Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) may have endorsed the Democratic Mayor-elect of New York City, but she&#8217;s making it clear that she&#8217;s not all-in on his progressive policy proposals — especially if they would place a greater burden on a system that is already strapped.
Hochul endorsed Zohran Mamdani — a self-described Democratic socialist — despite his unwillingness to do the same for her, but she said on Saturday that she couldn&#8217;t get on board with his calls for free buses in New York City.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Kathy Kochul says no to Zohran Mamdani&#8217;s 
free NYC bus plan. The transit system relies on the fares to function. <a href="https://t.co/52xgCMxCrA">pic.twitter.com/52xgCMxCrA</a>
— Libby Emmons (@libbyemmons) <a href="https://twitter.com/libbyemmons/status/1987532950284451991?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I cannot set forth a plan right now that takes money out of a system that relies on the fares of the busses and the subways,&#8221; she said during a Saturday press conference. &#8220;But can we find a path to make it more affordable for people who need help? of course we can.&#8221;
Hochul went on to say that she&#8217;d had a number of conversations with Mamdani and that she wanted to work with him where she could — but that she wasn&#8217;t going to suddenly change her position on an issue solely due to public pressure.
WATCH:
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NEWS: <a href="https://twitter.com/GovKathyHochul?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovKathyHochul</a> right now is a no on <a href="https://twitter.com/ZohranKMamdani?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ZohranKMamdani</a>’s free bus promise.
“I cannot set forth a plan right now that takes money out of a system that relies on the fares of the busses and the subways.”
She’s then pressed on “Tax the Rich” chants: <a href="https://t.co/M0wa9SEDMA">pic.twitter.com/M0wa9SEDMA</a>
— Bernadette Hogan (@bern_hogan) <a href="https://twitter.com/bern_hogan/status/1987188552216506417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;We&#8217;re aligned on some of these issues. I&#8217;ve made it clear where I have strong disagreements with issues that really do not pertain to the governance of New York City,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;I&#8217;m looking forward to having our teams keep the conversation — a lot of conversations going with our teams.&#8221;
She went on to say that her current focus was doing whatever she could to prevent an influx of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents operating in New York City.

New York Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani Holds Election Rally With Bernie Sanders And Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Mamdani-Supporting Kathy Hochul Dumps Cold Water On One Of His Key Policies

Kathy Hochul

Media

New York City

Politics

Transportation

Zohran Mamdani

On Thursday, Vice President JD Vance held a roundtable with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and airline industry leaders to discuss how the ongoing government shutdown threatens to disrupt Americans’ holiday travel.
Speaking to Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan at the roundtable, Vance warned that pilots, air traffic controllers, and TSA agents may seek new jobs rather than continue operating under “incredible stress” without getting paid.
“Maybe that guy doesn’t show up to work,” Vance said. “Maybe he goes and gets a different job. That means greater delays for the American people.”
Chris Sununu, CEO of Airlines for America and former New Hampshire governor, was part of Thursday’s roundtable. He said morale was a large focus of the conversation.
“The whole point of this is how do we get out of this before we have some sort of critical issue where it’s like a logjam of airlines on the tarmac, and things like that, similar to what we saw in 2019,” Sununu told The Daily Wire, stressing that it’s safe to fly, but that staffing shortages create delays in order to keep the system safe. 
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“Nobody wants the airline industry to be the linchpin, and the fear is that the Democrats right now are saying, ‘We’re just gonna wait until we see a big traffic jam, you know, happening somewhere, and then we’ll move.&#8217; Which isn’t right, because it’s not right to the American public, it’s not right to these workers,” he continued.
The shutdown will presumably roll into next week, as no deal has been reached yet to reopen the federal government. Republicans have been demanding that a clean continuing resolution be passed and have voted accordingly, whereas most Democrats have used the shutdown to push for the continuation of Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire next year. Southwest, United, American, and Delta all put out statements calling on Congress to reopen the government, <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/largest-us-airlines-raise-pressure-dems-pass-clean-cr-end-shutdown">Fox Business</a> reported.
“They see the impact and feel that impact a little differently depending on what’s happening in the area because where the callouts have been happening — it’s all over the place,” Sununu said regarding which cities airlines have their hubs in.
“It really does need to be noted that we all thought it would be much worse right now. The FAA and these air traffic controllers have done an amazing job mitigating what should’ve been, by now, probably a much worse situation. We have some delays, but it’s nothing overly significant. It’s increasing by the day now. I think the inflection point is we’re seeing the traffic controllers not getting paid.”
However, Sununu noted that an under-discussed element of the shutdown is TSA agents taking a financial hit, as they tend to make less than air traffic controllers.
“Their decision-making process in terms of ‘Look, I can’t come in today. I gotta go drive an Uber. I have to go work a part-time shift somewhere else cause I need money.’ Their decision-making process is actually gonna happen a lot faster than the air traffic controllers,” he said.
“The planes are still gonna take off and all of that, but you’re gonna have a lot more delays, and it’s gonna affect the American public and the customers a lot more severely,” he added.

