Reconciliation still up in the air
— Senate Republicans are moving ahead with a budget blueprint for their two-bill reconciliation strategy, while the House GOP is struggling to find consensus.
— Rep. Troy Nehls, chair of the House Transportation Committee's aviation panel, is focused on the nation's air traffic controller shortage, and plans to visit the training academy in Oklahoma City.
— The NTSB's chair appeared open to Elon Musk digging into an FAA system that sends safety alerts to pilots, saying anyone with 'great ideas' is welcome.
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.
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Driving the Week
THE PRESSURE'S ON: The Senate Budget Committee plans to meet this week to debate and vote on a budget resolution that would unlock a two-bill reconciliation strategy to advance President Donald Trump's domestic agenda, putting the upper chamber on a separate, faster track compared to the House GOP, which is still trying to find consensus on a one-bill blueprint, Jordain Carney reports. The Senate version, from Budget Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), would authorize $85.5 billion in spending per year, with corresponding cuts fully offsetting that amount.
— House Speaker Mike Johnson, meanwhile, told reporters Friday that Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) 'seemed to be trying to set up some sort of a government shutdown.' (The funding deadline is March 14, and anxiety is growing on Capitol Hill.) But the Republican chair of the House Appropriations Committee batted down Johnson's assertion. 'That's not true, he doesn't know that,' Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said. 'I mean, we heard [from Democrats] yesterday.' Meredith Lee Hill, Katherine Tully-McManus and Nicholas Wu have the details.
Aviation
NEHLS EYES STAFFING ISSUES: Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas), the new chair of the House Transportation Committee's aviation panel, in a Friday interview with Sam suggested that addressing the nation's persistent air traffic controller staffing shortage will be a top priority for his panel this year. He also said he plans to visit the FAA's Oklahoma City training academy soon, but is unsure of exactly when.
— He said it will be important to 'get a better understanding and see what type of capabilities they have. Are these classes being filled, I mean, are they 100 percent every seat occupied? If not, I'd like to know why. Is it because they're not receiving qualified candidates?'
— Nehls added that he wants to hold a subcommittee hearing on the fatal midair collision between a PSA Airlines jet and Army Black Hawk helicopter above the Potomac River. But he said that probably won't happen before the NTSB releases its preliminary report about the disaster, which is anticipated sometime closer to the end of February.
WRECKAGE REMOVED: All major pieces of the plane and helicopter have been recovered, the NTSB said Saturday. Investigators will be looking for markings that can provide clues about the angle of collision. An earlier NOAA lidar survey identified what may be additional debris in the Potomac, and divers will be examining those areas.
ANOTHER CRASH: Authorities in Alaska said Saturday that the bodies of nine passengers and a pilot had been recovered from the wreckage of a small regional jet that had gone missing Thursday. The Cessna 208B, a Bering Air flight, disappeared while flying from Unalakleet to Nome, which is in western Alaska, according to the FAA. The plane was located Friday on sea ice about 34 miles southeast of Nome. The victims are being transported to Anchorage for autopsies, state troopers said. The NTSB is investigating the incident, and Chair Jennifer Homendy visited the state over the weekend.
DOGE WATCH
INTERESTING...: Talking to reporters late last week, Homendy dinged the FAA's primary safety alert system for pilots, known as NOTAM, saying it is 'antiquated.' (As MT readers will know, the FAA has grappled with multiple outages over the years.) Homendy continued: 'If Elon Musk or anyone else can provide great ideas, I mean, they are certainly on the cutting edge of technology, then I think that's great.'
— Katie Miller, a DOGE official who was previously communications director for then-Vice President Mike Pence, has not responded to requests for clarification on what the cost-cutting squad is going to do with air traffic control. (Musk said Wednesday that DOGE aims to make 'rapid safety upgrades.')
Ethics
BIDDING FAREWELL: If confirmed by the Senate, Steven Bradbury, Trump's pick to be deputy DOT secretary, will resign from the Heritage Foundation, where he is a distinguished fellow, according to his ethics agreement and financial disclosure, which were published Saturday. (Bradbury reported $259,716 in recent income from the conservative organization.)
— In the year after he resigns, Bradbury pledges to not 'personally' and 'substantially' participate in any matter in which Heritage is a party, or represents a party, unless he first gets written authorization to do so by a government official. (As MT readers will know, Bradbury is a longtime lawyer who helped craft Project 2025.)
At the Agencies
ALL ABOARD: DOT announced more political appointees Friday. They are: Anne Byrd, senior adviser in the Office of the Secretary; Daniel Abrahamson, senior adviser in the Office of the Secretary; John Grant Burdette, special assistant in the Office of the Public Liaison; Kyle Garrett, special assistant in the Office of Research and Technology; Hannah Matesic, deputy assistant secretary for congressional affairs (House) in the Office of Governmental Affairs; Keith Coyle, chief counsel at PHMSA; Sofia Dudkovsky, special assistant at NHTSA; Sean Rushton, director of communications at NHTSA; Melissa Mejias, director of governmental and legislative affairs at the FTA; Matthew Schuck, director of communications and senior governmental affairs officer at the FMCSA; and John Schultz, special assistant at the FRA.
Highways
FIRST BIG TRIP: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is scheduled to visit North Carolina and Tennessee this morning to survey the damage that Hurricane Helene caused to Interstate 40. He will get an update on recovery and rebuilding efforts.
TALKIN' SAFETY: T&I's highways and transit subcommittee is holding a hearing Wednesday about DOT programs that aim to bolster roadway safety. It's set for 10 a.m. in Rayburn 2167.
— The witnesses are: James Willox, a Converse County commissioner in Wyoming, on behalf of the National Association of Counties; Michael Hanson, director of the Office of Traffic Safety at the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, on behalf of the Governors Highway Safety Association; Haley Norman, co-owner of Direct Traffic Control Inc., on behalf of the American Traffic Safety Services Association; and Cathy Chase, president of the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.
Electric Vehicles
NOT HAPPY: Genevieve Cullen, president of the Electric Drive Transportation Association, whose members include automakers such as Ford and General Motors, as well as other companies in the electric vehicle industry, in a Friday statement urged the Trump administration to resume the $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, or NEVI, which federal highway officials suspended last week. Such a move would minimize 'uncertainty' for states and businesses, Cullen said.
Maritime
WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS? Imports at major U.S. container ports are projected to remain high as retailers continue to bring in cargo as Trump's various tariffs loom — those threatened or already in force (i.e. duties against China), according to a Friday report from the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates, a consulting and research firm focused on maritime issues. Further details can be found here.
The Autobahn
— 'Amtrak agrees to pay $505 million for control of Union Station.' The Washington Post.
— 'How Airline Employees Are Coping After Deadly Washington Crash.' The Wall Street Journal.
— 'The slash-and-burn tactics Musk brings to Washington often backfired at Twitter.' AP.
— 'Passengers Restrain Man Who Bashed a Window on a Flight.' The New York Times.
— 'Boeing warns moon rocket program employees of layoffs.' Reuters.
— 'Leaders squabble, appropriators stoic as shutdown deadline approaches.' POLITICO.
— 'As Trump steamrolls Washington, courts flex their power to slow him down.' POLITICO.
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