world-leading safety record while reducing flight delays and cancellations. And we must reform our air traffic control system and secure our position as the global leader in aviation without increasing, or uncapping, the Airport Tax. This would further burden consumers with unnecessary levies. Flyers today spend $63 in taxes on a typical $300 airline ticket. Isn't that enough? We can't have a system in which individual airports raise taxes on passengers whenever they want by however much they want. Airports enjoy a variety of funding sources for improvement projects, including nearly $7 billion that is sitting dormant in the airport trust fund. To tell your Members of Congress that we need ATC Reform without a tax hike on passengers, visit www.stopairtaxnow.com, **
To view online'. http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/morning-transportation/2017/06/30/senate-commerce-makesquick-work-of-faa-markup-221136
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To:
Jackson, Ryan[jackson.ryan@epa.gov]
From: Morning Score
Sent: Mon 7/10/2017 2:10:00 PM
Subject: POLITICO'S Morning Score: Strange attacks Brooks on pro-Trump credentials -- Morrisey
'major announcement' coming in West Virginia -- Obama to headline redistricting group fundraiser
By Scott Bland | 07/10/2017 10:00 AM EDT
With Daniel Strauss, Maggie Severns and Elena Schneider
The following newsletter is an abridged version of Campaign Pro's Morning Score. For an earlier morning read on exponentially more races - andfor a more comprehensive aggregation ofthe day's most important campaign news - sign up for Campaign Pro today. (httpC/www^polMcopro.com/pn^
SIX WEEKS OUT - Strange mailer attacks Brooks as Alabama Senate primary draws
near: GOP Sen. Luther Strange is starting to scrap with Rep. Mo Brooks, one of his most prominent Republican primary opponents, ahead of the special primary for Strange's seat on Aug. 15. The first shot: a mailer, paid for by Strange for Senate, hitting Brooks for not supporting President Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential primary and continuing to criticize him afterward. Brooks, Strange and former state Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore are the best-known candidates in a crowded primary, and they are competing for two slots in a September runoff, assuming no one unexpectedly breaks 50 percent in August.
- The Strange mailer quotes Brooks saying "Trump voters are going to regret their votes" on MSNBC in February and then, after Trump secured the nomination in May, that "voters sure are facing some tough choices in November, aren't they?" (In the same Montgomery Advertiser story, Brooks said he would vote for Trump in November.) "Luther Strange strongly supported our President from Day 1," the mailer trumpets next to the Brooks quotes, adding: "This was never a 'tough choice' for Luther Strange." (See the front and back of the mailer here.)
SENATE CANDIDATE WATCH - Morrisey announcement coming Monday night in West Virginia: Republican Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has a 5 p.m. "major announcement" scheduled in Harpers Ferry "about his political plans." Morrisey already has a super PAC sparring with Rep. Evan Jenkins, the main Republican candidate currently in the race against Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin.
- Barletta Senate decision "hopefully" coming in several weeks: GOP Rep. Lou Barletta said he's getting closer to deciding whether he'll run against Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, in an interview for the "Face the State" program on CBS21 in Harrisburg. "I'm giving it serious thought. I've been talking to my family, I've been talking to folks around the state. And, hopefully, in the next couple of weeks, I'll have a decision whether I'm going to run or not," Barletta said, via John Micek on PennLive. Full story.
- "GOP state lawmaker planning bid for McCaskill seat," by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's
Kurt Erickson and Chuck Raasch: "GOP state Rep. Paul Curtman "is expected to announce the formation of an exploratory committee for a Senate run" this week."... [A]llies said he had
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been mulling a run for Wagner's congressional seat, but nixed that idea when Wagner pulled out of the Senate sweepstakes and said she would run for re-election." Full story.
Q2 FUNDRAISING - FIRST IN SCORE - TX-07: Democrat Alex Triantaphyllis, the director of Immigration and Economic Opportunity at Neighborhood Centers Inc., a Houston nonprofit, raised more than $450,000 since entering the race to challenge GOP Rep. John Culberson. Triantaphyllis finished the second quarter with $400,000 in cash on hand, per a statement from his campaign.
- FL-13: SaintPetersBlog reported that Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist raised over $550,000 in the second quarter.
- KS-03: GOP Rep. Kevin Yoder raised close to $470,000 in the second quarter, his campaign announced Friday. Democrat Andrea Ramsey, who jumped into the race in June, announced raising over $200,000 by the end of the quarter.
- VA-10: Democrat Alison Kiehl Friedman raised over $400,000, while Democrat Lindsay Davis Stover raised over $300,000 in the second quarter, the Washington Post reported. They are part of the crowded Democratic field opposing GOP Rep. Barbara Comstock.
- South Carolina governor: "Republican Catherine Templeton ... raised $750,701 from April through June in her bid to upset S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster," The State's Jamie Self reports."... The haul tops her first-quarter numbers, which just crested $700,000, and brings her total donations to more than $1.4 million - positioning her even more firmly as McMaster's biggest threat in next year's June primary. Full story.
Days until the 2017 election: 120.
Days until the 2018 election: 484.
Thanks for joining us. You can email tips to the Campaign Pro team at sbland@politico.com, eschneider@politico.com, krobillard@politico.com and dstrauss@politico.com.
You can also follow us on Twitter: @politicoscott, @ec schneider, @politicokevin and @danielstrauss4.