Chris Sununu

Airline Industry Leader Warns Flight Delays Are Reaching An ‘Inflection Point’ As Shutdown Drags On

Airlines

Government Shutdown

Sean Duffy

Travelers are facing flight delays at airports across the country as air traffic control employees work without pay during the ongoing government shutdown.
Staff callouts caused delays at Nashville International Airport on Tuesday, while Burbank Airport in California was forced to conduct air traffic control operations in San Diego on Monday, ABC 7 Los Angeles reported. Airports in Chicago, Atlanta, Newark, and other cities have also been impacted.
“We’re seeing an uptick in controller shortages across the country,” the Department of Transportation <a href="https://x.com/USDOTRapid/status/1975732708417413196">said on X</a> Tuesday. “And where are the radical Democrats? Voting against giving our great controllers a paycheck. This is the last thing they need.”
A TSA spokesperson told The Daily Wire that travelers should have “patience” while flying during the shutdown, noting that the vast majority of TSA employees are considered “excepted or exempt” government employees who continue to work through the closure.
“While TSA is prepared to continue screening about 2.5 million passengers a day, an extended shutdown could mean longer wait times at airports,” a spokesman wrote.
But the potential for prolonged staffing shortages raises safety concerns as well.
“Aviation is the safest mode of transportation, but to maintain that the system may need to slow down, reducing efficiency,” Airlines for America, an industry trade group, said. The group added that it wants to see lawmakers “act with urgency and in good faith” to end the shutdown impacting their industry.
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“When federal employees who manage air traffic, inspect aircraft and secure our nation’s aviation system are furloughed or working without pay, the entire industry and millions of Americans feel the strain,” the group said. “We appreciate the men and women going to work, despite not receiving a paycheck, to ensure the safety and security of the traveling and shipping public.”
Airports could become the next flashpoint if the shutdown continues, with lawmakers from both parties using delays to press their opponents into a compromise.
“The Schumer Shutdown is crippling air traffic control operations in Nashville,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) told The Daily Wire. “Democrats need to stop putting the safety of traveling Americans at risk and join Republicans in getting our government back open,” she added.
Democrats, meanwhile, insist congressional Republicans and Donald Trump are responsible for the shutdown, which is now entering its second week.
“Thanks, [Trump]! Burbank Airport has ZERO air traffic controllers from 4:15pm to 10pm today because of YOUR government shutdown,” California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote on X Monday.
“The Democrat Government Shutdown has real-life consequences,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told The Daily Wire. “Each day Democrats drag out their government shutdown to push free health care for illegal immigrants, it’s everyday Americans — whether they&#8217;re trying to fly or use critical government programs — who have to pay the price.”
Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said during a press conference at Newark Liberty International Airport on Monday that he was there to “advocate for the end to the shutdown,” as the union advises controllers to continue working.
“I’m gonna leave the political discussions for the politicians during this shutdown,” Daniels said.

Jet Takes Off in Washington

Americans Face Flight Delays As Government Shutdown Fuels Air Traffic Control Woes

Air Travel

Congress

Flights

Senate Democrats

During his four years in office, the former Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, reportedly oversaw a department that spent more than $80 billion on grants for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
That total represented “at least half of the DOT’s entire budget for a typical fiscal year,” <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/07/21/us-news/pete-buttigiegs-dot-spent-80-billion-on-dei-grants-delayed-air-traffic-control-upgrades-records-industry-insiders/">The New York Post</a> reported.
Sources told the Post that at a meeting, Buttigieg told an airline industry executive that improving existing air traffic control would simply increase air traffic, “and so why would that be in his interest?” sources said.
“He was definitely pushing an agenda,&#8221; one air industry official told the Post, adding that Buttigieg had “little to no interest” and took “definitely zero action” for bringing air traffic control up-to-date.
In February 2023, on the same day a FedEx cargo plane almost crashed into a Southwest Airlines plane in Austin, Texas, Buttigieg posted a video to celebrate “Transit Equity Day.”
“Transit is not just about getting from A to B, it’s about reaching jobs, education, health care, and so much more,” Buttigieg wrote on X. “On this Transit Equity Day, we reinforce our commitment to transportation systems that serve those who count on them the most. Transit is not just about getting from A to B, it’s about reaching jobs, education, health care, and so much more.”
That same month, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy ripped the Federal Aviation Administration, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/15/buttigieg-airline-faa-billy-nolen-00087176">saying, </a>“We’ve essentially given you the road map on how to improve safety. &#8230; Too often we’ve seen the federal government and industry act after an incident, after lives are lost, once headlines are made. Our entire mission at the NTSB is to prevent that next accident.”
In August 2023, Buttigieg’s DOT announced the appointment of 24 members to the Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity (ACTE). “They include experts in community engagement, transportation planning, design, research, policy, advocacy, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA),” the Department of Transportation <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/secretary-buttigieg-appoints-members-advisory-committee-transportation-equity-acte">wrote</a>.
In February 2025, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated, “Effective immediately, the Department of Transportation will no longer participate in celebrations based on immutable traits or any other identity-based observances. These distractions do nothing to keep planes in the air, trains on the tracks, or ports and highways secure.”
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Effective immediately, the Department of Transportation will no longer participate in celebrations based on immutable traits or any other identity-based observances. These distractions do nothing to keep planes in the air, trains on the tracks, or ports and highways secure. In…
&mdash; Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy/status/1885855599390245367?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Indiana v Notre Dame – Playoff First Round

