Obama Administration DOT to Continue Issuing Regulations

The Obama Administration’s Department of Transportation (DOT) is expected to continue issuing regulations until President-Elect Donald Trump takes office in January. Over the final two months of the Administration, DOT is expected to issue regulations banning cellphone calls on flights and requiring freight trains to use two crew members. Additionally, DOT is expected to issue guidance on vehicle-to-infrastructure technologies, a proposed rule on vehicle-to-vehicle communications, and a proposed rule on operating unmanned aircraft systems (drones) over crowds.

While President-Elect Trump has indicated he will immediately begin undoing regulations and reversing President Obama’s executive actions, it is unclear whether the incoming Trump Administration will prioritize looking at DOT regulations and transportation-related executive actions.

Potential DOT Secretaries in a Trump Administration

The President-Elect Donald Trump’s transition team is currently evaluating potential picks for DOT Secretary. Individuals that have been discussed as candidates include: Representative John Mica (R-FL), a current member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee who lost his reelection campaign this year; James Simpson, a former commissioner of New Jersey’s Department of Transportation and a former head of the Federal Transit Administration; and Mark Rosenker, a former National Transportation Safety Board Chairman; Greg Hughes, the speaker for Utah’s house of representatives; and former Representative Harold Ford Jr. (D-TN), a potential democratic cabinet pick.

This Week’s Hearings:

• On Friday, December 2, the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Transportation and Public Assets will hold a hearing titled “A Safe Track?: Oversight of WMATA’s Safety and Maintenance.” The witnesses will be announced.