Democratic sweep of Congress sets up high-stakes battle over trucking regulations
Democratic majorities in the House and Senate will bring heightened oversight to FMCSA and could use the next highway reauthorization...
Democrats will take control of both the House and the Senate in January, setting up a divided federal government that now places highway policy, safety oversight and the trucking industry’s regulatory agenda under a congressional microscope.
While the executive branch retains its authority over Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) rulemaking, Democratic control of key committees gives the party the power to draft the next multi-year highway reauthorization bill, run oversight hearings and hold the purse strings over transportation agencies.
The political realignment will be felt first inside the committee rooms that oversee commercial transportation.
With House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves, R-Mo., retiring, Ranking Member Rick Larsen, D-Wash., is poised to take over. Larsen has repeatedly signaled that safety mandates and crash reduction will be anchors in any Democratic transportation bill.
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