Transportation Took A Back Seat As Buttigieg Pushed $80 Billion DEI Agenda

Department of Transportation

Pete Buttigieg

The Department of Transportation (DOT) is revising fuel economy standards to make cars more affordable for Americans.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is resetting the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards and medium and heavy-duty fuel efficiency programs (MDHD). NHTSA&#8217;s Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards regulate how far vehicles must travel on a gallon of fuel. The Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) of 1975 directs the Secretary of Transportation and the NHTSA to prescribe average fuel economy standards for vehicles.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we are making vehicles more affordable and easier to manufacture in the United States. The previous administration illegally used CAFE standards as an electric vehicle mandate – raising new car prices and reducing safety. Resetting CAFE standards as Congress intended will lower vehicle costs and ensure the American people can purchase the cars they want,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-announces-key-step-toward-making-cars">stated</a>.
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“EPCA was passed in the context of the Arab oil embargoes of the 1970s when American consumers and the U.S. economy were threatened by gasoline shortages and high fuel prices,” DOT <a href="https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/2025-06/cafe-interpretive-rule-2127-ZA26-web.pdf">notes</a>, adding, “the purpose of the CAFE program was to induce automakers into offering America’s consumers more efficient vehicle options to advance the national goal of conserving energy &#8230; The statutory prohibition was clear at the time of enactment and has remained clear: it is impermissible for NHTSA to consider the fuel economy of dedicated automobiles in setting maximum feasible fuel economy standards.”
“NHTSA will reset the CAFE and MDHD standards programs consistent with the law,” DOT stated. “This interpretation lays the appropriate groundwork for standard-setting rulemakings that will rest the agency’s regulatory programs as determined necessary to bring them into compliance with Administration policy and applicable substantive statutory requirements as enacted by Congress &#8230;”
On the day he was inaugurated, President Donald Trump issued <a href="https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2025-01956.pdf">Executive Order</a> 14154, in which he stated, “It is the policy of the United States to ensure that all regulatory requirements related to energy are grounded in clearly applicable law; to eliminate the ‘electric vehicle (EV) mandate’ and promote true consumer choice, which is essential for economic growth and innovation, by removing regulatory barriers to motor vehicle access; by ensuring a level regulatory playing field for consumer choice in vehicles; by terminating, where appropriate, state emissions waivers that function to limit sales of gasoline-powered automobiles &#8230;”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Marks Newark Airport Runway Reopening

Trump Admin Is Slashing Fuel Efficiency Standards, Claims It Will ‘Make Cars Affordable Again’

