OPINION
Incoming Trump Administration Needs to Cut Transport Red Tape ASAP
Donald Trump will be moving into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in January, 2025.
Policy differences — on issues ranging from taxes to healthcare — will be stark compared to the Joe Biden White House.
But what about the incoming president’s transportation agenda?
Trump should start by leaning into his affinity for cutting government red tape.
After the past four years of regulate-now-ask-questions-later, there is plenty of lousy red tape to address that is harming consumers.
For example, regulations around infrastructure projects should be thinned.
In 2021, Congress appropriated $1.2 trillion to improve the country’s roads, bridges, and other travel networks. But a complex web of equity rules and over-the-top environmental hoops have slowed converting these investments into finished products that benefit taxpayers.
The promise of constructing an electric vehicle charging network is case in point. More than $7 billion was appropriated to build half a million charging stations by 2030. But three years later, the number of chargers built remains within the double digits.
Why is the initiative’s implementation so poor?
Partly because of an executive order handed down by Biden early in his term that treats construction projects as social programs.
The regulation requires 40% of federal climate and environmental programs to target "underserved communities."
When explaining the impact, one senior official at the Department of Transportation bluntly noted "these requirements are screwing everything up."
Another said these types of arbitrary government puppet strings lead to “delays and increases costs throughout the construction process."
Next, Trump should reverse Biden-era electric vehicle mandates that are limiting consumer choice. Under an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule released last year, more than half of new cars sold in the U.S. are required to be electric by 2032. EVs undoubtedly have a bright future, but force-feeding the battery-powered cars via government mandate to consumers has consequences.
For one, car buyers who prefer traditional combustion engines will have fewer choices at the dealership; forcing companies to pour more resources into developing electric vehicles means less focus on making gas-powered models.
And the mismatch between consumer preferences and available products ends in economic disruption — costing jobs and creating inefficiencies.
In October, for example, Ford announced a six-week production pause for electric F-150 pick-up trucks because of sagging demand. This follows a pattern of automakers world-wide scaling down EV production plans.
Finally, the incoming Trump administration should end the federal government’s crusade to re-regulate the country’s air travel industry.
Airlines have been Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s punching bag at every turn during the past four years.
The agency has spearheaded proposals to micromanage customer service processes and police amenity pricing, among other moves.
The selective weaponization of the agency against air travel is wholly unnecessary.
Since President Jimmy Carter opened the airline industry up to more competition in 1978, companies have duked it out on prices, reward programs, and other offerings to earn consumer business.
As a result, airfares have fallen by half and the share of Americans who fly has grown to nearly 90%. Government regulators should avoid moving us backwards.
The incoming Trump administration will undoubtedly pursue an acutely different policy agenda compared to that of its predecessor. For the sake of American travelers, that should include cutting government red tape around transportation.
Jackson Shedelbower is the executive director of the Center for Transportation Policy.
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