The Department of Transportation (DOT) canceled two memos from the Biden administration, and the agency said it misaligned priorities to serve the “social justice and environmental agenda.” [emphasis, links added]
Two memorandums issued by Secretary Pete Buttigieg during Biden’s administration list such as “re-building communities and reflecting the inclusion of vulnerable and underrepresented groups in the planning, project selection and design process” and “fitting new and emerging technologies such as DOT.”
“Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Transportation is restoring the basics – building critical infrastructure projects to enable people to move businesses safely,” he said. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement.
“The last administration violated Congress and tried to push the radical social and environmental agenda to the American people. This is a federal act that transcends actions. Stop now.”
Specifically, the department raised questions about the memorandum efforts when reducing “greenhouse gas emissions” and “equity plans.”
The memorandum focuses on how best to utilize billions of dollars in the national Infrastructure Investment and Employment Act 2021. There are currently no memorandums on the Federal Highway Administration website.
However, this is not the first time the memorandum is facing scrutiny.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce asked federal highway administrator Shailen Bhatt to get rid of the “policy of using bipartisan infrastructure legal resources to build a better U.S. memorandum” in January 2023 to avoid overcomplicating the overall mission of taxpayer-sponsored infrastructure investment.
“We support the Infrastructure Investment and Employment Act (IIJA) because it represents the most important investment since the enactment of the Interstate System in the mid-1950s,” the Chamber of Commerce and various other groups wrote.
“It is also a carefully negotiated and balanced policy reform and targeting state investments that will make Americans’ lives better. However, the December 16 memorandum caused significant chaos within the transportation community, which is the guide aimed as an overarching policy framework that prioritizes IIJA resources over certain projects, This is inconsistent with the provisions signed by legislative President Biden as law,” the letter added.
DOT targeted various liberal policies early in his tenure at Duffy, including Order compliance reviews for California's high-speed rail project and require the end of Manhattan's congestion pass plan.
In Congress, other transportation-related efforts are being reviewed, such as electric vehicle efforts to get rid of the U.S. Postal Service.
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