Automobiles

CAFE standards

Cars

Electric cars

In 2008, California voters approved plans to build a high-speed rail line connecting Los Angeles to San Francisco, a roughly 500-mile stretch that would be <a href="https://hsr.ca.gov/high-speed-rail-in-california/">covered</a> in less than three hours. The project, pushed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom when he was mayor of San Francisco, was a major investment from the state and federal government, promising to kickstart the development of high-speed rail in the United States. 
That was more than 16 years ago. Since then, the estimated cost for the project has skyrocketed while the initial goal for the length of the high-speed rail has shrunk. Now, the Trump administration is <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-releases-report-exposing-no-viable-path">threatening</a> to pull all federal funding for the project, saying that the state has “not laid a single high-speed track.” In 2010, the project was awarded $929 million from the federal government, and just last year, under the Biden administration, the high-speed rail project received another <a href="https://hsr.ca.gov/2023/12/05/news-release-high-speed-rail-authority-to-receive-record-3-1-billion-from-biden-administration/?fbclid=IwAR32NHBuP8XAOTtGOnQwVzIbtBoaX9Ac2pH_jreJWIUcInwUE5zB8APlLGs">$3.1 billion</a>. 
According to a 2023 <a href="https://calmatters.org/economy/2023/03/california-high-speed-rail/">report</a> from Cal Matters, the estimated cost for completing just a fraction of the total project is now higher than the original $33 billion estimate that voters approved for the L.A. to San Francisco route. Completing the whole project, which the state says will “eventually extend to Sacramento and San Diego, totaling 800 miles with up to 24 stations,” is estimated to cost up to $128 billion, leaving California around $100 billion short in funding, according to the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-03-21/high-speed-rail">Los Angeles Times</a>.
The first phase of California’s high-speed rail plan is much smaller than the original goal to connect San Francisco to Los Angeles. Currently, the state is still trying to build a 119-mile track connecting Merced to Bakersfield, called the &#8220;initial operating segment&#8221; or &#8220;early operating segment.&#8221; California is targeting a 2033 finish date for this first step, but the Trump administration <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-releases-report-exposing-no-viable-path">argues</a> that the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) doesn&#8217;t have &#8220;a viable path&#8221; to accomplish this first-phase goal by the deadline, let alone the 800-mile high-speed rail.
Newsom said last month that workers have begun the first phase of the project, “laying the tracks to get to where they start to lay the tracks.&#8221;
&#8220;It’s a technical way of actually doing the development in phases, so real tracks are being laid, and the formal track that will be the first-in-the-nation high-speed rail track is about to take place,&#8221; the governor added. 
<div id="attachment_929263" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-929263" class="wp-image-929263 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2206305373-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2206305373-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2206305373-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2206305373-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2206305373-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2206305373-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2206305373-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2206305373-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />A cherry picker during the construction of a high-speed rail project in Madera County, California, US, on Monday, March 24, 2025. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images</div>
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy poured cold water on Newsom&#8217;s hopes on Wednesday, <a href="https://x.com/SecDuffy/status/1930265652553531425">saying</a> that his department “has found that the California high speed rail project is in default of its federal grant awards totaling $4 billion.” 
“Here’s the cold, hard truth — there’s no viable path to complete the rail project on time or on budget,” Duffy added. “California is on notice — If they can’t deliver on their end of the deal, it could soon be time for these funds to flow to other projects that can achieve @POTUS’ vision of building great, big, beautiful things again.”
Duffy’s announcement comes on the back of a months-long Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) investigation into the CHSRA. In its review, the FRA <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-releases-report-exposing-no-viable-path">found</a> that California “does not have a viable path to complete” the project by the 2033 target date, adding that “CHSRA has at least a $7 billion funding gap to complete the EOS [Early Operating Segment] with no credible plan to secure additional funds.” 
So what happened to this major project? According to the Trump administration, the CHSRA’s “mistakes and mismanagement” have raised a “reasonable question about whether continued Federal investment in the CHSR System is a prudent use of taxpayer dollars.”
<div id="attachment_929265" style="width: 900px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-929265" class="wp-image-929265 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2201813345-890x576.jpg" alt="" width="890" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2201813345-890x576.jpg 890w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2201813345-300x194.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2201813345-768x497.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/GettyImages-2201813345.jpg 1140w" sizes=" (max-width: 890px) 100vw, 890px" />A rendering shows a high-speed rail train as it enters a station during an informational open house by the California High-Speed Rail Authority at the Hilton DoubleTree in downtown Fresno on Wednesday, May 1, 2024 (via Getty Images).</div>
Newsom, who joined then-Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as an early supporter of the high-speed rail project, has <a href="https://enewspaper.latimes.com/infinity/article_share.aspx?guid=4fa48cb5-20c1-4a92-baf8-39a76dbb2a38#:~:text=SACRAMENTO%20%E2%80%94%20While%20mayor%20of%20San%20Francisco%2C,state%20bond%20measure%20to%20help%20build%20it">flip-flopped</a> his position on it through the years. Six years after pushing the project, he bemoaned the rising costs and delays and pulled his support, according to the Los Angeles Times. Just two years later, he again endorsed the project. 
Labor unions are also a major player pushing the $128 billion project, the L.A. Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-09/labor-unions-power-california-high-speed-rail-decisions">reported</a> in 2021. The State Building and Construction Trades Council of California, which represents 450,000 workers, has been a powerful voice behind the high-speed rail project despite the continued questions and criticisms swirling over the plan. The CHSRA <a href="https://hsr.ca.gov/2023/11/17/news-release-california-high-speed-rail-partners-with-labor-on-operating-nations-first-high-speed-rail-project/">partnered</a> with 13 rail labor unions to &#8220;cover an estimated 3,000 workers who will operate and maintain high-speed trains, facilities, and stations from the Bay Area through the Central Valley and into Southern California.&#8221;
Union support for the high-speed rail was a major reason Newsom flipped back to endorsing the project, according to the Times.
Newsom claims the project has made progress and remains on track to bring high-speed rail to the state. When asked about the project on Tuesday, the governor&#8217;s office directed The Daily Wire to the CHSRA and highlighted a clip of Newsom addressing the issue during a press conference on the state budget last month. In the clip, Newsom <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOeniD3QFqs&amp;t=7053s">commented</a> on the high-speed rail plan, saying, “You can see the progress we’ve actually made.” 
“We’re now on the other side of the environmental reviews. We’re on the other side of the land acquisition,” Newsom said. 
Newsom also pointed to a high-speed rail project in Texas that promised to connect Houston to Dallas, but the plan was <a href="https://www.railwaygazette.com/infrastructure/texas-high-speed-rail-project-grant-cancelled/68678.article#:~:text=USA%3A%20Transportation%20Secretary%20Sean%20Duffy,Texas%20High%2DSpeed%20Rail%20Corridor.">scrapped</a> in April after the Trump administration pulled funding from it. 
A CHSRA spokesperson told The Daily Wire in an email that it &#8220;strongly disagrees with the FRA’s conclusions, which are misguided and do not reflect the substantial progress made to deliver high-speed rail in California.&#8221;
&#8220;We remain firmly committed to completing the nation’s first true high-speed rail system connecting the major population centers in the state. While continued federal partnership is important to the project, the majority of our funding has been provided by the state,&#8221; the spokesperson added. &#8220;To that end, the Governor’s budget proposal, which is currently before the Legislature, extends at least $1 billion per year in funding for the next 20 years, providing the necessary resources to complete the project’s initial operating segment. The Authority will fully address and correct the record in our formal response to the FRA’s notice.”

