Gearing up for NTSB's marathon Reagan National crash hearing

Politico

28-07-2025

Presented by The Association of American Railroads
QUICK FIX
— Federal accident investigators will hold a three-day hearing this week to examine January's regional jet-Black Hawk disaster. We break down the unanswered questions.
— DOT this spring was planning to carry out major layoffs at a slew of its subagencies, including the FHWA, FRA and NHTSA — but not at the FAA, a court filing shows.
— Senate appropriators want to bar DOT from using their spending bill to close field offices across the U.S.
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 [e-mail], Chris at [e-mail], Oriana at [e-mail] and Pavan at [e-mail], and follow us at @SamOgozalek, @ChrisMarquette_, @Oriana0214 and @pavanmacharya.
'Parked beside the ocean/ On our moonlight drive.'
Editor's Note: 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.
Driving the day
SEARCHING FOR CLUES: Since January's midair catastrophe in Washington, questions have mounted over how things went so terribly wrong above the Potomac River, where a collision killed 67 people. The general contours of what went awry have been evident for some time — but more details could be added when the NTSB meets this week for a three-day public investigative hearing on the accident. (No probable cause will be determined — yet.).
WHAT'S UNANSWERED?: Though it's clear that at least one of the aircraft was in the wrong place at the wrong time, other specifics about just what happened remain vague. Oriana, who will be at the hearing with Pavan, put together a list of some of the biggest outstanding questions on her radar:
— Was an advanced transmitting technology that gives air traffic controllers insight into an aircraft's speed and location indeed turned off by the crew piloting the Black Hawk, or was the device just not operational? (Investigators so far have only said it wasn't on.)
— Recovered cockpit recording data from the helicopter has indicated that some of the radio transmission from controllers at Reagan National to the crew had been cut off or interrupted somehow, suggesting that the Black Hawk may not have heard certain directions in-flight. How could that happen?
— There have also been discrepancies related to the reported final altitude of the Black Hawk before it collided with the jet. Have investigators confirmed just how high it was flying?
— We'll also be listening for any more details about the way the Army conducts its helicopter operations in the region — including how many flights are done around the airport, how the necessity of those is determined and anything the military is doing to mitigate related problems.
At the Agencies
SOME DETAILS DISCLOSED: DOT this spring took initial steps to conduct reductions in force, or RIFs, at the FHWA, FRA, NHTSA, FTA, FMCSA, MARAD, PHMSA and Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp., as well as the secretary's office, according to a court filing that your MT host found. (The FAA is not on the list, which maybe isn't surprising given the intense scrutiny of the aviation regulator since the Reagan National crash.)
— The department submitted two requests in April to the Office of Personnel Management, both of which OPM approved later that same month, to get the office's sign-off on various procedural moves for carrying out RIFs, according to data attached to a declaration from Noah Peters, senior adviser to OPM Director Scott Kupor.
— The court papers were filed as part of an ongoing lawsuit brought by unions against the Trump administration over its RIF effort. The case previously resulted in a weekslong pause of any mass layoffs, but the Supreme Court lifted that block earlier this month, allowing the RIFs to move forward. Peters noted that some agencies 'may have decided not to proceed with RIFs.' At this point, it's unclear what DOT plans to do when it comes to any mass layoffs. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has told reporters that the department is doing an 'ongoing assessment' of potential cuts, but added that 'we feel good' about current staffing levels. DOT didn't respond to questions Friday.
APPROPRIATIONS
DOGE-PROOFING?: Your MT host on Friday continued to dig through the Senate Appropriations Committee's fiscal 2026 spending bill, S. 2465, which the panel advanced last week in a 27-1 vote. He noticed this interesting tidbit:
