With House in Recess, Senate Tackles DOT Nominations
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WASHINGTON — With members of the U.S. House of Representatives gone for the August recess, lawmakers in the upper chamber continue work on a highway policy bill and on nominations for top posts at the Department of Transportation.
Leaders of the GOP-led Senate insist they intend to advance as early as this month fiscal 2026 funding bills, and also are taking aim at confirming President Donald Trump’s picks for senior roles in the administration.
Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said ongoing efforts to advance some nominees face pushback from Democrats.
“There are a lot of people out there who’ve been nominated to positions, and positions in our government that, frankly, need to be filled,” he said July 22. “They’re important positions that need to be filled, and the Democrats continue to try and delay and obstruct.”
McMaster at a hearing. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg News)
Awaiting votes on the floor of the chamber are committee-approved nominees to lead the Federal Transit Administration, Federal Railroad Administration and the Federal Highway Administration. They are Marc Molinaro, David Fink and Sean McMaster, respectively.
“We’re going to keep grinding and work as hard as we can on the Republican side,” Thune said.
During his confirmation hearing, McMaster told senators, “If confirmed, I look forward to working with the secretary and Congress on ways to improve efficiency and reduce costs so more of the funds being invested in our infrastructure will go to building the infrastructure. I know from experience that this is achievable.”
Trump recently nominated Michael Rutherford to be an assistant secretary of Transportation, Office of Multimodal Freight Infrastructure and Policy. Responding to a questionnaire from the Commerce Committee, the nominee explained his assignment would be to “help the secretary to articulate a compelling vision for the National Freight Strategic Plan in support of the overall direction of the administration while ensuring that the activities of the office support this vision.”
“My focus,” Rutherford added, “will be on making the most of every taxpayer dollar (e.g. grant programs, key initiatives), whether spent at U.S. DOT or by those partnering with us.”
Barrs testifies at his confirmation hearing. (senate.gov)
The Commerce Committee scheduled votes on July 30 to approve Rutherford as well as Derek Barrs to be administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The nominees appeared to have bipartisan backing from members of the freight policy panel. This month Barrs told the Senate committee, “I understand that FMCSA’s actions impact an entire industry, and I am committed to ensuring that agency decisions are informed, balanced and transparent. If confirmed, I will continue to strengthen relationships between government and stakeholders, working together on our shared goal of improving roadway safety, as well as addressing critical safety issues.”
Relatedly, a Senate committee recently examined proposals for a multiyear policy measure meant to update federal programs for the nation’s mobility network. Central to the Environment and Public Works Committee’s reauthorization of highway programs will be improving safety for industries as well as commuters. Committee Chairwoman Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) explained she would seek to enhance programs by minimizing overlapping operations: “Principle One: Improving the safety — and I want to emphasize safety — safety and reliability of America’s surface transportation network with impactful investments.”
“In recent years, we’ve seen an increase in the number and scope of federal transportation programs,” Capito continued. “These programs sometimes have duplicative purposes and project eligibility. This leads to an expensive and time-intensive process to get funding out the door and lessens the impact that the legislation can make.”
EPW ranking member Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) reminded colleagues about his long-standing concern specific to transportation sectors. As he put it, “Pollution-driven climate change is costing lives and livelihoods. To pretend otherwise is to abdicate our moral and fiscal responsibility. The next [highway] reauthorization bill must and will take climate change seriously.”
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Congressional Democrats remain unified in their opposition to Thune’s and Speaker Mike Johnson’s management of the congressional floor schedule. On July 23, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) pointed to the politics of the moment, “The ghost of the disgraced Jeffrey Epstein is haunting our Republican colleagues so much so that Speaker Johnson decided to cut bait and send the House home to escape discussions about Epstein, instead of doing their jobs like grown-ups and making progress on appropriations.”
Congress’ summer recess officially begins in August. Members are scheduled to return to Washington after Labor Day. When both chambers resume legislative assignments, they will have until Sept. 30 to approve fiscal 2026 funding measures to avert a partial federal shutdown. Neither the House nor the Senate have cleared for the White House fiscal 2026 appropriations bills.