ALWAYS OPEN - "Rosen leaves House Democrats hunting for Nevada candidates again," by Campaign Pro's Elena Schneider: "Democrats had to beg candidates to run in Nevada's
competitive 3rd District in 2016 - and that was before Donald Trump won the district on his way to the presidency. Now, Rep. Jacky Rosen's swift departure for a 2018 Senate campaign leaves House Democrats, once again, searching for a candidate who can appeal to Nevada's prototypical battleground district, which has flipped between parties four times in a decade." Full story.
PRIMARY PREP - "Coburn will work to oust Mullin after congressman breaks term limit pledge," by the Oklahoman's Justin Wingerter: "Rep. Markwayne Mullin is facing
opposition from some conservatives after breaking a term limit pledge Tuesday. ... Whether
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Mullin's decision to break his pledge will hurt him in 2018 remains an open question. He dominated in 2016, defeating fellow Republican Jarrin Jackson in the June primary by 27 percentage points and defeating Democrat Joshua Harris-Till by 67 percentage points in November. [Former Sen. Tom] Cobum vowed this week to campaign for Jackson if he runs again in 2018." Full story.
REDISTRICTING WATCH - "Obama returns to politics with redistricting group
fundraiser," by POLITICO'S Edward-Isaac Dovere: "Barack Obama will make the first official political move of his post-presidency on Thursday, headlining a private fundraiser for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee at a private home in Washington." Full story.
MILESTONE - CLF knocks on 1 million doors: The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC closely aligned with GOP House leadership, announced Monday that they've knocked on 1 million doors and placed 700,000 phone calls in 13 congressional districts over the last six months. CLF is operating a dozen field offices in districts across the country ahead of the 2018 midterms.
HOUSE CAMPAIGN KICKOFFS - MN-08: St. Louis County Commissioner Pete Stauber is set to become the first Republican to jump into the race against Democratic Rep. Rick Nolan, the Duluth News Tribune reports. "Stauber, 51, has served on the county board since 2013 and earlier was a member of the Hermantown City Council. He has been a Duluth police officer for more than 23 years, currently holding the rank of lieutenant." Nolan won reelection by a half point in 2016 as Trump carried the district by 15.
- MI-08: Democrat Elissa Slotkin, former acting Assistant Secretary of Defense, launched her campaign to challenge GOP Rep. Mike Bishop, per a statement on Monday.
- FL-27: Florida's first openly gay state representative, Democrat David Richardson, announced his bid for the now-vacant seat held by GOP Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, per a statement from his campaign.
- FIRST IN SCORE - NC-02: Democrat Sam Searcy, a distillery owner, launched his bid to challenge GOP Rep. George Holding, who took out GOP Rep. Renee Ellmers in a redistricting primary battle last year. Watch his launch video here.
- VA-07: Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA operations officer, announced her bid to challenge Republican Rep. Dave Brat on Monday, per a statement from her campaign.
FEC WATCH - Good government groups file FEC complaint on Price: The Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21 filed a Federal Election Commission complaint on Friday alleging Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price illegally used campaign funds to support his confirmation. Read the complaint here.
- "Duncan spends campaign funds freely on family," by the Nashville Post's Cari Wade
Gervin: "For U.S. Rep. John J. 'Jimmy' Duncan Jr., keeping it all in the family includes his campaign funds. Over the past decade Rep. Duncan has doled out hundreds of thousands of
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dollars to his two sons, his niece, his son-in-law, his daughter-in-law and his sister for campaign work, raising both ethical and legal questions for the senior statesman. In fact, the only non family member paid a regular salary for campaign work in recent years has been Duncan's chief of staff, Bob Griffitts ... since 2013, Rep. Duncan has paid his son $316,500 in salary alone. The campaign also pays for his son's cellphone and reimburses his mileage, many meals and multiple other expenses." Full story.
STAFF TURNOVER - "Two top staffers leave Gillum campaign," by POLITICO Florida's Daniel Ducassi: "Following a series of rough news cycles and a fundraising drought, Democrat
Andrew Gillum's 2018 campaign for governor announced on Friday the departure of two top campaign staffers. Stepping down are campaign manager Phillip Thompson and the campaign's finance director and deputy campaign manager, Brice Barnes, according to a statement describing the moves as 'staff transitions' and as part of the 'next phase' in the campaign." Full story.
COMMISSION REACTION - "Hundreds withdraw Colorado voter registrations in response to compliance with commission request," by KMGH's Blair Miller: "At least two
Colorado county clerks say they've seen a large increase in the number of people who have withdrawn their state voter registration since Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams said he would send the Trump administration's election integrity commission some voter-roll information in accordance with state law. Alton Dillard, a spokesperson for the Denver Elections Division, said 180 people have withdrawn their registration in the county since July 3. When compared to the eight people who withdrew their registration from June 26-29, it marks a 2,150 percent increase, according to Dillard. Haley McKean, a spokeswoman with the Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorders Office said at least 160 people had withdrawn their registrations since July 1. She added that 'dozens' of others had made their voter registration confidential." Full story.
CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "The president once told me that the most important lesson he learned from Roy Cohn was loyalty." - Newsmax chief and Trump friend Christopher Ruddy, regarding Trump's long memory of Republicans who turned from him during the campaign in 2016, via POLITICO.
To view online. http://www.politico.eom/tipsheets/morning-score/2017/07/10/strange-attacks-brooks-on-protrump-credentials-221231
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