Gavin Newsom

Trump Admin Ready To Pull The Plug On California High-Speed Rail Boondoggle

California

Donald Trump

Trump Administration

On Thursday, the GOP-led Senate voted to overturn a Biden administration move that powered California&#8217;s green energy agenda for cars and trucks that 11 other states have <a href="https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/advanced-clean-cars-program/states-have-adopted-californias-vehicle-regulations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sought</a> to adopt.
Fifty Republicans and one Democrat <a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00277.htm#position" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banded together</a> to revoke the Clean Air Act waiver the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/12/18/epa-california-electric-vehicles-waiver" target="_blank" rel="noopener">granted</a> in December to the Golden State that allowed it to proceed with a plan to ban the sale of new gas-powered light-duty vehicles by 2035.
Because the Republican-controlled House already <a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025114?Date=05%2F01%2F2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> the resolution of disapproval, the measure now heads to President Donald Trump. California has signaled that it is prepared to file a legal challenge.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), who is the chairwoman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, spearheaded the effort in the upper chamber to repeal the waiver.
&#8220;The impact of California’s waiver would have been felt across the country, harming multiple sectors of our economy and costing hundreds of thousands of jobs in the process,&#8221; Capito said in a <a href="https://www.capito.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senate-passes-capito-resolution-to-end-californias-ev-mandate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. &#8220;I’m proud to have led this effort to protect American workers and consumers from this radical and drastic policy.&#8221;
President Donald Trump weighed in on the issue during his presidential campaign at a rally in Saginaw, Michigan.
“When I&#8217;m president, no state in America will be permitted to ban gas-powered cars or trucks, and I guarantee it,&#8221; Trump said.
Senate Republicans used the Congressional Review Act (CRA), which allows bypassing a filibuster to undo regulations, to pass the resolution. Under this process, Lawmakers also voted to strike down waivers related to emissions for heavier-duty vehicles.
The Government Accountability Office (<a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/b-337179" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GAO</a>) and Senate <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5233436-senate-parliamentarian-says-lawmakers-cant-overturn-california-car-rules-but-republicans-may-try-anyway/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">parliamentarian</a> advised that the waivers are not rules that qualify for CRA, but The Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5312952-thune-creates-procedure-ev-mandate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> on how Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) used a series of procedural votes to alleviate concerns by some of his GOP colleagues.
On X, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) accused Republicans of trying to &#8220;appease the fossil fuel industry.&#8221; He also <a href="https://x.com/SenSchumer/status/1925290705502577129" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> they were &#8220;hijacking the CRA process in a way that’s never been done before&#8221; and warned: &#8220;What goes around when you’re in the majority comes around when you’re back in the minority.&#8221;
The one Democrat who joined with Republicans and spurned California was Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI).
&#8220;Today, I voted to prevent California and the states that follow its standard from effectively banning gas-powered cars by 2035,&#8221; she <a href="https://x.com/SenatorSlotkin/status/1925590423944257939" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declared</a> in a statement. &#8220;Michigan is the auto capital of the world, and as Michigan&#8217;s U.S. Senator, I have a special responsibility to stand up for the more than one million Michiganders whose livelihoods depend on the U.S. auto industry.&#8221;
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, <a href="https://x.com/AGRobBonta/status/1925624592481026347" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> his state was ready to fight in court.
&#8220;Since the Senate is caving to the Trump Admin’s demands, we will sue to protect California’s longstanding authority to maintain clean vehicle standards,&#8221; Bonta said. &#8220;President Trump may be playing partisan games with lives and good paying jobs on the line — but California won’t back down.&#8221;
Jayden Jelso contributed to this report.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)

Republicans Set To Block California’s ‘Radical’ Gas Car Ban

Biden Administration

Carbon Emissions

Chuck Schumer

John Thune

Shelley Moore Capito

U.S.

