The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on March 7, 2024, announced a proposed rule that would discontinue its longstanding Buy America waiver for manufactured products used in FHWA-funded...more
The Cozen Lens- • The fight over the House speakership reveals how the combination of House Republicans’ narrow majority and fractious conference prevents them from accomplishing much for the remainder of 2023. • The...more
With Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, Congress and President Biden’s new administration are working to quickly advance proposals to provide for economic relief as the nation continues to reel from the...more
President-Elect Joe Biden's selection of Pete Buttigieg, a 2020 presidential candidate and the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, to be the next Secretary of Transportation has drawn positive responses from sustainable...more
With partisanship at a fever pitch, one area of agreement between both parties on Capitol Hill and with President Trump has been the need to address the increasingly fragile state of the nation’s infrastructure. However, as...more
With the 2018 midterm elections meaning Washington will return to divided government next year, leaders in both parties will be looking to position themselves for the 2020 election, which is not as far away as it may seem. In...more
A draft infrastructure bill, which aims to address the state of America’s infrastructure and remove some of the major federal roadblocks to funding, was introduced this week by U.S. House of Representatives Transportation &...more
On February 12, 2018, the Trump administration released its long-awaited infrastructure plan, titled “A Legislative Outline for Rebuilding Infrastructure in America” (the Plan). In 50-plus pages, the Plan sets forth a...more
President Donald Trump on February 12, 2018, submitted his budget request to Congress for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019. The President's full budget calls for approximately $4.4 trillion in total spending. Much of the budget seeks...more
As a follow-up to our July post on New Jersey state budget problems threatening public construction projects, the political fight over funding New Jersey’s Transportation Trust Fund (“TTF”) finally ended on September 30,...more
Since 1970, the federal Airport and Airway Trust Fund (referred to as the Aviation Trust Fund) has been an important source of finance for airport improvements. But the fund has dwindled thanks to a 2006 law, passed to quell...more
Emerging “smart” technologies are dominating discussions in the transportation world. At the recent Transportation Research Board conference in Washington, D.C., one definitely gets the sense that we are at a turning point...more
On December 1, a conference committee unveiled the FAST Act, which would authorize approximately $305 billion for highway, transit, rail and safety spending for the next five years, until September 30, 2020. The Act would...more
Two Week Highway Trust Fund Extension While Conference Takes Place - Congress agreed to extend the Highway Trust Fund by two weeks until Dec. 4 so that House and Senate conferees could meet to craft a final version of...more
On July 31, 2015, President Obama signed the Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015, temporarily extending the Highway Trust Fund to provide continued funding for federal transportation...more
House Leadership Elections: Republican House leadership changes remain in flux in the wake of Speaker John Boehner's (R-OH) decision to retire and the unexpected delay of the vote to select his successor. House Majority...more
There is no lack of excitement here in our nation’s capital with the recent visit of the Pope, the ongoing debate over government funding and, now, the resignation of Speaker John Boehner. However, we will have to wait and...more
I watched with interest when the Department of Transportation updated its Highway Trust Fund ticker and announced that the HTF funds would last until summer 2016 rather than run out in December, as had been anticipated. Sen....more
On July 31, 2015, President Obama signed the "Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015" (P.L. 114-41) (the "Act"). The Act primarily served to extend the Highway Trust Fund and various...more
While summer isn’t officially over until September 22, for most here in the nation’s capital the vacations are nearly completed and it is back to work as Congress returns from the long August recess and Labor Day holiday. ...more
On July 31, 2015, President Barack Obama signed the Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015 (H.R. 3236; Pub. Law No. 114-41) (the 2015 Act) into law. In addition to extending various...more
On July 31, 2015, President Obama signed P.L. 114-41, the Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015 (“Highway Act”), into law. Although the Highway Act is primarily for the purpose of...more
Energy and Climate Debate - Energy and climate issues have had a big week, with the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approving its bipartisan broad energy package and President Obama unveiling the final...more
The number of days until the U.S. House of Representatives returns from August recess. The Senate is in this week to tackle procedural motions for legislation related to cybersecurity and Planned Parenthood. The Senate is...more
Despite efforts by Congress to finally approve a long-term highway bill that would have secured funding for key infrastructure projects for the next several years, last week Congress managed only to kick the issue down the...more