#US Department of Transportation

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Sanjana Karanth and Jennifer Bendery at HuffPost:

WASHINGTON ― The federal Department of Transportation has issued a memo ordering programs supported by the agency to prioritize funding projects for communities with “marriage and birth rates higher than the national average.” The unusual four-page memo also directs thousands of employees to give special priority to projects and activities that improve transportation for “families with young children.” The directive applies to all Transportation Department-supported grants, loans and contracts, including existing agreements. “I’ve never seen a memo like this before,” said one congressional aide who works on transportation policy and requested anonymity to speak freely. “Considering fertility rates when prioritizing federal grants? We obviously have no idea what the full impact of that will be,” said this aide. “It’s absolutely creepy. It’s a little ‘Chinese government.’ [The Trump administration] would hate that comparison, but I don’t know where else I’ve seen a policy of ‘we need to incentivize baby-making.’” [...] In addition to its directives related to marriage and babies, the Transportation Department’s memo blocks recipients of federal money from implementing “mask mandates,” a reference to requirements that transit agencies followed to limit the spread of infection during the height of COVID-19. The memo also requires recipients to comply with federal immigration enforcement in order to receive funding — the latest effort by the administration to target undocumented immigrants, conduct mass arrests and deportations, and deny federal transportation funds to so-called sanctuary cities.

The DOT under Sean Duffy released a totally whacked out memo prioritizing right-wing culture war items such as banning mask mandates, encouraging natalism by rewarming projects to areas with marriage and birth rates higher than the national average, and comply with the heinously cruel immigration policies by 47 targeting undocumented immigrants.

See Also:

Abortion, Every Day: Trump Administration Memo: Preferred Funding to Communities with High Birth Rates

Daily Kos: Trump Transportation chief: Want a road? Have a kid

[onlytiktoks]

[westcoastmidnightrun]

R.M. PALMER FACTORY EXPLOSION - PUBLIC SAFETY, CORRUPTION AND NTSB INVESTIGATION

West Coast Midnight Run has produced three editorial and review segments following the devastating explosion of the chocolate factory in the borough of West Reading, Pennsylvania. The final segment explores issues tied to nationbal public safety, recalcitrance from borough officials and the National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) from offering the most basic information on the R.M Palmer facility under the rationalization it would somehow compromise their investigation (which is ongoing since March 2023).

The review segment further examines evidence that knowledge of same gas piping system is already in the public domain and questions have surfaced about its safety since the turn of the Millennium with very explicit warnings as of 2011 involving criminal convictions for PG&E (California leading utility with national influence) sometimes in 2017 and 2019.

West Coast Midnight Run™ invites the public and internet surfers to read our review and editorial and take action, because the fuse is still active and it is connected to piles and piles of "dynamite" - Public safety nationwide is STILL AT RISK!

[nuttysaladtree]

Prev's tags: #youre reaching the point where your pilots wont be legally allowed to fly; #theyre only allowed to be on the clock x number of hours

Replies so far:

mitaukano (2h): He said to report anything like that online immediately. Heck tag the man on twitter if it gets attention. Airlines always try to rip off the customer.

willfrominternet (2h): Report and see if you can get other passengers to report as well. Strength in numbers!

letsnotandsaywewantedto (2h): FlightRights.gov

letsnotandsaywewantedto (2h): https://secure.dot.gov/air-travel-complaint

Another day, another American Airlines flight delayed by four hours (at least!) due to "maintenance issues" with no compensation offered.

Hey, Pete Buttigieg, isn't this an "unfair or deceptive practice" per USC40 Section 41712(a)?

[benjaminallhope-fulltimemind]

This is simly creep and reeks of desperation on the part of conservatives and oligarchs who whine about falling birth rates and not enough children being made. At this point abstaining from procreation is resistance, we should give in an have children because some rich oligarchs and traditionalist demand we do so.

[bloodonmybarbieshirt]

New DOT ruling. DOT funds are prioritized towards communities with higher marriage and birth rates.

What the fuck.

https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2025-01/Signed%20DOT%20Order%20re_Ensuring%20Reliance%20Upon%20Sound%20Economic%20Analysis%20in%20Department%20of%20Transportation%20Policies%20%20Programs%20and%20Activities.pdf

[alyfoxxxen]

TSA Says Its Credit Cards for Bomb-Sniffing Dogs Are Cut Off

[disneybookprincess]

Hey so uh wtf is this????? The U.S. Department of Transportation is now explicitly being told to prioritize giving funding to communities with higher than average MARRIAGE AND BIRTH RATES???? Not to minimize the anti-mask, anti-vaccine, and pro-ICE portions of this guidance but WTF IS THIS??? I hate being disappointed AND surprised

Source: https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/signed-dot-order-re-ensuring-reliance-upon-sound-economic-analysis-department

Alt ID: a screenshot of part of a U.S. Department of Transportation Order that reads:

To the maximum extent permitted by law, DOT-supported or -assisted programs

and activities, including without limitation, all DOT grants, loans, contracts, and