U.S. Senate

President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order Monday requiring truckers to display proficiency in English, citing road safety concerns.
The move will reverse a 2016 memo from the Obama administration, which told the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that it was <a href="https://hageman.house.gov/media/in-the-news/lawmaker-asks-dot-reverse-obama-era-english-proficiency-memo">not required</a> to place drivers who could not read English out of service.
“President Trump believes that English is a non-negotiable safety requirement for professional drivers, as they should be able to read and understand traffic signs, communicate with traffic safety officers, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station personnel, and provide and receive feedback and directions in English,” a White House <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/04/28/exclusive-trump-to-sign-order-ensuring-truckers-can-speak-english/">document</a> first viewed by Breitbart News explains.
It goes on to explain that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy will be required to “rescind and replace guidance to strengthen inspection procedures for compliance with English proficiency requirements.”
The impending order, which is expected to be signed at 5 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, will mandate the revision of “out-of-service criteria to ensure drivers violating English proficiency rules are placed out-of-service, enhancing roadway safety.”
Representative Harriet Hageman (R-WY) and Kevin Hawley, the President of the Wyoming Trucking Association, recently called for the federal government to enforce requirements that truckers be proficient in English.
“Many of our members have expressed frustration and concern over safety issues involving drivers who lack English proficiency — particularly those who are unable to read highway signs or communicate effectively during inspections or emergencies,” Hawley said, adding that the concerns are rooted in “a strong, shared commitment to safety.”
Trump’s impending order comes after the 47th president signed an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/designating-english-as-the-official-language-of-the-united-states/">executive order</a> designating English as the official language of the United States.
“To promote unity, cultivate a shared American culture for all citizens, ensure consistency in government operations, and create a pathway to civic engagement, it is in America’s best interest for the Federal Government to designate one — and only one — official language,” the order asserted, adding that the decision will “reinforce shared national values, and create a more cohesive and efficient society.”

Trucks at truck stop

Trump To Sign Executive Order Requiring Truckers To Be Proficient In English

English

Executive

Executive Orders

Multiple members of Congress experienced a frightening incident on Thursday when their plane was clipped by another aircraft on the ground at Reagan National Airport in the Washington, D.C., area.
Lawmakers posted about their experience on X, stressing that people on board their flight were unharmed.
&#8220;Serving in Congress has come with some once in a lifetime experiences… like just now while stationary on the runway at DCA, another plane just bumped into our wing. Heading back to the gate, but thankfully everyone is ok!&#8221; Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY) <a href="https://x.com/RepLaLota/status/1910378262506729695" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on X.
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Serving in Congress has come with some once in a lifetime experiences… like just now while stationary on the runway at DCA, another plane just bumped into our wing. Heading back to the gate, but thankfully everyone is ok! (And ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/RepGraceMeng?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepGraceMeng</a>⁩ is handing out grapes!) <a href="https://t.co/bOo1JNXZDh">pic.twitter.com/bOo1JNXZDh</a>
&mdash; Congressman Nick LaLota (@RepLaLota) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepLaLota/status/1910378262506729695?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
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He also noted that Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) was handing out grapes to people on board their plane.
&#8220;Glad my colleagues and I are okay! We are safely waiting on the tarmac, but we may need more snacks,&#8221; Grace <a href="https://x.com/RepGraceMeng/status/1910386638825365895" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded</a>. &#8220;I&#8217;m grateful no one was hurt today, but this incident underscores [the] urgent need [to] restore all FAA jobs that keep our runways safe.&#8221;
Meng later posted a video showing what she said were crews fixing the wing on their plane.
&#8220;Fortunately, everyone is okay &amp; we&#8217;re heading back to New York soon. Thank you to all who reached out with your concerns!&#8221; she <a href="https://x.com/RepGraceMeng/status/1910398067389382860" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a> in the post.
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While waiting on the runway to fly out of DC today, another plane clipped the wing of the plane my colleagues and I were on. Fortunately, everyone is okay &amp; we&#39;re heading back to New York soon. Thank you to all who reached out with your concerns! <a href="https://t.co/MAbN2E4dcW">pic.twitter.com/MAbN2E4dcW</a>
&mdash; Grace Meng (@RepGraceMeng) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepGraceMeng/status/1910398067389382860?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
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In a <a href="https://x.com/davidshepardson/status/1910392673782943921" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> announcing &#8220;preliminary&#8221; information, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the wingtip of American Airlines Flight 5490 &#8220;struck&#8221; American Airlines Flight 4522 on a taxiway at Reagan National Airport around 12:45 p.m. local time.
&#8220;Flight 5490, a Bombardier CRJ 900, was headed to Charleston International Airport in South Carolina. Flight 4522, an Embraer E175, was headed to JFK International Airport in New York. The FAA will investigate,&#8221; the agency added.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority confirmed that no one was hurt, noted that both planes returned to gates, and stated that airport operations were not impacted, according to <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/wingtip-plane-hits-taxiway-reagan-airport-faa/story?id=120687405&amp;cid=social_twitter_abcn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC News</a>.
American Airlines said &#8220;the damage was limited to a winglet on each aircraft&#8221; and the planes &#8220;have been taken out of service to be inspected,&#8221; per the same <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/wingtip-plane-hits-taxiway-reagan-airport-faa/story?id=120687405&amp;cid=social_twitter_abcn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news outlet</a>. &#8220;Safety is our top priority, and we apologize to our customers for their experience.&#8221;
Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) <a href="https://x.com/RepGregoryMeeks/status/1910402204789260659" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shared</a> that seven members of Congress, including himself, were on board the plane that was clipped, along with dozens of other passengers.
The scare comes a couple months after a mid-air <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/report-suggests-airport-tower-understaffed-at-time-of-collision-had-been-for-years" target="_blank" rel="noopener">collision</a> between an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk Helicopter near Reagan National Airport that killed 67 people aboard the aircraft.

