President Trump’s point person in his push for deregulation has sent regulatory officers at all agencies instructions to submit a budget for fiscal 2018 that produces “a net reduction in total incremental regulatory costs.” In a Sept. 7 memo, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Administrator Neomi Rao called on agencies to plan implementation of Trump’s executive orders on easing regulatory burdens by better controlling regulatory cost allowances. The director of the

Americans who travel abroad sometimes wonder why many of our airports are lacking in comparison to the best international airports. Or they want to know why other nations seem to do a better job with public transportation and the management of other public assets, from ports to parks. The answers we are tempted to give are that we do not invest as heavily in public infrastructure as many other nations and that a market-oriented American ethos with an entrepreneurial culture p

Like a growing number of cities, Austin, Texas, is getting ready for the arrival of autonomous vehicles. On any given afternoon, self-driving test models can be seen darting along a Formula One race track. More than 500 electric vehicle charging stations are already spread throughout the city. (Autonomous cars are expected to utilize electric drivetrains.) In March, the city council adopted a resolution prioritizing plans for self-driving vehicles. Austin’s transportation dir

The House approved a national security-themed spending package on Thursday that includes $1.6 billion to start building President Trump’s proposed border wall. The $827 billion package passed largely along party lines, with a vote of 235-192. Five Republicans voted no, while five Democrats voted yes. The five Republicans to vote against the package were Reps. Justin Amash (Mich.), John Duncan Jr. (Tenn.), Walter Jones (N.C.), Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Mark Sanford (S.C.). Five

A Senate panel has rejected President Trump’s effort to eliminate Obama-era transportation grants, instead opting to provide a funding boost for the program. By voice vote, the Appropriations subcommittee on transportation, housing and urban development approved a fiscal 2018 spending bill that includes $550 million for the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program. The program was set up by the Obama administration’s 2009 economic stimulu

Smart technology is changing how cities are run, how residents live and how businesses attract employees. For the last decade, cities have been building high-speed internet and using digital technology to expand city services. Cities implementing these changes will improve the lives of residents, be more attractive to employers, increase real estate values and stand out within the international marketplace. “Smart cities are much more livable, safer and vibrant and have more

America's infrastructure is in a state of crisis. Roads and train lines are old, dangerous and cost the country billions of dollars in economic growth. Trump wants to repair damages but he is at the mercy of investors. The summer of hell began for New Yorkers last Monday. Beginning at four o'clock in the afternoon people hurried home from work, clogging midtown Manhattan's Pennsylvania Station. Over 600,000 people trek to Manhattan daily from faraway places like New Jersey an

Federal Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said that President Donald Trump's plans to privatize the nation's air traffic control system are crucial to modernizing future air transportation. The Republican and wife of GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell spoke to a lunch crowd Friday at the Brown Hotel in Louisville organized by Greater Louisville Inc., the metro chamber of commerce. She altered her prepared remarks on recent initiatives at the agency to mention that

WASHINGTON — Millions of dollars for federal grant programs that pump money to state and local governments would be shifted around and slashed under a transportation, housing and urban development appropriations bill that a U.S. House subcommittee approved on Tuesday night. But the legislation rejects many of the deep cuts President Trump called for in his fiscal year 2018 budget proposal. And it's all but certain that the funding levels outlined for various programs in the H

Groups representing state and local governments are stepping up their efforts to preserve the deduction for state and local taxes (SALT), arguing in a report released Tuesday that the preference does not just benefit the wealthy and residents of high-tax states. “If SALT were repealed, almost 30% of taxpayers, including individuals in every state and in all income brackets, would be adversely impacted,” the groups wrote in their report. Under current law, taxpayers who itemiz