DOT-supported or -assisted State contracts, shall prioritize projects and goals that:

utilize user-pay models;

direct funding to local opportunity zones where permitted:

to the extent practicable, relevant, appropriate, and consistent with law, mitigate the unique impacts of DOT programs, policies, and activities on families and family-specific difficulties, such as the accessibility of transportation to families with young children, and give preference to communities with marriage and birth rates higher than the national average (including in administering the Federal Transit Administration's Capital Investment Grant program);

prohibit recipients of DOT support or assistance from imposing vaccine and mask mandates; and

require local compliance or cooperation with Federal immigration enforcement and with other goals and objectives specified by the President of the United States or the Secretary

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Walter Einenkel at Daily Kos:

Onetime reality TV star and current Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy posted a typically disrespectful tweet on Thursday attacking New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority over a congestion pricing program that aims to reduce New York City traffic. Duffy announced that the Trump administration is extending a deadline for the MTA to kill the successful program by 30 days.  “Your refusal to end cordon pricing and your open disrespect towards the federal government is unacceptable,” Duffy wrote. “Your unlawful pricing scheme charges working-class citizens to use roads their federal tax dollars already paid to build.” The extension comes less than one month after Trump declared himself a “KING” and boasted that the program charging cars $9 to enter Manhattan’s busiest areas was “DEAD” and the city was “SAVED.” Trump has threatened to withhold billions in federal funds from the MTA and New York state if they do not bend to the White House’s bullying and scrap the program, whose proceeds are meant to fund subway repairs and encourage mass transit. "Congestion pricing is working. Traffic is down, business is up and support for this first-in-the-nation initiative continues to grow.” Hochul’s office responded in a statement. “We've seen Secretary Duffy's tweet, which doesn't change what Governor Hochul has been saying all along: the cameras are staying on." [...] Unfortunately for Duffy and the Trump administration, most onlookers see these bullying tactics as a classic example of the GOP’s hypocrisy when it comes to the states’ rights they claim to champion—and the pressure campaign doesn’t seem to be swaying New Yorkers. Polling since Trump threw his ego into the ring has shown increasing support for the program across the Big Apple.

Sean Duffy is a joke.

[jaybee2000]

I just wanted to share this video interview between Hank Green and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. Not only is it super interesting and discusses trains (yay trains!!! huge fan of those) but it also is just a peek into what you are voting for this November.

Do you really think whatever guy Trump picks will be as informed and impassioned about making your lives better through infrastructure? Do you think they’ll care about putting electric car chargers into multi family homes or ensuring passenger rail gets preference on freight lines?

When you vote for Biden, you are not just voting for a president you are voting for the people around him who will work for you and for your benefit as opposed to people who will be working to dismantle government or enrich themselves and their cronies.

I’m going to vote for a better rail system. And Medicare for all. And affordable housing. And renewable energy. And common sense gun laws. Etc. etc. etc. All that before I vote for Biden as a person.

Because both parties are not the same and this interview shows you a glimpse into that.

Bureaucracy isn’t glamorous but it’s so so necessary and I believe that Biden actually appointed public servants to do this kind of work. This is what you’re voting for.

Just something to think about.

[plethoraworldatlas]

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives moved to cut Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg's salary to just $1 per year.

An amendment introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia passed by voice vote on Tuesday afternoon — meaning no lawmaker objected to its inclusion in a broader government spending bill dealing with Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The underlying bill faces an uncertain future; the House was set to vote on final passage on Tuesday evening, but a vote was pulled at the last minute over concerns from New York Republicans over the bill's cuts to Amtrak. Instead, the House voted on the censure of Rep. Rashida Tlaib.

Even if the bill passes, it will almost certainly be blocked by the Democratic-controlled Senate, which is working on its own transportation funding bill.

[10bmnews]

Elon Musk’s Boring Company Is in Talks With Government Over Amtrak Project

The Federal Railroad Administration, the nation’s railroad agency, has brought in the Boring Company, the tunneling firm founded by Elon Musk, to see if it could help with a multibillion-dollar Amtrak project, according to three people familiar with the discussions. Federal Railroad Administration officials have talked with employees at the Boring Company about assessing the costs and progress of…

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Ted Johnson at Deadline:

Donald Trump has gone to the Fox News well once again, tapping the Fox Business host to be his nominee for secretary of transportation. Duffy, a former congressman, is the co-host of Fox Business’ The Bottom Line and is a contributor to the news network. He also was a cast member on a season of The Real World. Trump said in a statement that Duffy “will prioritize Excellence, Competence, Competitiveness and Beauty when rebuilding America’s highways, tunnels, bridges and airports. He will ensure our ports and dams serve our Economy without compromising our National Security, and he will make our skies safe again by eliminating DEI for pilots and air traffic controllers.” [...] Duffy is married to Fox & Friends Weekend co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. A co-host of that show, Pete Hegseth, was nominated by Trump last week to serve as secretary of defense.

Donald Trump picks Fox Business host and former Wisconsin Congressman Sean Duffy to serve as his DOT Secretary. He is married to Fox host Rachel Campos-Duffy.

[alyfoxxxen]

Transportation Dept offers new buyout amid DOGE worker cull