Government Spending

The New Transportation Bill Puts Special Interests Above Safety

Some safety recommendations are treated as essential—while others become negotiable once influential people object.

Veronique de Rugy | 7.2.2026 2:15 PM

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Congress loves to wrap legislation in the language of the public interest. This year's surface transportation reauthorization bill is no exception. Supporters describe the House Transportation Committee–passed package as a major safety bill designed to make America's transportation system more secure and efficient.

Beneath their rhetoric lies the familiar Washington story of a bill shaped less by evidence than by the demands of organized interests.

Perhaps the clearest example comes from the rail provisions. If the bill is being driven by a coherent safety philosophy, why would legislators soften rules requiring the faster replacement of old hazardous-materials tank cars, despite repeated recommendations from the independent National Transportation Safety Board? Some safety recommendations are treated as essential, while others become negotiable once influential people object.

The reason, of course, is politics, which come with clientelism.

Much of the debate over freight car inspections didn't center on the frequency, timing, or type of inspections required—things the conversation would focus on if safety was the overriding goal. Instead,........

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