‘Commercial'? Or not?
With help from Chris Marquette
QUICK FIX
— Bryan Bedford, the FAA administrator nominee, doesn't hold a license to fly aircraft commercially, records show — but his official biography long said he was 'rated' to do so.
— Urgent checks of Boeing Dreamliners in India have begun, and authorities recovered a black box from the passenger jet that crashed in the country last week, killing more than 200 people.
— The Senate Finance Committee is expected to drop some of its reconciliation text today. Will it address proposed electric vehicle and hybrid fees?
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.
'I was ridin' shotgun with my hair undone/ In the front seat of his car/ He's got a one-hand feel on the steering wheel/ The other on my heart.'
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Driving the day
QUESTIONS RAISED: President Donald Trump's nominee to head the FAA, Bryan Bedford, long described himself in his official biography as being 'rated' to fly aircraft commercially — but records examined by POLITICO show that he does not hold any commercial license. One of two of his biography pages at Republic Airways, the regional airline where he has been CEO since 1999, said until Thursday that he 'holds commercial, multi-engine and instrument ratings.' (By Friday, after POLITICO's inquiries, the word 'commercial' had been removed. The other reference was removed sometime in the last six months.) Oriana has the story.
— Questions about Bedford's credentials do not appear to threaten his prospects for heading the FAA. He didn't respond to multiple attempts by POLITICO to get his comment, nor did Republic. The White House referred questions to DOT. The department in a statement defended Bedford, saying that 'Bryan never misrepresented his credential; it was an administrative error that was immediately corrected.'
Aviation
SCRUTINY RAMPS UP: Urgent checks of Boeing 787 Dreamliners are underway in India, and investigators have recovered a black box from the wreckage of the London-bound Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff Thursday in the city of Ahmedabad, killing all but one of the 242 people aboard as well as others on the ground. (It was the first fatal incident for the Dreamliner, and the cause remains unknown.)
FALLOUT CONTINUES: We reported last week that Boeing whistleblower Sam Salehpour's attorneys are urging the FAA to release what they say are agency findings that support many of Salehpour's prior allegations of serious quality issues with the company's 787 and 777 planes. On Friday, his lawyers also sent letters to the top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Homeland Security Committee's investigations panel — pushing them to enter the fray.
— 'We ask that the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations call on the FAA to release the [investigative report] without further delay,' they wrote to Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who chairs the panel, and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), the ranking member. They sent a similar letter to Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), too. (At a hearing last year, Hawley torched Boeing's then-CEO, David Calhoun, as lawmakers probed various issues at the plane-maker.)
On The Hill
THE WAITING GAME: Reconciliation text from the Senate Finance Committee is anticipated today, though several blanks in the language are expected — likely for thorny issues such as Medicaid provisions, Meredith Lee Hill, Jordain Carney and Benjamin Guggenheim report. One looming question: How will the panel address, if at all, the House's proposed $250 and $100 annual fees on electric and hybrid vehicles, respectively? Both the Senate Commerce and Environment and Public Works Committees didn't tackle that issue, leaving Finance as the predicted landing spot.
KEEP 'EM: The Electric Drive Transportation Association is urging Senate Majority Leader John Thune and other key Republicans to 'provide a reasonable transition period,' as opposed to an 'abrupt termination,' for various tax credits the GOP is targeting, such as the consumer EV one known as 30D.
— The group also opposes the EV and hybrid fees idea.
Ethics
DIGGING THROUGH ASSETS: The Office of Government Ethics released Trump's annual financial disclosure Friday, and your MT host took a look. Some notable tidbits:
— The president reported two investment accounts with Tesla stock valued at up to $300,000. (These accounts were in a section of his report where officials are supposed to log certain assets and investment income for themselves as well as any spouse and dependent children, according to OGE.)
— In the same accounts, he noted Boeing stock valued at up to $80,000.
