President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House on Nov. 13. (Evan Vucci/Associated Press)
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WASHINGTON — While Republicans capped 2024 with a victory in the presidential contest, the Biden administration has wound down the year in a hurry to advance as many infrastructure and microchip projects as it can before handing the reins back to President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump’s victory at the ballot box in November punctuated a historic campaign that pitted the former president against the country’s first female vice president, Kamala Harris.
Trump’s overwhelming victory in the Electoral College — marked by wins in the seven battleground states — put him in the company of Grover Cleveland as being the only presidents to secure nonconsecutive terms in the White House. En route to re-election, Trump pledged to revisit key infrastructure funding programs meant to improve operations of the nation’s roadways and airports.
While Trump’s campaign platform was short on specifics for how to fix and upgrade infrastructure systems, the then-candidate promised to halt Biden-era electric vehicle programs and certain emissions regulations. The upcoming policy agenda Trump promised to lead also includes tax updates, labor force reform and domestic energy initiatives.
During a wide-ranging interview on “Meet the Press” on Dec. 8, Trump said he would halt regulations specific to the advancement of electric vehicle technology. As he put it, “We want people to buy electric cars. But you know what? They have to be able to — if they want gasoline-powered, if they want hybrids — they got to have that. So we’re going to be ending that. We’re going to be ending a lot of the environmental things that were ridiculous, that hurt our country very badly and didn’t do anything for the environment. So we’ll be doing, you know, standard things.”
During his first term, Trump’s efforts to gain momentum specific to infrastructure funding never took shape. That said, his return to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. was quickly welcomed by some of the nation’s biggest freight stakeholders. The trucking industry, prominent business community leaders, transportation groups and the construction sector welcomed the opportunity to work with the second Trump administration.
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U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Suzanne Clark said, “With the election behind us, it is time to focus on the important work of advancing an economic growth agenda that creates opportunities for businesses, families and individuals to achieve the American dream.”
She added, “We look forward to working with the Trump-Vance administration and Republicans and Democrats in Congress to preserve pro-growth tax policies, bring regulatory relief to business, harness the power of AI to drive American innovation and expand an all-of-the-above energy production policy.”
American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear said after the election, “We congratulate President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance on their victory and look forward to working with their transition team and new administration in the days and months ahead.”
ATA has raised concerns about a Labor Department rule outlining criteria for companies to follow that ultimately determine whether a worker’s classification meets the standard of an independent contractor or full-time employee. The rule is modeled after a similar California law known as AB 5.
For the top post at the Labor Department, the president-elect chose Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.). ATA is among groups expressing concerns about the Labor nominee given her prior support of certain programs. “We look forward to a thorough vetting and confirmation process for Lori Chavez-DeRemer, particularly on her past positions in Congress on the PRO Act and independent contractors,” said Spear. “These anti-trucking policies undermine our essential workforce, threaten the right of independent truckers to choose their own career path, and impede the efficiency of the supply chain. The 8.5 million men and women who work in our industry are the heartbeat of the nation, and we reserve our support for Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination until we receive greater clarity from her on these issues that are so vital to our workforce.”
These concerns echoed similar concerns ATA held about Julie Su, Biden’s nominee to lead the Labor Department. Su never secured congressional confirmation but nonetheless led the agency in an acting capacity.
At ATA’s 2024 Management Conference & Exhibition in October, Spear took aim at Su. “For nearly two years, [Su] continues to serve as President [Joe] Biden’s acting secretary of Labor, well after the U.S. Senate rejected her nomination — ill-suited to serve based on her unwillingness to explain her role in California’s AB 5 assault on independent contractors,” Spear said during his State of the Industry address.
To lead the U.S. Department of Transportation, Trump has selected former Rep. Sean Duffy, a Republican from Wisconsin. Duffy represented the Badger State’s 7th District in Congress for eight years. Before Congress, he was featured on late-1990s television show “The Real World: Boston.” A Fox Business personality, if confirmed he would succeed Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Duffy was cheered by most of Washington’s transportation intelligentsia and senior congressional policymakers.
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“I had a very productive meeting with former Rep. Sean Duffy and believe he is an excellent choice for secretary of transportation. During the meeting, we shared our mutual interest in working on projects across Mississippi like upgrading roads and bridges and finalizing Gulf Coast rail,” Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said Dec. 11. He is a senior member of the transportation committees. “Transportation and infrastructure projects are some of my top priorities, and I look forward to working with him through my position on the Senate Committee on Environments and Public Works to bring more investments to Mississippi.”