Aircraft Carrying Members Of Congress Clipped By Another Plane

U.S. House of Representatives

Washington D.C.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sought on Monday to assuage concerns about air traffic safety after a number of high-profile plane incidents took place during the first month of the Trump administration as efforts to trim the &#8220;fat&#8221; are underway.
During an interview with Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer, Duffy acknowledged that the Department of Transportation (DOT) has fired hundreds of employees at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), but he emphasized they were people who were recently hired.
&#8220;There&#8217;s fat everywhere in government, and in DOT as well. But let&#8217;s be clear. At FAA, we cut 352 people out of 46,000 people. That is 0.8% of the workforce. These were probationary workers. They were employed for less than a year at DOT,&#8221; Duffy said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDuffy</a>: &quot;We kept all of the critical safety positions. We actually hired more positions in critical safety, like air traffic controllers&#8230; for people to say that because we cut 352 people out of 46,000 — that that&#39;s a risk to safety — give me a break.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/4QEeWgAj4G">pic.twitter.com/4QEeWgAj4G</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1894047345815232922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Duffy stressed that these employees who were let go were not veterans of the department needed to help keep transportation systems running smoothly, an assurance that followed recent air travel disasters such as the deadly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/report-suggests-airport-tower-understaffed-at-time-of-collision-had-been-for-years" target="_blank" rel="noopener">collision</a> between a military helicopter and passenger jet in the Washington, D.C., area and mid-air plane <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/midair-plane-collision-in-arizona-kills-at-least-two" target="_blank" rel="noopener">crash</a> in Arizona.
&#8220;These weren&#8217;t the old school, really ingrained employees of the DOT. And not only that, we kept all of the critical safety positions. And we actually hired more positions in critical safety, like air traffic controllers. We hired more inspectors for things like pipelines and for aircraft,&#8221; Duffy said.
&#8220;So, again, we have a safety mission, but for people to say that because we cut 352 people out of 46,000 — that that&#8217;s a risk to safety — give me a break. I mean that&#8217;s just plain politics as opposed to saying let&#8217;s cut the fat,&#8221; Duffy added.
Duffy also <a href="https://x.com/RedWave_Press/status/1894052581082570788" target="_blank" rel="noopener">talked</a> about the email first announced over the weekend by Elon Musk, who is overseeing President Donald Trump&#8217;s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-senators-cant-escape-elon-musk-asking-what-they-got-done-last-week" target="_blank" rel="noopener">requesting</a> that federal employees provide five things they accomplished in the past week. While other agency leaders have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-officials-tell-employees-not-to-respond-to-musks-productivity-email?topStoryPosition=undefined" target="_blank" rel="noopener">instructed</a> their workers not to respond, the Transportation Secretary said he did not object.
&#8220;At DOT, I have no problem with employees here saying, &#8216;What did you do last week?&#8217; and if you can’t come up with five things that you did, maybe you shouldn’t be employed here,&#8221; Duffy said. &#8220;Again, this is an easy task. It happens in the private sector all the time. And so I wanted all our employees to actually engage and talk about what they did.&#8221;
He added: &#8220;I think this whole movement, Bill, is potentially going to make people go, &#8216;I&#8217;m going to come to work earlier.&#8217; &#8216;I&#8217;m going to stay later.&#8217; &#8216;I&#8217;m going to look at what Donald Trump wants me to accomplish because he won the election, and I&#8217;m going to fight and work to make sure I help him accomplish that because I&#8217;m a public servant.'&#8221;
Duffy even posted his own list of five things he accomplished last week in a post to X:
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Mr. President, 5 things I did last week:
1. Terminated NYC elitist, anti-worker congestion pricing. 2. Launched an investigation into the $16 billion in taxpayer dollars wasted on a high-speed rail project that, after 17 years, has yet to lay a single mile of track. 3. Saved $10…
&mdash; Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy/status/1894031690256818515?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
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US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy

FAA Cut Probationary Workers, Added ‘Critical Safety’ Positions, Duffy Says

Air and Space

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy slammed his predecessor, Pete Buttigieg, this week on social media as Buttigieg tried to imply that recent government cutbacks could have led to plane crashes that have occurred since the Trump administration took over.
&#8220;The flying public needs answers,&#8221; Buttigieg <a href="https://x.com/PeteButtigieg/status/1891486255889731993">posted</a> on X on Monday. &#8220;How many FAA personnel were just fired? What positions? And why?&#8221;
His post comes as there have been several recent plane crashes, including a commercial airliner that collided with a helicopter in Washington, D.C., late last month.
&#8220;Mayor Pete failed for four years to address the air traffic controller shortage and upgrade our outdated, World War II-era air traffic control system,&#8221; Duffy responded. &#8220;In less than four weeks, we have already begun the process and are engaging the smartest minds in the entire world.&#8221;
&#8220;Here’s the truth: the FAA alone has a staggering 45,000 employees,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Less than 400 were let go, and they were all probationary, meaning they had been hired less than a year ago. Zero air traffic controllers and critical safety personnel were let go.&#8221;
Duffy said that Buttigieg used the Department of Transportation as &#8220;a slush fund for the green new scam and environmental justice nonsense.&#8221;
&#8220;Not to mention that over 90% of the workforce under his leadership were working from home &#8211; including him. The building was empty!&#8221; he continued. &#8220;When we finally get a full accounting of his mismanagement, I look forward to hearing from him.&#8221;
Buttigieg&#8217;s criticisms of Duffy come as he is considering a run for U.S. Senate in Michigan following the unexpected retirement of Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), who said last month that he would not run for re-election in 2026.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Mayor Pete failed for four years to address the air traffic controller shortage and upgrade our outdated, World War II-era air traffic control system. In less than four weeks, we have already begun the process and are engaging the smartest minds in the entire world.
Here’s the… <a href="https://t.co/LCL1dswC2T">https://t.co/LCL1dswC2T</a>
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy/status/1891656952662405304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2025</a></blockquote>

Senate Commerce, Science, And Transportation Committee Holds Confirmation Hearing For Sean Duffy

Sean Duffy Shreds Pete Buttigieg Over Problems At FAA

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

General

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy will welcome a team from SpaceX to the Air Traffic Control System Command Center in Virginia on Monday as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) looks to Elon Musk&#8217;s company for advice on making &#8220;a new, better, modern and safer system.&#8221;
SpaceX, the leading rocket and spacecraft company in the world, will visit the FAA&#8217;s command center shortly after multiple deadly plane crashes sent shockwaves through the United States in recent weeks. In a <a href="https://x.com/SecDuffy/status/1891310401800872114" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> on X on Sunday, Duffy said he wants to seek &#8220;advice from the brightest minds in America&#8221; to follow through on President Donald Trump&#8217;s desire to improve the country&#8217;s air traffic control system.
&#8220;I’m asking for help from any high-tech American developer or company that is willing to give back to our country,&#8221; Duffy wrote. &#8220;Tomorrow, members of @elonmusk’s SpaceX team will be visiting the Air Traffic Control System Command Center in VA to get a firsthand look at the current system, learn what air traffic controllers like and dislike about their current tools, and envision how we can make a new, better, modern and safer system.&#8221;
Musk replied to Duffy&#8217;s post, writing, &#8220;The safety of air travel is a non-partisan matter. SpaceX engineers will help make air travel safer.&#8221;
As the Trump administration continues to give Musk and his team at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) project more power and oversight of federal government agencies, Duffy attempted to get ahead of any criticism over his invitation to the SpaceX team.
&#8220;Because I know the media (and Hillary Clinton) will claim Elon’s team is getting special access, let me make clear that the [FAA] regularly gives tours of the command center to both media and companies,&#8221; he wrote.
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The Trump administration fired around 400 probationary FAA workers over the weekend, according to the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, a union representing FAA and Department of Defense employees. Those terminated included environmental compliance workers, aeronautical information specialists, maintenance workers, and mechanics, USA Today <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/17/faa-workers-fired-trump-plane-helicopter-collision/78956241007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
On January 29, just over a week after Trump took office, an American Airlines flight with 64 people on board collided midair with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River. All 64 on the American Airlines flight, along with three servicemembers on the helicopter, died in the crash, marking the first deadly commercial plane crash on U.S. soil since 2009. Days later, a medical jet with six people on board crashed in Philadelphia, killing everyone on the plane and one person on the ground.
Federal investigators are trying to determine the cause of the midair collision over the Potomac. On Friday, the National Transportation Safety Board said the Black Hawk helicopter could have had bad data, making one pilot believe they were flying at 300 feet while the other pilot thought they were at 400 feet. The NTSB added that air traffic control&#8217;s instructions for the helicopter to go behind the incoming American Airlines flight could have been missed if one of the pilots keyed her radio at the same time as the message from air traffic control came through, ABC News <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/dc-plane-crash-new-details-emerge-ntsb-investigation/story?id=118820142" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Following the collision, President Trump said his administration would &#8220;restore faith in American air travel,&#8221; adding that air traffic controllers must be &#8220;our smartest people.&#8221;
&#8220;It doesn’t matter what they look like, how they speak, who they are. &#8230; They have to be talented, naturally talented. Geniuses. Can’t have regular people doing their job,&#8221; Trump said in a White House press briefing.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-initiates-review-of-all-faa-workers-in-critical-safety-positions">Trump Initiates Review Of All FAA Workers In &#8216;Critical Safety Positions&#8217;</a>

Elon Musk

SpaceX Team To Visit FAA Command Center, Advise Transportation Secretary On ‘Safer System’

SpaceX

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