Trump plan would move TSA, FEMA to USDOT

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) would undergo significant changes as part of the Trump administration's plan to reorganize government agencies.

According to the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) proposed reorganization, the Army Corps of Engineers' commercial navigation functions, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) would be moved into the USDOT, according to a report by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' AASHTO Journal.

Currently, FEMA and TSA are part of the Department of Homeland Security. Under the change, transit security grants administered by the two departments would shift to USDOT. All other activities of the Army Corps of Engineers would shift to the Department of the Interior.

In addition, a "re-examination" of program responsibilities now under the transportation secretary — including the Build America Bureau — could result in a shift to "alternative" governance structures, the Journal stated. The Build America Bureau administers transportation credit programs, awards Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grants, allocates private activity bonds and the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program.

The OMB proposal also calls for:
• spinning off federal responsibility for air traffic control and the Saint Lawrence Seaway to nonprofit entities;
• consolidating operating administrations (OAs) in areas such as research and development; and
• moving USDOT workforce development grants to the new Department of Education and the Workforce, which would be created by consolidating the current departments of Education and Labor.