Biden may call out airlines in State of the Union

WASHINGTON — As Congress sets its sights on aviation policies and oversight of the White House’s implementation of infrastructure and energy transition investments, President Joe Biden could echo Democrats’ demands for airline passenger protections, dig into aviation safety and lean on key infrastructure law projects as part of his State of the Union address.

Biden took the White House with big promises for transportation — he released goals early on to cut greenhouse emissions from the transportation sector by 2050, highlighting the need to address the country’s infrastructure backlog and promote public transit, vowing to create jobs along the way.

Since his last State of the Union address, Congress passed the Democrats’ budget reconciliation law, which included electric vehicle tax incentives and other key climate provisions, and the administration has had a year to begin implementing the $1.2 trillion infrastructure law.

Biden is likely to underscore the importance of implementing those laws, especially as Sen. Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va., continues to bash the Treasury Department’s guidance on EV tax credits and House Republicans promise to use their new majority to focus oversight on infrastructure law spending.

At a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on Feb. 1, industry leaders welcomed Republicans’ oversight agenda while GOP lawmakers continued to criticize the administration for “overstepping” on interpretation of the law.

“It is incumbent on Congress and in particular, this committee, to ensure the money from (infrastructure law) is spent responsibly and is directed toward making our nation’s transportation supply chain more efficient and resilient,” Chairman Sam Graves, R-Mo., said during the hearing. “We owe it to the American people to do just that.”