Automobiles
GO FASTER: NHTSA is trying to speed up the process for applying for an exemption to federal motor vehicle safety standards that require car designs to have human-interfaceable parts, such as steering wheels and brakes, DOT Secretary Sean Duffy announced Friday. The driverless car industry applauded the move. Chris has the details.
— 'The [process] has been rightly criticized for taking years — bogging developers down in unnecessary red tape that makes it impossible to keep pace with the latest technologies,' Duffy said in a statement.
THE SPECIFICS: In a public letter Friday, NHTSA's chief counsel, Peter Simshauser, said the agency is going to update its application instructions to try to help ensure that firms submit all of the materials up front, minimizing the need for the agency to request additional information. (Prior reviews have tended to involve 'extensive follow-up with applicants.') NHTSA added that it's 'adopting a more dynamic and flexible approach' to both evaluating and overseeing exemptions. The agency said further details will be released sometime in the future, and it anticipates that the changes will mean it reaches decisions on most requests 'within months rather than years.'
DOGE WATCH
A DIP IN POPULARITY: Elon Musk's time as a temporary government employee was controversial, to say the least, but he enjoyed strong backing from Republicans as DOGE cut through federal agencies. He's now lost some of that support, though, a new poll from the AP and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found. (In early June, Musk and Trump's relationship seemingly imploded in a social media spat, though the dispute recently cooled off. The survey of 1,158 adults was conducted around the same time.) Here are some key findings:
— Musk's 'very favorable' rating among Republicans dipped to 26 percent from 38 percent in April — and those with a 'somewhat favorable' opinion of the billionaire increased from 29 percent to 38 percent, while 'somewhat unfavorable' ticked up from 15 percent to 18 percent.
The Caboose
SOME LEVITY: The House is enjoying recess this week, the Senate is in town for only a few days ... but things are still busy in D.C. as Republicans work through the upper chamber's version of the reconciliation package. We thought we'd kick Monday off with a bit of fun — trivia!
— Earlier this year, your MT host sat down with Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), a former car dealership owner, for an interview. We asked Moreno, who was elected in 2024 and sits on the Senate Commerce Committee, what his favorite mode of transportation is. What do you think he said? Here are three options. One is his actual response and the others are made-up. We'll provide the answer tomorrow morning:
— The Funny Bus in Cleveland.
— Any car that has a 'shit ton of horsepower.'
— A high-speed powerboat.
A FEW TIDBITS: Moreno also told us he doesn't plan to be in Congress for 'more than a term or two.' Boosting the U.S. auto industry, he added, is his top priority. And he bemoaned high car prices and dinged the Inflation Reduction Act.
Transit
ANY CHANGE?: Notice a difference on your commute? Drop us a line if you do. WMATA rolled out automatic train operation technology on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines this past weekend. (It was previously deployed on the Red Line.)
The Autobahn
— 'Air India Was Struggling Long Before 787 Crash.' Wall Street Journal.
— 'How the Man in Seat 11A Became a Plane Crash's Sole Survivor.' New York Times.
— 'Is There a Safest Seat in a Plane Crash? We Asked Experts.' New York Times.
— 'New Fees on Floating Garages Are Trump's Latest Effort to Revive U.S. Shipbuilding.' New York Times.
— 'Boeing CEO cancels air show appearance visit after India crash.' Reuters.
— 'May imports drop 9% at busiest US seaport on 145% China tariffs.' Reuters.
— 'Boeing Sees Need For 44,000 New Jets; Cautions on Slow Output.' Bloomberg.
— 'Delta, United Suspend Flights to Tel Aviv After Iran Bombing.' Bloomberg.
— 'China Boosts Tesla Self-Driving Plan With Car-Data Export Rules.' Bloomberg.
— 'EPA aims to boost biofuel volumes in transportation fuel.' E&E News.
— 'Port of LA warns that tariffs are still disrupting global trade.' POLITICO Pro.
On The Calendar
— Nothing on our radar!
Know of an event we should have on our calendar? Let MT know at transpocalendar@politicopro.com.
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