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Morning Transportation

A daily speed read on transportation and infrastructure

Trump vows 'some money for transportation'

SHOW ME THE MONEY: President Donald Trump told Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) on Thursday that he should expect some transportation cash — though when, exactly, is an open question. “That’s right, I’m going to give you some money for transportation,” Trump said at a White House meeting with House members who supported him early in his presidential campaign. The response was prompted by Shuster pointing out that he’s the chairman of the Transportation Committee. As our Kathryn A. Wolfe reported for Pros, Trump didn’t specify how much money he plans to give, where that money will come from or how it’ll be spent.

The more you (already) know: Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Pa.) also attended the White House confab, which he described as mostly a way for Trump to thank some of his earliest and staunchest supporters on the Hill. While infrastructure did come up, he said, it was clear that other priorities are ahead of that issue in the policy line. “I have been a big supporter of his plan with infrastructure, but you know I understand they want to do tax reform first, and the Affordable Care Act, obviously,” he said.

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Womp: Some Democrats are starting to feel bummed about the lack of movement on an infrastructure proposal. “It’s painful for someone like me who was excited about infrastructure and tax reform,” Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) told The New York Times. “It seems like the administration and the majority are nowhere.”

HAPPY FRIDAY: Thanks for tuning in to POLITICO’s Morning Transportation, your daily tipsheet on all things trains, planes, automobiles and ports. Please send your tips, feedback and favorite transportation-related song lyrics to bgurciullo@politico.com or @brigurciullo.

“I drive on her streets 'cause she's my companion. I walk through her hills 'cause she knows who I am.”

Want to keep up with MT’s song picks? Follow our Spotify playlist.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Due to the Presidents Day recess, Morning Transportation will not publish on Monday, Feb. 20. The next MT will publish on Tuesday, Feb. 21.

REMINDER: Trump is heading to North Charleston, S.C. today for the Boeing 787-10 unveiling. “This visit will give the president an opportunity to celebrate a huge milestone for thousands of workers at Boeing, America’s No. 1 exporter, and the millions of American workers involved in aerospace,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters earlier this week. “This trip has been months in the making. And we’re thrilled to celebrate the rollout of this amazing plane.”

COULD P3s SAVE THE NATION’S AIRPORTS? Debra Bruno writes for POLITICO Magazine’s “What Works” series: “Dozens of countries, including Canada, Australia and much of Western Europe, have long leaned on private investment to create some of the most well-regarded airports in the world. Meanwhile, America’s increasingly shabby facilities have drawn nothing but scorn from politicians such as Donald Trump. … That’s beginning to change as cash-strapped cities avail themselves of private capital to make overdue improvements. Around the U.S., a number of public-private partnerships (PPPs, as they’re known) are underway at airports.”

Pros and cons: “Critics of public-private partnerships say that only low-risk, lucrative projects will fly. Many PPPs recoup some of the private investment through various consumer surcharges, which would work fine at most airports, but good luck trying to convince residents of Flint, Mich, they should pay a fee for the water that poisoned them. … Proponents say that they can speed up what can be a cumbersome process, accelerating public works projects and bringing a sense of competitive capitalism — and accountability — to projects that could use them.”

** A message from BPC’s Executive Council on Infrastructure: Our council and partners—NGA, SIFMA, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, North America’s Building Trades Unions, NAM, Business Roundtable, and others—all agree. Fixing America’s infrastructure is a national priority. As business and industry leaders, we follow shared principles: http://infrastructurecouncil.org/coalition **

READY, SET, GO: Members of the D.C., Maryland and Virginia delegations introduced a bicameral resolution Thursday to establish a Metrorail Safety Commission compliant with FTA regulatory requirements. The lawmakers say the resolution is the “final piece” to creating the state safety oversight agency, after the state legislatures of Maryland and Virginia approve identical legislation (the D.C. Council already has). MT alum Martine Powers has the story here.

Some clarity: The congressional role in getting the commission stood up was not previously made clear. “Congressional consent is a condition agreed upon among the jurisdictions,” an FTA spokeswoman told MT.

