Weekly Trek: October 30, 2015

Weekly Trek

October 30, 2015

Top Political News

• Paul Ryan elected 54th House speaker. Politico
• House Speaker John Boehner says goodbye, with tissues at the ready. Wall Street Journal
• Senate approves two-year bipartisan budget agreement. Washington Post
• What’s in the budget deal? Washington Post
• Budget deal: Winners and losers. The Hill
• 5 takeaways from the third GOP debate. Politico
• U.S. economic growth cools in third quarter. Wall Street Journal
• Is the economy really in trouble? A debate. New York Times

Transportation

• Senate approves three-week highway bill. The Hill
• Senate passes PTC deadline extension, confirms Feinberg as FRA administrator. Progressive Railroading
• U.S. Transportation Sec. Foxx announces $500 million in TIGER Grants awarded to 39 projects. DOT
• USDOT received $10.1 billion in TIGER VII funding requests. Progressive Railroading
• Audit finds Montana railroad safety lacking as oil traffic rises. Wall Street Journal
• Flight attendants join Open Skies debate. Travel Pulse
• Drone Wars: China and US compete on the global UAV market. The Diplomat
• The True Costs of Driving: Car owners don’t come close to covering the price of maintaining the roads they use. The Atlantic

Energy & Natural Resources

• How critics plan to torpedo Obama’s prized climate rule. The Hill
• Wave of litigation hits Obama climate rule. The Hill
• Ayotte backs EPA Clean Power Plan. Roll Call
• Opponents collect signatures to block Nestlé plant. KOIN
• Washington official asks for millions more to boost firefighting efforts. Spokesman-Review

Labor

• Right to work group slams Chattanooga UAW election as ‘monopoly unionization’. Times Free Press
• Pension funds considering fossil fuel divestment, socially responsible investments get boost from Labor Department. International Business Times
• Protecting American pension plan benefits. Forbes
• A significant deal for automakers and unions. The Atlantic

Taxation, Trade, & Defense

• The Pentagon dodged a bullet thanks to the US budget deal. VICE
• Budget deal gives DOD stability, almost all its money. Military Times
• Newly elected Speaker Paul Ryan takes gavel with focus on overhauling taxes. Wall Street Journal
• House approves Ex-Im renewal. The Hill
• Export-Import fight shifts to McConnell. The Hill
• Republicans jockey for tax-writing gavel. The Hill

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