March 13, 2017

The White House is expected to release President Donald Trump’s first “skinny budget” this week, which will lay out the Administration’s discretionary spending priorities for fiscal year 2018.

As ETW has previously reported, the President will propose an immediate 9 percent increase in defense spending that will be offset by an aggregate 11 percent decrease in non-defense appropriations.

This is set to be one of the largest increases in defense spending in history. White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney calculated it to be a $54 billion increase, placing defense discretionary spending at $603 billion and the topline nondefense amount at $462 billion.

We expect the budget to be released toward the middle of the week. Accordingly, ETW will be published as soon after the budget lands as possible (which may be on Wednesday or Thursday).

In the meantime, below are the transportation hearings slated for this week and the most popular articles from last week’s edition.

Highlights from Last Week

• Senate Unanimously Passes Legislation to Repeal MPO Consolidation Rule
• Guest Op-Ed: Does Airport Privatization Have a Future in the U.S.?
• ATC Reform: Should FAA Be the Safety Regulator of Its Own Operations?
• The Wild West Era of Autonomous Vehicles is Over

Hearings on the Hill this Week

Tuesday, March 14 – Senate Energy and Natural Resources – full committee hearing on opportunities to improve American energy infrastructure (witness list here) – 10:00 a.m., SD-366 Dirksen.

Tuesday, March 14 – Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation – Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security – subcommittee hearing on trucking safety (witness list here) – 2:30 p.m., SR-253 Russell.

POSTPONED – PENDING NEW DATE. Wednesday, March 15 – House Transportation and Infrastructure – Subcommittee on Highways and Transit – subcommittee hearing on state and local perspectives on FAST Act implementation (witness list here) – 10:00 a.m., 2167 Rayburn.

POSTPONED – PENDING NEW DATE. Wednesday, March 15 – Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation – full committee hearing on unmanned aircraft systems (witness list here) – 10:00 a.m., SR-253 Russell.

Wednesday, March 15 – House Transportation and Infrastructure – Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation – subcommittee hearing on Coast Guard and maritime program reauthorization (witness list here) – 10:30 a.m., 2253 Rayburn.

Thursday, March 16 – House Appropriations – Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing – subcommittee hearing on DOT and HUD Inspector General recommendations (witness list here) – 10:00 a.m., 2358-A Rayburn.

Thursday, March 16 – House Energy and Commerce – Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection – subcommittee hearing on smart communities (witness list here) – 10:00 a.m., 2123 Rayburn.