在轻松获胜的参议院确认之后，预计新的美国运输部长皮特·巴特吉格（Pete Buttigieg）将在乔·拜登（Joe Biden）总统的预期推动大规模经济复苏计划中发挥重要作用，包括联邦基础设施资金的大幅度增加。

The critical hurdle now, as has been true over and over in the past, will be figuring out how to pay for the program—and convincing Congress to sign on to a revenue-raising plan.

行业官员说，作为印第安纳州南本德市长的前总统候选人和交通知识的知名度，成为屁股的技能，使他成为政府恢复/基础设施计划的驱动力的重点选择。

Steve Hall, American Council of Engineering Companies senior vice president for advocacy, says, "He's a very articulate leader, understands infrastructure at a very granular level [and] as mayor, understands what it really means in terms of local economies."

Bipartisan Vote

Buttigieg, a Democratic presidential hopeful last year, won Senate confirmation on Feb. 2 on a strong 86-13 vote. That vote made him the first openly gay Cabinet nominee to gain Senate confirmation.

All 13 “no” votes were Republicans. But Buttigieg did receive votes from 36 GOP senators—more than 70% of their contingent. That may bode well for administration legislative initiatives in the transportation sector. “It’s an encouraging start,” says Hall.

Buttigieg will have to hit the ground racing. Biden has said he plans later in February to unveil his Build Back Better recovery plan, including what he has called “historic investments in infrastructure.”

Highway-transit Deadline

The largest component in the recovery plan's infrastructure sections is almost certain to be surface transportation—highways and transit. Increased spending will require additional revenue.

As Congress and the administration eye the prospect of the Building Back Better proposal, they face a ticking clock for surface transportation. The current authorization measure expires on Sept. 30.

还有另一个复杂性。As Sean O’Neill, Portland Cement Association (PCA) senior vice president for government affairs, notes, the Highway Trust Fund—a prime source of highway and transit funding—“is facing an all-too-familiar dilemma, which is insolvency.”

Michael Johnson, the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association’s president and chief executive officer, sees a two-part challenge ahead. Johnson said in astatementthat highways and bridges are “the economic circulatory system for our nation.” He added, “Therefore it is key to have a long-term Highway Trust fund plan in future infrastructure proposals and solve the [near-term] financial issues of the ... trust fund.”

搜索for Revenue

奥尼尔说,“我们如何支付(下一个surface transportation] bill is, I think, lingering over all of us— but in particular it’s lingering over the administration and the Congress."

奥尼尔补充说，根据巴特吉格（Buttigieg）在1月21日的确认听证会上的评论，“我们对获得收入的需求表示鼓舞，我认为，我认为愿意与国会合作这样做。”[在确认听证新利18备用会上查看Enn故事here。]

DOT Team

Buttigieg lacks experience on Capitol Hill or at U.S. DOT. But Ray LaHood, U.S. Transportation Secretary for the opening years of the Obama administration, said, “The team that [Buttigieg] is assembling to serve with him at the department brings deep knowledge of both policy and process that will pay dividends in crafting a visionary and robust infrastructure plan.”

For example, Biden's nominee for DOT deputy secretary is Polly Trottenberg, who formerly had been Commissioner of the New York City DOT for seven years. Earlier, Trottenberg was the U.S. DOT Under Secretary for Policy in the Obama administration. Before that, she was an aide to Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)—now the incoming majority leader—former Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), and the late Sen Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.).

政府已将许多其他人命名为在部门，州和地区机构，私营企业和国会山的经验的次级点点点。

Media-savvy

Buttigieg may be able to bring infrastructure to a wider audience. For example, the night before his Senate hearing, Buttigieg appeared on NBC's “Late Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” not the usual venue for DOT nominees. He also has 3.3 million Twitter followers.

ACEC通讯和市场营销副总裁Jeff Urbanchuk说：“像Buttigieg一样，很少有内阁成员像媒体那样对媒体进行电视和精明的成员。”他说：“如果您想将构建更好地卖给外部d.c。观众，他是一个很棒的人。”

但是PCA的O'Neill表示，在政府解决恢复/基础设施建议之前，它重点是通过冠状病毒救济包。拜登提出了一个1.9万亿美元的计划。一组共和党参议员释放了61.8亿美元的反销售。

Biden invited the 10 lawmakers to the White House for a Feb. 1 meeting. But Democratic leaders, whose party narrowly controls the House and Senate, have moved toward a possible legislative vehicle for the $1.9-trillion plan that would require simple majorities in each chamber.

Neither the Biden nor the Republican senators' proposals has much, if any, direct construction funding.

奥尼尔说，无论最终的Covid-19救济法案的形状是什么，都将“确定下一步”。他补充说：“这可能是基础设施和气候套餐的原因。”