Senate Judiciary Holds Hearing on Surveillance Tech
Last Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism held a hearing to consider issues surrounding AI and surveillance technology. Testimony gathered from witnesses will inform the Senate’s work on issues such as federal funding for state and municipal installation of Flock video surveillance equipment.
ATA closely monitored the hearing and is working with champions of the industry on Capitol Hill to ensure that the perspective of the trucking industry is considered in any legislative proposals. In particular, there are concerns that overbroad legislation might interfere with federal funding for automated license plate reader technology that is helpful for truck safety and tolling use cases.
TWICE Act Introduced in Senate
Last week, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) introduced S. 5487, the Transportation Worker Identification Credential Efficiency (TWICE) Act. This bill, which passed the House by voice vote two weeks ago, will lower recidivism by providing citizens emerging from the criminal justice system with access to credentialing to seek employment in the transportation sector. ATA supports the legislation and will work with Sen. Kennedy and champions in the Senate to advance the bill to the President’s desk.
DOL Nominee Sonderling Awaits Senate Confirmation
Keith Sonderling, President Trump’s nominee to serve as the next Secretary of Labor, continues to await his confirmation by the Senate. The nomination was approved by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in July, with strong support from ATA. As Secretary, Sonderling will bring deep workforce expertise, strong policy judgment, and agency management experience that is important to Departmental consideration of key issues impacting the trucking industry. ATA urges the Senate to confirm him as soon as possible.
NDAA, FY27 Appropriations Primed for Lame Duck Consideration
When Congress returns after the November midterm elections, the top legislative priorities for the remainder of the year will be passage of the annual National Defense Authorization Act and fully funding federal agencies through September 30th, 2027.
The NDAA is likely to include the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, which is a strongly bipartisan proposal that will dedicate critical resources to help the Department of Homeland Security coordinate a national response to cargo theft with state and local law enforcement. Meanwhile, the FY2027 spending bills that provide funding and guidance to agencies for the full fiscal year include key programmatic spending that is important to trucking, such as money for truck parking and requirements that federal agencies finalize guidance for the use of hair testing as a means of detecting drug use in CMV operators.
ATA will work closely with champions across Congress to ensure that the top priorities for the trucking industry are included in any must-pass legislation before the end of the year.
China and Cybersecurity
Due to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House, AI and cybersecurity were top of mind on Capitol Hill last week.
Connected Vehicles. The House Select Committee on China cheered the Connected Vehicle Security Act officially garnering over 100 cosponsors in the House. The bill, led by Sens. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Reps. John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI), has 55 cosponsors in the Senate and 122 cosponsors in the House. This widely bipartisan bill would prohibit the importation of Chinese-connected vehicle hardware and software to protect U.S. national security and manufacturing. ATA has continued to work closely with the bill sponsors to ensure the unique needs of heavy-duty truck manufactures are addressed.
Data Centers. House Ways & Means Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) and House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) sent a letter to the Department of Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) calling for an investigation into U.S. tax-exempt organizations who allegedly coordinated with the Chinese Communist Party to spread disinformation opposing U.S. data center development.
Telecommunications. Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced the Telecommunications Cybersecurity and Resilience Act. This bipartisan bill incorporates recommendations from public and private experts to build a cybersecurity framework to protect U.S. and global telecommunication entities from sophisticated cyber threats.
AI. Senate Commerce Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and 16 Senators sent a letter to President Trump asking for the President to negotiate a formal U.S.-China agreement on guardrails and global standards for AI development and testing.
Infrastructure. The Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act (H.R.1721) passed the Senate by unanimous consent and is headed to Trump's desk to be signed into law. The legislation will identify critical products currently being imported and help bring more production and good-paying jobs back to the United States.
Election Update
All eyes are on election day, which is only 35 days away. In the battle for the majority in the Senate and House, this week we bring you the currently ranked toss up seats and states by The Cook Political Report:
Senate: Alaska, Iowa, Kansas (Lean Republican), Maine, North Carolina (Lean Democrat), Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, Texas
House (incumbent listed)
Democrats: Reps. Castor (FL), Frankel’s open seat (FL), Moskowitz (FL), Kaptur (OH), Vicente Gonzalez (TX), Perez (WA)
Republicans: Reps. Ciscomani (AZ), Valadao (CA), Evans (CO), Miller-Meeks (IA), Nunn (IA), Barrett (MI), John James’s open seat (MI), Chuck Edwards’s open seat (NC), Lawler (NY), Max Miller (OH), Mackenzie (PA), Bresnahan (PA), Scott Perry (PA), De La Cruz (TX), Kiggans (VA), Van Orden (WI)
Committee Notes
- On Thursday, September 24th, the Senate Finance Committee advanced nominees to fill vacancies in the Departments of Health and Human Services, Internal Revenue Service, and the U.S. Tax Court by party-line votes.
- On Thursday, September 24th, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Environment & Public Works Ranking Member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released a report titled, “The Billion Dollar Deal: How the Fossil Fuel Industry Bought the Trump Administration, Cashed In, and Left Americans to Pay the Price.” Of note, the report blames the Trump Administration’s greenhouse gas emission standards and EPA policies for rising costs in the trucking industry.
Grassroots Update
Last week, the Kansas Motor Carriers Association met with their full delegation on the Hill. The eight Kansans discussed the realities of lawsuit abuse for motor carriers and the importance of both FMCSA andNHTSA enforcing policies that keep all road users safe.
ATA’s Call on Washington program will return the week of November 16th with numerous state associations in town for the final Call on Washington of the 119th Congress.
Interested in participating in Call on Washington or hosting a truck terminal visit with your Member of Congress? Email Abbey Schroeder (aschroeder@trucking.org).
The Week Ahead
The House has adjourned until after the November midterm Congressional elections, but the Senate is in session this week. The next Hill Report will be sent on October 5th.