CAGTC Members,
The results of yesterday’s midterm elections will have impacts across the board, and freight infrastructure is no exception. The House flipped from Republican control to Democratic while the Senate maintained its Republican majority and may pick up additional seats – at this time four Senate races remain undeclared. We knew that leadership would change on the House side no matter what (both House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee Chairman Bill Shuster, R-PA, and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-WI, announced their retirements this year) but the results of other races will also impact who we will be working with in the 116th Congress.
The House of Representatives:
- Democrats are in control of the House for the first time since the 2010 mid-term elections. House Democrats are set to hold leadership elections the week of November 26.
- Now-Ranking Member Peter DeFazio (D-OR) will assume chairmanship of the House T&I Committee.
- Congressman Jeff Denham (R-CA), the current Chairman of the House T&I Railroad, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee, is in a very close race in California. While Congressman Denham is leading with 50.6% of the votes over Democrat Josh Harder’s 49.4% of the votes, the race has not yet been called. Should Congressman Denham win, it is likely that he and Congressman Graves (R-MO), the current Chairman of the House T&I Highways and Transit Subcommittee, will be in the running to become Ranking Member of House T&I Committee. We will have to see how this shakes out in the Republican Steering Committee.
- Members of House T&I who lost reelection include: Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA), Rep. John Faso (R-NY), Rep. Jason Lewis (R-MN), and Rep. Rob Woodall (R-GA).
The Senate:
- Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, is in a close race against current Governor Rick Scott (R). Around 10 am, Senator Nelson trailed by 0.04% and called for a vote recount.
- Members of the Senate Commerce Committee who lost reelection include: Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) and Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) (like Senator Nelson, Senator Tester’s race has not yet been called but it is looking like he is behind his opponent).
Multiple states had transportation initiatives on their ballots, the results of which (for the most part) benefit infrastructure investment:
- In California, voters maintained their gas tax increase by rejecting Proposition 6, which would have repealed the state’s SB1 law. SB1 is projected to raise more than $5.2 billion annually for transportation improvements.
- In Maine, voters approved Question 3 on their ballot, passing a $106,000,000 bond issue, the majority of which will be used for infrastructure investments.
- Both Hillsborough County and Broward County in Florida passed a penny sales tax increase that will fund transportation improvements.
- Infrastructure funding was unsuccessful in Missouri, with voters rejecting Proposition D. Proposition D would have increased the state’s gas tax and used the funds for transportation improvements.
Various publications are speculating that the House could take up infrastructure as an early, and bipartisan, area for victory. Our Reauthorization Working Group is kicking off officially this week so, no matter what happens, we’ll plan to be ready come day 1 of the 116th Congress.
Thank you,
Katie Cross
Manager, Member Communications & Policy
Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors
1625 K Street NW
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20006
tradecorridors.org