GIVING THE DMV A NUDGE: Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.) introduced an expected bill Thursday on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. The bill would give WMATA an extra $75 million in federal funding every year and require D.C., Maryland and Virginia to each give an additional $25 million to the agency in annual funding — building on the $150 million Congress is currently authorized to provide Metro through fiscal 2019 (that’s also matched by the three jurisdictions).

Plus: The legislation would also require that the big three overhaul the agency’s board and that the board ensures proposed changes to WMATA’s collective bargaining agreement meet certain criteria. Congress would take back its approval of the agency’s compact if D.C., Maryland and Virginia haven’t taken those actions within a year and a half of the bill being enacted.

SECONDARY BARRIERS BACK ON THE AGENDA: A bipartisan group of lawmakers reintroduced a bill to make secondary cockpit barriers a required piece of equipment in commercial planes. Reps. André Carson, Brian Fitzpatrick, Josh Gottheimer and Peter King introduced this week the Saracini Aviation Safety Act (H.R. 911), named after a pilot, Victor Saracini, who was killed during the Sept. 11 hijackings. The legislation would require “light weight wire-mesh gates to be installed between the passenger cabin and the cockpit door that would block access to the flight deck whenever the cockpit door is opened during flight for pilots’ meals, restroom use, and other reasons.” Pilot unions hope the next FAA bill will have a secondary barrier mandate.

LOBBYING UPDATE: From our friends at POLITICO Influence: “Ballard Partners, the Trump-connected firm that added 10 new clients earlier this week, has signed four more,” including American Airlines.

Vroom, vroom: General Motors has retained Hayden Rogers and Jed Bhuta of the Majority Group to lobby on automotive issues. Rogers used to be chief of staff for Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). Bhuta was recently GM’s director of federal affairs. Meanwhile, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers hired five Akin Gump lobbyists to advocate for the group on “reasonable fuel efficiency and auto safety standards.” The team includes Hunter Bates, former chief of staff to Sen. Mitch McConnell; Ed Pagano, former Senate liaison and deputy assistant to the president for legislative affairs; and Ryan Thompson, former chief of staff to Sen. Jim Inhofe.

SHIFTING GEARS: Sean Joyce is heading to Heather Podesta + Partners after working for Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) as chief of staff. Joyce was previously a staffer for Rep. Bill Shuster.

In the airline world: Charu Jain of IBM Global Business Services was picked to serve as vice president and chief information officer at Alaska Airlines. And Chris Berry was promoted to vice president of finance and controller for Alaska Airlines and Alaska Air Group.

THE AUTOBAHN:

— Former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe fined $90,000 for illegally lobbying Mayor Rahm Emanuel on behalf of Uber. The Chicago Tribune.

— "Trump says he will unveil overhauled immigration order next week." Reuters.

— "Hanjin Shipping is declared bankrupt." The Wall Street Journal.

— “Judge again finds probable cause to investigate Christie on Bridgegate.” POLITICO New Jersey.

— "Remember airplane food? It's back on long Delta flights." The Associated Press.

— “Longshore union, employers seek early pact at U.S. East Coast ports.” The Wall Street Journal.

THE COUNTDOWN: DOT appropriations run out in 70 days. The FAA reauthorization expires in 225 days. Highway and transit policy is up for renewal in 1,322 days.

** A message from BPC’s Executive Council on Infrastructure: Infrastructure is vital to future economic prosperity, and the health and safety of every community. Our council and partners want Congress and the administration to know:
1. Infrastructure—including transportation, energy, water and wastewater, and broadband—must be a national priority.
2. Robust, reliable, long-term federal funding is essential.
3. The U.S. should unleash the resources of the private sector as partners in addressing our infrastructure needs.
4. The U.S. should adopt policies to deliver modern infrastructure more quickly and at less cost.
By following these principles, Congress and the new administration can built bipartisan support to address our critical infrastructure needs: http://infrastructurecouncil.org/coalition **