Of Duffy, ATA’s Spear in a statement said, “During his time in the House, Sean Duffy was focused on issues facing our industry and supported pro-trucking policies to strengthen the supply chain and our ability to keep the nation’s goods moving safely and efficiently. Roads and bridges are our shop floor. We know Duffy understands that and the opportunity now before us to improve our transportation network by reducing congestion, investing in truck parking, enhancing highway safety and supporting the development of innovative technologies. He is an exceptional choice to lead the Department of Transportation, and we congratulate him on his nomination and look forward to working with him in this role.”
Following the elections, Republicans secured the majorities in the House and Senate, raising the potential for the Trump White House to advance its agenda. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), ranking member of the Commerce Committee on freight policy, won re-election in the Lone Star State. As the likely chairman next year of this key policy panel, Cruz will likely continue his history of pushing back on Biden-era electric vehicles and alternative fuels policies.
Cruz also is an advocate for highway safety. During a hearing in September, he observed: “I agree that roadway safety is an important priority — according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were almost 41,000 motor vehicle traffic fatalities last year.”
Despite moving toward a presidential transition, as the year wound down Capitol Hill lawmakers managed to advance some initiatives to Biden’s desk. One was the Veteran Improvement Commercial Driver License Act, which the president signed Oct. 1. The law, sponsored by Sens. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) as well as Reps. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) and Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.), is designed to improve veterans’ access to commercial driver licenses nationwide.
“America is duty-bound to care for our veterans when they return home. That’s why I wanted to remove roadblocks to good-paying jobs for our vets,” said Fischer, a member of the Commerce Committee on freight policy. “I’m grateful my bill enabling veterans to get CDL licenses more easily was signed into law.”
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Legislative efforts to dedicate $200 million for expanding truck parking around the country did not reach Biden’s desk for enactment, as congressional leaders came up short of approving full-year fiscal 2025 legislation that would have included the funds. Lawmakers opted instead for a series of temporary funding extensions. Biden’s request for about $8 billion to repair infrastructure and connectivity networks destroyed by severe weather events also sat unmoved in Congress. A portion of those funds would have been used for rebuilding Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed in March after being struck by a cargo ship.
Wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge rests on the containership Dali in April. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Associated Press)
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Still, the Biden administration’s transportation programs, led by Buttigieg, continued to dedicate billions of dollars to freight and infrastructure projects. In November, the secretary celebrated the third anniversary of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Coinciding with the law’s anniversary, DOT announced $3.4 billion in grants for projects linked to intercity railways, safety programs for pedestrians and to enhance commercial ports. Grants included $50 million for the Don Young Port of Alaska and nearly $54 million for Port Everglades in Florida.
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Buttigieg in a Nov. 15 Transport Topics interview noted that the kinds of projects funded by the IIJA take time to develop and implement but also pay dividends for years.
“These things, by their very nature, take a long time to kick in,” he said. “Some of these projects really are like cathedrals — that the people who start them are not the ones who finish them. That’s the nature of infrastructure work. But as more and more time goes by, I think it will be more and more clear that the Biden infrastructure package changed the trajectory of American transportation for the better.”
Dustin Holmes (second from right) holds hands with his girlfriend, Hailey Morgan, while returning to their flooded home with her children Aria Skye Hall, 7 (right), and Kyle Ross, 4, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Sept. 27 in Crystal River, Fla. Hurricanes Helene and Milton devastated the U.S. Southeast in the fall. (Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press)
Buttigieg also committed to celebrating this work once his time in the White House is through.
“Whatever I’m doing professionally, I will do my part for years to come to remind everybody that this stuff didn’t just happen and it would not have happened without the leadership that brought us to this point,” he said.
Lori Heino-Royer of Waabi discusses the latest developments, breakthroughs and key industry partnerships in autonomous trucking. Tune in above or by going to RoadSigns.ttnews.com.
Enacted Nov. 15, 2021, the bipartisan infrastructure law was touted by proponents for paving the way for modernizing much of the country’s mobility networks and supply chain corridors. The law also aimed to reinforce the nation’s major bridges. “For commuters, for truck drivers, for anyone who uses America’s interstate highways, our bridges are essential to keep people and goods moving — and the Biden-Harris administration has taken unprecedented steps to repair and rebuild these critical structures,” Buttigieg said Dec. 9. “We’ve made good on our promise to address our country’s most economically significant bridges — and are now going beyond our initial goal of 10 bridge megaprojects — while also delivering much-needed repairs to thousands of other bridges nationwide to make driving safer and supply chains stronger.”
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