— The legislation includes language that would prohibit DOT from using the appropriations to open, close, redesignate as a lesser office or reorganize a regional, division or field office, unless it's required under the bill, the accompanying committee report about the legislation or part of the GOP's recent reconciliation package concerning air traffic control upgrades and consolidation. It further directs DOT to maintain its field offices as of late September of last year with 'sufficient staff to carry out all statutorily authorized activities.' (There's a similar caveat for this provision, too, related to the text of the spending bill and Republicans' megalaw.)
WHAT PROMPTED THIS?: It wasn't immediately clear, but your MT host reported in May that DOGE's cost-cutting squad claimed to have ended more than two dozen DOT real estate leases for everyone from federal highway officials to trucking regulators across the U.S., creating upheaval and uncertainty. Chris later that month scooped that so many FHWA employees had opted into the Trump administration's so-called deferred resignation program that some of its state-level offices could no longer be viable, according to three people who work closely with such locations.
Trade
AGREEMENT ANNOUNCED: The U.S. and European Union struck a trade deal Sunday that includes a 15 percent baseline tariff on imports from the bloc — a rate that will apply to cars, Koen Verhelst and Myah Ward report. (Trump had previously threatened duties of 30 percent on the EU, and he imposed ones of 25 percent on foreign vehicle manufacturers in early April.)
A WIN FOR AEROSPACE: Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, told reporters there will be no tariffs applied to aircraft and plane parts by both the U.S. and EU under the agreement. Airlines for America in a statement said this will 'grow jobs, strengthen our economic security and provide a framework for U.S. leadership in manufacturing and safety.'
On The Hill
SLEEPY SUMMERTIME, ALMOST: While the NTSB hearing will be full-steam ahead down in L'Enfant Plaza, things will be winding down on Capitol Hill this week as senators prepare to join their House counterparts on recess. The upper chamber's DOT spending bill isn't being teed up for floor action, which leaves just one event on the agenda related to transportation issues:
— Wednesday: The Senate Commerce Committee will host a markup for six of President Donald Trump's nominees for high-ranking DOT roles: Jonathan Morrison for NHTSA administrator; Derek Barrs for FMCSA administrator; Paul Roberti for PHMSA administrator; Seval Oz for assistant secretary for research and technology; Michael Rutherford for assistant secretary for multimodal freight infrastructure and policy; and Gregory Zerzan for general counsel.
Rail
INTERESTING ...: Your MT host recently caught up with Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) to ask about the Trump administration's move to ax around $4 billion in federal grant funds previously awarded to California's high-speed rail project. Schiff said he had spoken with Duffy before the FRA's recent decision, urging him to 'give [the initiative] an objective review, which he promised he would do. And that was the last I heard from him on the subject.'
— This occurred months ago, Schiff said. He added that he thinks the pair talked over the phone. As MT readers will know, California has filed a federal lawsuit against the FRA over the issue.
Transit
ICYMI: DOT said Friday that recipients of FTA's Low or No Emission Grant Program, which is used for the purchase or lease of clean energy-powered buses, can submit a written request to the transit agency to change their projects from using 'no emissions' to 'low emissions' technology.
Shifting Gears
— The Alliance for Automotive Innovation has joined the Modern Analytics for Roadway Safety Coalition.
The Autobahn
— '2 Crew Members Are Hurt as Southwest Plane Plunges Abruptly After Takeoff.' New York Times.
— 'Boeing Emerges as a Winner in Trump's Trade Wars.' New York Times.
— 'Passengers evacuated from plane onto Denver runway after landing gear issue sparked fire and left 1 injured.' CNN.
— 'Tim Lilley spent his life flying. Then his son died in a plane crash.' Washington Post.
— 'Does D.C. have the worst traffic? Not so fast.' Washington Post.
— 'Airlines Are Having a Bruising Year. Delta and United Are Doing Better.' Wall Street Journal.
— 'Volkswagen Teases Made-in-America Audis, Porsches After $1.5 Billion Tariff Hit.' Wall Street Journal.
— 'French authorities investigate if Jewish passengers were removed from flight due to religion.' AP.
— 'Kia Reshapes US Sales Strategy, Cuts Incentives Over Tariffs.' Bloomberg.
— 'US closes probe into Waymo self-driving collisions, unexpected behavior.' Reuters.
— 'South Korea air crash: Inside the final minutes of Jeju Air flight.' Reuters.
— 'Regulator: Tesla cannot offer autonomous California rides.' POLITICO Pro.
On The Calendar
— Nothing on our radar!
Know of an event we should have on our calendar? Let MT know at [e-mail].