Trump bows to the inevitable on infrastructure Presented by Freight Rail Works

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Quick Fix

— President Donald Trump seems to have abandoned any suggestions of a big-spending, big-vision infrastructure plan, as his brief State of the Union mention focused on the Senate's surface transportation bill rather than a broad proposal.

— The FAA is taking steps toward a new kind of certification for drones that could speed up the development of airborne delivery services.

— A flight attendants’ union is leading a call for the federal government to better coordinate with labor and other groups in combating the spread of the coronavirus.

A message from Freight Rail Works: With a nationwide network, freight railroads are committed to ensuring the safety of the communities we serve. See how collaboration, training, technology and operational enhancements create a smarter, safer freight rail network for towns across America.

IT’S WEDNESDAY: Thanks for tuning in to POLITICO's Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on all things trains, planes, automobiles and ports. Get in touch with tips, feedback or song lyric suggestions at [email protected] or @samjmintz.

"You can't go on / Thinking nothing's wrong / Who's gonna drive you home / Tonight?"

LISTEN HERE: Follow MT’s playlist on Spotify. What better way to start your day than with songs (picked by us and readers) about roads, rails, rivers and runways.

Infrastructure

TRUMP THROWS IN THE TOWEL: Two years ago, Trump stood in the House chamber and called on Congress to produce a $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill. On Tuesday night, during this year's State of the Union and two years wiser about the ways of Washington, it became clear his sights are aimed much lower. The president called on Congress to "rebuild America's infrastructure" by passing the Senate's surface transportation bill, a $287 billion reauthorization of the expiring FAST Act.

It may not be the most ambitious target, but it's probably a more realistic goal than his previous proposal(s). (Your POLITICO Transportation team has been skeptical all along). The Senate bill is largely a continuation of highway policy as it's been done for decades, although it also has a first-ever climate title and buy-in from Democrats on the Environment and Public Works Committee.

The brief infrastructure mention was a rare moment of applause from both sides of the aisle, but the early signs aren't great for a friendly agreement. House Democrats are preparing their own infrastructure bill, though the White House has already derided it as a "Green New Deal 2.0."

Airport workers in the chamber: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) brought Hacheler Cyprille, an airport worker who was injured while working for under-fire airline contractor Eulen America, as her guest to the speech. And Rep. Grace Meng's (D-N.Y.) guest was Abdul Quddus Chaudhry, a security officer at LaGuardia Airport and member of the 32BJ SEIU union.

ONE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT THAT REMAINS UNBUILT: Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao faced fresh criticism from New Jersey Democrat Mikie Sherrill following a power failure in the Hudson Tunnel on Monday that stranded thousands of commuters. Sherrill, along with other New York and New Jersey lawmakers, has lambasted DOT for holding up funding for the Gateway Project. “The Department of Transportation must stop playing partisan politics with the lives of New Jerseyans, and understand that funding for Gateway is more than just a regional concern," noting that the FRA is now 675 days past a self-imposed deadline to respond to an environmental impact statement for the new Hudson tunnel.

Aviation

FAA'S PLAN FOR DRONE CERTIFICATION: Aiming to bolster the potential of drone deliveries, the FAA is moving toward type certifications of some unmanned aerial vehicles.

FLIGHT ATTENDANTS LEAD CALL FOR BETTER CORONAVIRUS COORDINATION: A coalition led by a flight attendants union called for a coordinated response to the coronavirus on Tuesday, asking federal agencies to work with unions and other groups on preventing the spread of the virus.

DEMOCRATS SLAM BOEING BOARD ON CEO COMPENSATION: Three Democratic senators panned Boeing for standing by its decision to promise a bonus for its new CEO if he shepherds the grounded 737 MAX back to service. After the trio's initial request that Boeing cancel the bonus, the company's board responded that “tying our new CEO’s incentive-based compensation to key strategic objectives, including the safe return to service of the 737 MAX, is in the best interest of our company, our workforce, and the flying public.”

The back and forth: “If the company really wants to prove it has learned its lesson about prioritizing safety over profit, then it will cancel the proposed bonus immediately and make sure there is no financial incentive for its new CEO to rush the 737 MAX back into the sky,” Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) said in a statement on Tuesday.

DOC OF THE DAY: In case you hadn’t read it yet, the DOT formally published its new proposed rule on service animals in the Federal Register today.

Trucking

TRUCKING NOT THE HOTTEST TOPIC ON THE HILL: Here’s an example of how the impeachment trial has taken all the policy oxygen out of the Senate: The Commerce Committee held a hearing on the trucking industry on Tuesday and only half of the subcommittee members showed up, including two who left before they could say a word. The hearing lasted less than 80 minutes.

They didn't miss a ton of new feedback: The positions of the trucking industry groups, safety advocates and law enforcement testifying are pretty well-established.

One trend that stood out: Virtually nobody is happy with how FMCSA is operating. Dawn King, president of the Truck Safety Coalition, said the agency’s proposed changes to hours of service regulations are unsafe. Lewie Pugh, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, was critical of a large swath of FMCSA’s rules, including its “failed [electronic logging device] mandate.” And perhaps the harshest words came from John Samis, a Delaware State Police sergeant and president of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. “Regulatory activity at the agency — one of FMCSA’s basic responsibilities — has come to a near standstill, and the necessary work of maintaining and updating the regulations is suffering,” he said in his written statement.

Rail

FRA PUTS OUT GRADE CROSSING REPORTS: Ahead of a House hearing on railroad crossings today, the agency uploaded two reports on trespasser strikes. One of the docs is an analysis that breaks down five years of data and makes some interesting conclusions, including about time, place and season of accidents and suicides on the rails. The other looks at medical examiners’ determinations in distinguishing between accidents and suicides.

At today’s hearing, officials from the FRA, several state and local governments, Norfolk Southern Railway, and rail safety nonprofit Operation Lifesaver will testify.

The Autobahn

— “How likely are you to actually get sick from being on a plane?” Washington Post.

— “Over 3,500 people quarantined on Diamond Princess cruise after guest tests positive for coronavirus.” USA Today.

— “Another day, another record: Tesla shares march toward $1,000.” Reuters.

— “Mumbai police play a trick on honking drivers.” New York Times.

— “Red-light camera ban on the move in Florida House.” POLITICO Pro Florida.

A message from Freight Rail Works: This week is Rail Safety Week, but for America’s freight railroads, continuous safety improvement is a 24/7 priority. Partnerships with organizations like Operation Lifesaver and Waze are driving meaningful progress on grade crossing safety in communities across America. Learn more about rail’s outside-the-box approach to achieving an accident-free future.

The Countdown

DOT appropriations run out in 238 days. The FAA reauthorization expires in 1,333 days. Highway and transit policy is up for renewal in 238 days.

Follow us on Twitter Kathryn Wolfe @kathrynwolfe



Sam Mintz @samjmintz



Stephanie Beasley @steph_beasley



Brianna Gurciullo @brigurciullo



Tanya Snyder @tsnyderdc