Government

About Government News...

Transport Topics government and regulatory coverage keeps managers of a highly-regulated industry aware of the policy decisions that can shape their businesses. Covering both the legislative and regulatory aspects of policy-making, at both the state and national levels, the news in this category includes looks at infrastructure, hours of service, emissions rules, funding measures, leadership appointments, and more. Readers can follow what’s happening in Congress, at the Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Administration, and in state and local governments.

Government

Trump ‘Self-Help’ Infrastructure Plan Irks State, Local Leaders

Mayors and state lawmakers from both parties are blasting President Donald Trump’s proposed transportation budget and $1 trillion infrastructure initiative, saying his plans would cut federal funding for critical projects and leave them holding the bill.

Mark Niquette | Bloomberg News
June 1, 2017
Government

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker Says He's Open to Tolling

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signaled on May 30 that he’s open to charging tolls on Wisconsin’s interstates, but with a key condition: linking it to a reduction in the state’s 30.9-cents-per-gallon gasoline tax.

Mark Sommerhauser | The Wisconsin State Journal
May 31, 2017
Government

212 House Members Call for Fix to Highway Trust Fund

In less than two weeks, three dozen House lawmakers have signed a letter urging tax policy authorizers to guarantee the sustainability of the Highway Trust Fund, bringing the total of signatories to 212, according to the office of Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.).

Eugene Mulero | Senior Reporter
May 31, 2017
Government

VIDEO: The Impact of Trump Administration Policies on the Trucking Industry

Trucking regulations and the Trump administration’s infrastructure funding plan were among the topics Transport Topics congressional correspondent Eugene Mulero discussed on C-SPAN.

May 31, 2017
Government

Analysis: The US Has Forgotten How to Do Infrastructure

The nation once built things fast and cheaply. Now experts are puzzled why costs are higher and projects take longer than in other countries.

Noah Smith | Bloomberg News
May 31, 2017
Government

Trucking Industry Disputes Revenue Projections for Rhode Island’s Truck-Only Tolling

Rhode Island House Republican minority leader Patricia Morgan and trucking industry leaders are disputing state Department of Transportation revenue projections for the truck-only tolling RhodeWorks program slated to be in place in 2018.

Eric Miller | Senior Reporter
May 31, 2017
Government

Idaho Receives Federal Emergency Funds to Fix Flood-Damaged Roads

Idaho transportation officials will receive $1.25 million from the Federal Highway Administration to assist in the repair of roads and bridges damaged by recent floods, the federal transportation agency announced this month.

May 30, 2017
Government, Business

Consumer Confidence Eases on Economic, Jobs Expectations

Americans this month became less upbeat about the outlook for jobs and business after sentiment reached a 16-year high two months ago in anticipation that Washington lawmakers would help recharge the economy, according to data from the New York-based Conference Board released May 30.

Michelle Jamrisko | Bloomberg News
May 30, 2017
Government

Trudeau Treads Carefully With Trump as NAFTA Clock Ticks

Justin Trudeau really didn’t want to talk about Donald Trump. After three days together at a pair of meetings in Europe, the Canadian prime minister spent a press conference bobbing, weaving and ducking questions from reporters about his U.S. counterpart.

Josh Wingrove | Bloomberg News
May 30, 2017
Government

Rail Shippers Group Backs Two for STB, Pushes For Reciprocal Switching

A group of two dozen industrial shippers wrote to President Donald Trump to suggest that he should appoint Patrick Fuchs to the Surface Transportation Board and remove the “acting” title for Chairwoman Ann Begeman.

May 30, 2017